Can someone become a nurse with just an associates degree?

I plan on getting my A. degree in Nursing (RN) and becoming a nurse for a year or two, then going back and getting my masters. is it possible to become a nurse with just an A. degree?

how much would my salary be with just an A. degree?

We are comparing apples, oranges, and pears here...

* "Nurse" is an occupational group. It includes many levels from assistants to nurse educators with the common "general duty nurse" in the middle there. All nurses are not RNs - all RNs are nurses. RN is not the highest level of nurse nor is it lowest - there are many job functions within the occupational group "nurses".

* RN is a license from the state. It means Registered Nurse. It's the basic requirement for general duty nurses in all states. This license requires that you complete a specified education and then pass an exam. There is also an LPN/LVN and FNP (among many others) that are also licenses/certifications (not jobs or degrees).

* The associates degree is an academic degree. You can get an academic degree at any level in nursing. There is the one-year practical nursing diploma, a nursing school diploma in nursing, associate of science in nursing, bachelor of science in nursing, master of science in nursing, and doctor of nursing science. These are degrees and you can have a doctor of science in nursing and still not be an RN unless you pass the state exam and get a license.

You can take the RN exam with an ASN, BSN, or MSN. Either way, you'll become an RN. What the degree level does is advance you into specialized positions. The higher your degree, the higher the position you will be eligible for.

If you get an ASN now and become an RN, you will be going back for your bachelor's first. The master's requires that you have a bachelor's for entry. Almost all supervisory and specialist nursing positions require a bachelor's or higher. A master's nurse is very high in the hierarchy and very few nurses have one. An MSN nurse can earn well over $100,000 per year in one of the four specialties at that level.

Some nurses get a Master of Health Administration (MHA) or a Master of Public Health (MPH) instead of the MSN and move into administration or public health.

Most nurses have either an associates degree or a BSN though - the BSN is becoming increasingly essential for advancement.

The average starting salary for a freshly minted RN in the US with an ASN is right around $25 per hour. That's $52,000 per year or $4,333 per month. Not too shabby pay at all.

The range of income of RNs is $40,250 - $83,440 per year for the middle 80%. 10% earn less and 10% earn more but almost everyone earns in that range. The median (middle) is $57,280

I guess you can do that. You probably just have to pass the nursing licensing exam...thats all. I dont know if you can get a masters with an associates degree though...you might be able to...

Absolutely. My very dear friend did just that and makes about thirty dollars an hour. Good Luck!!!