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Online associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs represent a great opportunity to begin a career in nursing, especially for students who cannot afford to attend a four year school, or who do not live close to a school that offers a BSN program.

Selected schools offering an online associate degree in nursing or in related areas

• National American University Online
  
  • Associate of Science degree in Nursing

• American InterContinental University Online
  
  • AABA in Healthcare Administration
• DeVry University
  
  • Associate in Health Information Technology
• Kaplan University
  
  • AAS in Medical Transcription
• Virginia College Online
  
  • AS in Healthcare Reimbursement

Use the Search Box and the links to the right to find other schools offering nursing and related associate degrees.

What is studied in an online associate degree in nursing?

An ADN program usually includes courses in: human anatomy and physiology, human nutrition, psychology, fundamentals of nursing, pharmacology, adult nursing, maternal child nursing, nursing role and scope, sociology, success strategies.

But you can't necessarily learn everything about being a nurse online. Many programs also include supervised clinical experience in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Make sure that you take a program that is designed to prepare you for the NCLEX Registered Nurse licensing exam.

What nursing jobs are there on completion of an online associate degree in nursing?

Registered nurses with an ADN are found in several major settings, including:

• Hospitals - usually assigned to one department;
• Clinics/Centers/Healthcare Offices - caring for outpatients;
• Nursing Homes - caring for residents;
• Schools;
• Home Care/Hospice - providing nursing services to patients at home;
• Prevention/Education Programs;
• Public Health;
• And there are many other opportunities for nurses.

Opportunities for nurses are increasing world-wide. In the USA, thousands of job openings will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who are leaving as they reach retirement. With the world population living longer and so needing more care, jobs in health care are increasing, and will likely stay that way for many years to come. The US Department of Labor reports that employment of registered nurses is expected to grow over 20% up to 2016.

How much can you expect to earn with an online associate degree in nursing?

The median expected salary for a typical Staff Nurse - RN it is over $61,000 (prepared using Salary.com's Certified Compensation Professionals' analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies).

And after the ADN?

You should see the online associate degree in nursing as the first step in your career. There are many online RN to BSN degree programs that exist specifically to help Registered Nurses who have associate degrees complete their BSN degrees.

More information about online associate degree in nursing programs

Explore the links on this page to find out more about suitable schools for pursuing an online associate degree in nursing.

If you don't find what you want here or want to make a comment, you can always discuss it in the online associate degree in nursing topic of the online subjects and programs forum.