CNA to RN: Programs, Salary Difference, and How Long It Takes

A CNA helps patients with daily living: bathing, feeding, mobility, and vital signs, all under nursing supervision. An RN assesses patients, builds and manages care plans, gives medications and treatments, coordinates with physicians, and teaches patients and families about care. An RN also supervises LPNs and CNAs, so the direction of supervision reverses.

The title comes with a license. After finishing a nursing program, you sit for the NCLEX-RN and apply for licensure in the state where you plan to work. Each state's nurse practice act sets the exact scope of RN practice, so duties differ from one state to the next. Check your own state board's rules early.

Nationally the gap is $55,290 a year, an increase of roughly 131 percent. That is $26.58 more an hour, and it moves typical monthly pay from $3,522 to $8,129, a difference of about $4,607. Entry-level RN pay clears typical CNA pay by a wide margin: a starting RN earns around $68,940, about $26,680 more than the $42,260 a typical CNA earns.

The gain holds at both ends of the range. Entry-level CNA jobs pay around $16.32 an hour, or $33,940 a year, against $33.14 an hour, or $68,940, for RNs, a difference of about $35,000. The top 10% of CNAs make over $24.99 an hour, or $51,980; the top 10% of RNs make over $66.09 an hour, or $137,470, a gap of $85,490. The country employs about 1,448,910 CNAs and 3,379,720 RNs.

Where you work changes the size of the jump. California shows the largest gain, from $47,630 to $140,270 a year, a difference of $92,640; Hawaii follows at $90,970 and Oregon at $79,180. The smallest gains land in North Dakota, where pay moves from $45,820 to $80,730 for a difference of $34,910, followed by South Dakota at $39,260 and Iowa at $39,280. The table below lists each state.

The degree is the main requirement. An associate degree in nursing commonly takes about 2 years, a bachelor of science in nursing about 4. Some community colleges offer CNA-to-RN or CNA-to-ADN tracks that grant advanced placement for CNA training. Another route runs CNA to LPN, then an LPN-to-RN bridge of about 12 to 18 months. Availability, prerequisites, and credit vary by school and state.

Prerequisites usually include college-level anatomy, physiology, and microbiology, plus a background check and entrance testing. Graduation is followed by the NCLEX-RN and an application for state licensure. Many hospitals prefer or require the BSN. RN-to-BSN completion programs let an ADN nurse finish the bachelor's degree while working.

Many students keep working as CNAs while enrolled, usually at part-time hours or on weekend shifts scheduled around classes. The pay keeps coming in during the program. How many hours fit alongside coursework and clinicals varies, and a schedule that holds one term may not hold the next.

From decision to license, a full-time associate degree route commonly takes about 2 years, and a BSN about 4. Part-time enrollment stretches that. Prerequisite courses in anatomy, physiology, and microbiology may add time before the nursing program starts. Bridge tracks that grant advanced placement for CNA training can shorten the classroom portion, though credit varies by school and state. The NCLEX-RN and the state licensure application come after graduation.

Both roles have gained ground over the past decade. Typical CNA pay is up 64 percent since 2015, and typical RN pay is up 45 percent. Registered nurse employment is projected to grow 5.6 percent through 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year. Those openings include replacements for nurses who retire or leave, not just new positions.

The costs are the other half of the decision. A degree takes time and tuition, both of which land before any change in pay. The RN role carries responsibility for assessment, medications, care plans, and supervising staff. The move suits someone who wants that clinical responsibility and expects to stay in nursing long enough for the pay difference to matter.

The move from CNA to RN is worth about $55,290 more a year in typical pay. It takes about 2 years for an associate degree or about 4 for a BSN, plus the NCLEX-RN and state licensure. The RN salary guide and the state pages show what the jump looks like where you live. Your state board's licensing page lists the exact requirements.