A nursing career often starts with a diploma or associate degree, but it doesn’t have to end there. Registered nurses (RNs) who earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can take their careers anywhere.
To expand opportunities for BSN-level education, the University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Nursing has opened an RN to BSN program for registered nurses to earn the BSN degree completely online in just 12 months.
Applications are open, and the deadline is Nov. 1. Classes begin in January 2027. One unique facet of the program at UT Health Sciences is that BSN graduates can bridge directly to college’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.
As a first-generation college student, College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-Bc, FAAN, FAANP, began her career with an associate’s degree in nursing. After earning her RN-to-BSN degree in Memphis, Dr. Likes began working at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital but always knew she wanted to advance her education.
“The RN to BSN degree opened doors to new opportunities in leadership, education and administration, ultimately helping me advance throughout my career,” she said. St. Jude offered the benefit of tuition assistance, and this gave Dr. Likes a pathway to advance her education with less student debt.
Increasingly, a BSN degree or higher is required for administrative nursing positions or nursing roles in research, consulting and teaching, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The RN to BSN is a bridge to a broader career for RNs who have entered the nursing profession by earning a diploma or an associate’s degree in nursing.
Data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing 2025 Survey shows the number of students in RN to BSN degree-completion programs increased last year following five consecutive years of decline.
After obtaining her RN to BSN degree, Dr. Likes went on to attain three graduate degrees at UT Health Sciences. A certified family nurse practitioner, Dr. Likes’s clinical practice focused on cancer and pre-invasive gynecologic conditions. She founded the Center for HPV and Dysplasia at Regional One Health. She has served as the dean of the College of Nursing for 12 years.
“Today, as dean of the College of Nursing at UT Health Sciences, I continue to draw upon the foundation that my BSN education provided. My RN to BSN experience not only enhanced my practice as a nurse but also inspired my commitment to lifelong learning, mentorship and preparing the next generation of nursing leaders,” she said.
Assistant Professor Kimberly Kennel, PhD, RN-BC, CCRN, CNE, CNEcl, is another faculty member who advanced her career with an RN to BSN degree. When she originally went to nursing school, she chose a hospital-based diploma program because it was the quickest and least expensive route to the workforce. After completing the program, she said she saw no reason to return to school.
Fast forward a few decades, and Dr. Kennel has earned three additional degrees, one of which was the RN to BSN. “One of the things I love most about nursing is that it offers endless opportunities to grow and reinvent yourself,” she said.
For Dr. Kennel, “the BSN opened doors that simply were not available to me before. It allowed me to begin teaching clinical groups, pursue graduate education and eventually transition into nursing education. Without that degree, those career opportunities would not have been possible.”
Her career has evolved over the years from bedside critical care nurse, to educator, to researcher. “Each step has been built upon the previous one. Looking back, every degree opened a new door that I never knew existed,” Dr. Kennel said. “My biggest full circle moment was having former students care for my husband during an illness this past year. I was so proud of these nurses and the care they provided my husband and the comfort they provided me with. I even tell patients that I love training the nurses who will care for me someday.”