Do you have to have AA degree to become a Registered Nurse?

YES! In order to obtain a nursing license, which is required by all 50 States and the District of Columbia, students must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass a national licensing examination. Candidates have three different options for educational paths leading to certification as a Registered Nurse:

1. The first option is obtaining a bachelor's of science degree in nursing (BSN). BSN programs are offered through colleges and universities and take 4 years to complete,.

2. The second option is an associate degree in nursing (ADN), offered through junior and community colleges, which takes 2 to 3 years to complete.

3. The third option is a 3-year diploma program administered by hospitals.

All three types of programs qualify students to be hired as a Registered Nurse after passing the liscencing exam, but BSNs provide graduates with the most opportunity for advancement within the nursing profession. In fact many nurses certified through ADN or diploma programs later go on to enter bachelor's programs and higher. If you work as a Registered Nurse after graduating with an AA in nursing, many hospitals/employers will help you pay for college so that you can get a BSN if you ever chose to do so in the future.

My wife has a 4 year college degree, majoring in Nursing. She is an RN. Its a very tough test and there is a lot to learn. But she makes decent money and has a nice career.

You can register for a license to drive without one. But I think a registered nurse in USA has to have more than an AA. She needs a YAY!

There is no easy wasy to become a registered nurse it takes 4 years maybe 3. You have to maintain a bachelors degree to be certified as a Registered nurse and to maintain a liscense.

What is an AA degree?

And no you don't need a degree at all to be a Registered Nurse. There are programs that are offered by Hospital systems that allow one to challenge the NCLEX. However, these programs usually involve a contractual agreement with the institution of instruction and the credit for courses are usually not transferable outside of that institution. For example The Baptist Health System has a 2 year nurse program at the completion the student challenges the NCLEX exam and earns a license to be a Registered Nurse; however, those scholastic credit hours do not transfer to other colleges/universities. That Registered Nurse license is only good within the Baptist Health system.
But within the past 7 years this so called nursing shortage prompted legislation to be pass that bypassed funding to such programs and the Vocational Nursing Certificate program. Most of the funding goes for Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and Bachelor degrees. And more hospital systems are requiring all staff RNs to have a degree.

To become an RN, you can take a 2, 3, or 4yr course. You only need an Associates Degree to become an RN. That takes 2 years. The longer you go to school, the higher up you go, with the 4th year being a BA. The higher the degree, the higher the money is. I hope this helps.