Getting Started as an Aspiring RN in Arizona
Choosing an RN school is a decision with a lot riding on it, and our three-year BSN program is designed to be your pathway to becoming a registered nurse in Arizona. The answers below cover what our Phoenix admissions team hears most, grouped by topic from career outlook to program requirements.
Contact our Phoenix campus directly for personalized guidance.
Nursing Career Frequently Asked Questions
Your RN school timeline depends on a couple of factors, including the program you choose and your prior education. With AZCN, you can complete your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as three years, rather than the four years a bachelor’s degree often takes.
If you’ve earned college credit or hold a degree in another field, qualifying transfer credits may shorten how long you’re in school. To get a clearer picture of what becoming an RN in Arizona looks like for you, reach out to an admissions representative at our Phoenix campus.
Across the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area of Arizona, registered nurses bring in a median nursing salary of $98,160 per year. Since you’ll be just starting out, expect to come in below that median at first and build your earnings as you gain experience. For more information, you can view our Phoenix nursing market outlook report.
Statewide, the numbers stretch wider. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a nursing salary across Arizona that runs from $69,930 per year at the low end up to $123,480 per year for the highest earners.
Updated 5/2025. Source: https://www.onetonline.org/link/localwages/29-1141.00?zip=85053
One of the great benefits about working as an RN is that you have many different options for work environments. As of 2024, registered nurses held about 3.4 million nursing jobs.
Most registered nurses worked for these employers:
Hospitals (59%)
Ambulatory healthcare services (19%)
Nursing and residential care facilities (6%)
Government (5%)
Educational services; state, local, and private (3%)
Updated 2026. Source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm#tab-3
Arizona counted 59,110 RNs in its workforce as of 2022, and the state projects that number will climb 22% between 2022 and 2032. Nationally, RN employment is expected to rise 5% from 2024 to 2034, opening up about 189,100 new nursing jobs each year.
Updated June 2026: Data Source: https://www.onetonline.org/link/localtrends/29-1141.00?st=AZ
Yes, a nursing career doesn’t have to stay within Arizona’s borders, but the steps vary based on your license and the state where you want to work. Member states of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) recognize one another’s licenses, letting registered nurses practice across any of them without a second application. A state outside that agreement will generally have you pursue licensure by endorsement, a route that calls for documentation and fees filed with its board of nursing.
Sitting for the NCLEX-RN, the national licensing exam, happens in your state of residence, and a CCNE-accredited BSN program like Arizona College of Nursing gets you ready for it. Once you pass, your nursing career can take shape on your terms. If you have plans to relocate, our admissions team is glad to lay out Arizona’s licensure process and what to expect after graduation.
Nursing Program Questions at Arizona College of Nursing – Phoenix
With qualifying general education transfer credits, you can move through our three-year BSN program in three years or less, often graduating sooner and at a lower cost than you might expect.
Have questions about transfer credits, including those tied to college-level credit-by-exam scores? Check our Campus Locations page to reach your local campus directly. Our transfer of credit team will go over your transcripts and tell you specifically how your previous education may count toward a BSN degree.
Read more about Arizona College of Nursing’s credit transfer requirements.
Qualifying students of every age and background may have access to a range of financial aid programs and payment options, such as:
- Federal student loans
- Federal PELL and SEOG grants
- Eligible State-based grant programs
- Private educational loans
- Military veteran educational benefits (ex: Post-9/11 G.I. Bill®)
Scholarships are available through Arizona College of Nursing as well. You can find more on both financial aid and scholarships at https://www.arizonacollege.edu/admissions/financial-aid/.
Yes. Your exact schedule will depend on your prior academic experience, though you’ll typically begin your BSN with general education courses held in the evening. A number of those general education courses also come in a convenient format that blends on-campus and online learning.
Evening scheduling exists for a practical reason: most students have work and life commitments they can’t drop the day they enroll, so starting with night courses makes the transition manageable. Once you advance to your Core Nursing courses, those move to daytime hours.
Our three-year BSN program in Phoenix looks at two things from applicants: a cumulative GPA of 2.75 from your high school or college coursework and a qualifying score on the HESI A2. A strong HESI A2 result can also open the door to a GPA waiver in some cases.
Once you’re ready to apply, our team is here to guide you. Our admissions staff can answer your questions about transcripts and entrance testing, and our finance team can help you understand the financial aid you may qualify for. You’ll find our admission requirements on our admissions page.
There’s no waitlist at AZCN’s Phoenix campus, so your start isn’t held up once you’ve been accepted to our RN school. New sessions open about every 8 weeks, which gives you several points throughout the year to begin whenever the timing suits you. To learn more about how the process works, visit our admissions page.
AZCN’s curriculum moves through the areas that shape a well-rounded nurse, including clinical thinking, community health, critical care, gerontology, leadership, surgical care, obstetrics, pediatrics, and psychiatric care. Together, these subjects give you the clinical foundation you’ll carry into your career.
Our Phoenix campus doesn’t offer an LPN to BSN or LPN to RN bridge. The good news is you can still join our program and earn your BSN degree in as few as three years.
Your experience as an LPN will serve you well as you work through the coursework, and it proves especially valuable once you reach the clinical training, where your hands-on patient care gives you a strong footing. When you reach out to our admissions team, mention your LPN background, and they can share how it may support you throughout our program.
AZCN’s Phoenix campus is not a fully online nursing program, but most of our campuses do offer some online nursing courses. Our curriculum blends in-person, online, and hybrid classes to fit your schedule. At the majority of our campuses, many non-clinical courses are offered asynchronously and delivered fully online, while courses with a clinical component meet in person.
Our general education courses follow a blended approach, with night and virtual classes for added flexibility. To learn more about our online nursing course formats at our Arizona campus and how you can earn your BSN degree in three years, reach out to our admissions team.
The best way to compare nursing schools is to weigh a handful of factors that affect your education and your daily life. Start with program length and format, since they determine whether your studies can work around a job or family. From there, look at the admissions process, because a clear one gets you started sooner while a long waitlist can hold up your plans. Clinical partnerships and hands-on training are worth asking about too, since that experience prepares you for the job and builds your confidence. Student support rounds out the picture, from academic resources to financial aid, for those who qualify.
At Arizona College of Nursing in Phoenix, you’ll find a three-year BSN program with flexible scheduling, an admissions process with no waitlist, and clinical rotations with healthcare partners across Arizona. If you’re comparing RN schools in Arizona, our admissions team is ready to answer your questions and help you move forward.
General Nursing College FAQs
The difference between a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program comes down to the role each one trains you to fill. An LPN or LVN program leads to becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse, called a Licensed Vocational Nurse in some states. A BSN program leads to becoming a registered nurse (RN).
An LPN program usually takes one to two years to complete. This option readies you for entry-level nursing roles, providing basic nursing care under the direction of registered nurses and physicians.
A BSN program takes about three to four years to complete and prepares you for a career as a registered nurse. RNs work with a wider scope of practice that includes patient care planning and diagnostic testing. Although it asks for more time than an LPN program, a BSN rewards that investment with a fuller nursing education, a wider range of practice areas, and stronger potential for advancement as an RN.
See a more detailed comparison between an LPN and a BSN at https://arizonacollege.edu/answers/whats-the-difference-between-an-lpn-and-a-bsn/
To be licensed as an RN by the Arizona Board of Nursing, you must meet two requirements. First, you need to graduate from a program approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. Second, you must pass the NCLEX licensing examination.
Source: https://www.nursinglicensure.org/nursing-paths/rn-arizona.html
Our BSN program at Arizona College of Nursing – Phoenix prepares you for both, with coursework, clinical experience, and NCLEX-RN preparation built into our curriculum.
Becoming a nurse in Arizona involves a few different costs, from your education to your licensing. It starts with completing an accredited nursing program, which lays the foundation for everything that follows.
The Arizona State Board of Nursing also requires the following fees: an RN Endorsement Fee ($150), an RN Exam Fee and Licensure Fee ($300), an RN Re-Exam Fee ($100), and a fingerprint fee ($50).
Source: https://azbn.gov/licenses-and-certifications/agency-fees
Arizona doesn’t cap the number of attempts, so you can take the NCLEX-RN as many times as you need to pass. One condition applies, though. If more than two years have passed between finishing the clinical portion of your nursing program and the time you seek licensure, you’ll need to take and pass a nurse refresher course first.
No single timeline fits everyone, since your prior education and the program you pick both play a role. If you’re beginning with no college coursework behind you, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) generally means four years of study.
But at Arizona College of Nursing – Phoenix, you can earn your BSN degree in three years. If you’ve completed prior college courses, you may be able to apply transfer credits and finish sooner still.
Your own timeline depends on your education background, and our admissions team can map it out with you. Reach out to get started.
Source: https://www.arizonacollege.edu/accredited-bsn-program/
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is an undergraduate degree built to prepare you for a strong start in the nursing profession. The coursework pairs a foundation of general education with advanced nursing study, so you graduate ready for the demands of the job. Holding a BSN can also broaden where you’re able to work, opening up positions in more states and cities.
Both an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can put you on the path to becoming a registered nurse once you pass the NCLEX, but they differ in depth and where they can take your career. An ADN is a two-year degree that covers the core clinical skills needed to enter nursing. A BSN builds on that same clinical core with a broader education and more extensive hands-on training, which is what tends to set it apart for employers.
This added preparation opens doors an ADN may not. Among the most sought-after are Magnet-designated hospitals, recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for their excellence in nursing, patient care, and professional development. These prestigious institutions typically hire nurses who hold a BSN or higher, part of how they uphold the highest standards of care and better patient outcomes.
To learn more about the difference between these nursing degrees visit our page “What’s the Difference Between an ADN and a BSN?“
A nurse manager is a registered nurse who steps into a leadership role after building clinical experience on the job. The work happens across many settings, from hospitals and outpatient care centers to long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and home health care services.
For registered nurses drawn to leadership, it’s a meaningful way to advance a career. Getting there in Arizona starts with time spent working as a registered nurse, since the clinical experience you gain is what prepares you for management responsibilities.
A nurse manager position calls for a BSN degree at minimum. You’ll also need to be a licensed registered nurse, which means passing the NCLEX-RN examination and earning your state license in Arizona.
Experience matters just as much as the degree. You’ll need time working as a registered nurse to build your clinical background before you apply. Many healthcare employers look for at least five years of experience.
A nursing assistant handles the hands-on basics of patient care, working under the direction of registered nurses and other professionals. A typical shift involves supporting patients with everyday tasks, checking vital signs, and helping them move safely from place to place.
For someone considering a future in nursing, the role can be an early way to gain experience in healthcare. Across Arizona, these positions turn up in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and similar settings. For some, the experience becomes a launching point to earning a BSN and going on to become registered nurses.
Yes. Our BSN program is open to you whether or not you’ve worked as a nursing assistant, and plenty of students begin with no prior healthcare experience. The program is built to take you from the fundamentals through the clinical training that prepares you to become a registered nurse.
If you have worked as a nursing assistant, that experience can be an asset, but it’s never required for admission. What carries the most weight is your commitment to learning and your desire to care for others.