RN to MSN Programs in Colorado

Online RN to MSN Programs in Colorado

You can have your pick of online RN to MSN programs in Colorado. All of the following schools welcome RNs with a diploma or associate degree in nursing. We would caution that Aspen is a for-profit institution without regional accreditation—check out the school listings and view the profiles on College Navigator for more details. Here are a few extra points about each:

• Aspen University: Aspen offers asynchronous courses with no mandatory log-in times and start dates every 2 weeks. Learning is conducted in a self-paced environment. This is an accelerated online RN to MSN program—you don’t earn the BSN along the way.
• Regis University: The BSN portion of Regis’s program is asynchronous—each class lasts 8 weeks and students can log in at any time. The MSN portion is 100% online in August, January, and May. In January, Regis also offers an option that blends virtual classroom meetings and online courses. Most graduate-level courses are taught in 8 week terms. Be sure to check the State Authorization page before applying. Due to regulatory requirements, Regis can’t offer the program in a tiny number of states.

Cheapest RN to MSN Programs in Colorado

Our ranking of the most affordable Colorado RN to MSN programs is based on per credit graduate tuition rates. So it’s a rough estimate! You’ll need to factor in the total number of credits, any additional fees, the school’s transfer policies, and prices for BSN credits. For example, Regis charges lower tuition rates on their undergraduate courses.

1. Aspen University: View Tuition Rates
2. Regis University: View Tuition Rates

Keep in mind, too, that Aspen is a for-profit university that only offers distance learning. Regis University is a regionally accredited, non-profit university with a brick & mortar School of Nursing. That means Aspen has less overhead costs.

Colorado’s Healthcare Landscape

There’s no doubt that Colorado is a relatively healthy state:

• Healthcare in urban counties is buoyed by excellent universities & hospitals in the Denver/Aurora area.
• Grades on the U.S. Rural Health Report Card for Colorado are strong (especially when it comes to primary care access).
• Death rates from cancer and childhood poverty rates are usually low.
• The Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) is working hard to improve opioid safety.
• And Colorado often has the lowest obesity rate in the country.

Even the unusually high incidence of low birth weights may—in part—be attributed to the state’s soaring altitude.

The main challenge that Colorado healthcare providers have been facing in recent years is a mental health crisis. You can see this play out in the high levels of excessive drinking registered in America’s Health Rankings and stats from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Death rates from suicide and chronic liver disease/cirrhosis in Colorado are alarmingly high and firearm deaths are above the national average. In the BCBS Health Index, major depression is often the top issue of concern.

A year-long investigation in 2019 from the Gazette summed up many of the state’s issues, especially the lack of access to mental healthcare providers and the over-reliance on emergency room visits as first stops for care. In response, UCHealth launched a $100 million initiative in 2019 to embed mental health professionals in primary care offices & ERs, expand virtual care, and open an inpatient behavioral unit.

In other words, aspiring PMHNPs may find they’re sorely needed! If you’re interested nursing leadership or public health positions, you may also be able to contribute to multiple-pronged initiatives being run by the CHA, UCHealth, and other major medical organizations.

Jobs for Colorado RN to MSN Graduates

Career Outlook for RN to MSN Graduates

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) keeps a watchful eye on job & wage data for Nurse Practitioners and Nursing Instructors & Teachers, Postsecondary. We especially like the employment maps on these pages, since they allow you to compare—at a glance—regions and states.

As you might expect, a major hub of jobs is the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan area:

• Around 55% of Colorado nurse practitioners and around 71% of Colorado nursing instructors work in this urban center. And wages for these NPs can be some of the best in the nation.
• The Denver area has one of the highest employment levels of nurse educators in the country—right up there with cities like Chicago, LA, and Dallas-Fort Worth. The presence of the University of Colorado & UD in Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora may have something to do with this statistic.

Interested in hospital job after graduation? Have a look at U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the Best Hospitals in Colorado and the ANCC’s list of Magnet Facilities in Colorado. You’ll see a lot of familiar names in both sources (e.g. UCHealth centers, Porter Adventist Hospital, Parker Adventist Hospital, etc.). And there’s plenty of choice outside of Denver!

In need of a mentor or career advice? The Colorado Society of Advanced Practice Nursing (CSAPN) maintains a Provider Directory and a Preceptor Directory. Colorado NPs have a great deal of autonomy when it comes to their scope of practice, so you could even look into running your own practice.

Hoping to work in a rural county? The Colorado Rural Health Center’s section on CPR for Providers has information on rural scholarship programs for CO healthcare providers, data on workforce shortages, preceptor resources, and a whole lot more.

Career Resources for Future APRNs

Colorado Nursing Job Boards

• CNA Career Center: Job listings for Colorado nurses, including NPs, nurse leaders, and nurse educators
• CSAPN Career Center: Job listings for Colorado APRNs
• Colorado Rural Health Center: Colorado Provider Recruitment (CPR): Job listings for primary care providers in rural areas

Colorado APRN Salary & Wage Data

• Annual Mean Wages for Colorado Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations: Categories can include “Nurse Practitioners,” “Nurse Midwives,” and “Nurse Anesthetists”
• Annual Mean Wages for Colorado Nursing Instructors & Teachers, Postsecondary
• AANP National Compensation Survey: Available to AANP members

Colorado Nursing Organizations

State Board of Nursing

• Colorado Board of Nursing

Colorado Nursing Associations & Coalitions

• National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN): Colorado Chapters
• National Black Nurses Association (NBNA): Colorado Chapters
• Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence
• Colorado Hospital Association (CHA)
• Colorado Nurses Association (CNA)
• Colorado Society of Advanced Practice Nurses (CSAPN)

Colorado Nursing Specialty Organizations

• American College of Nurse-Midwives – Colorado Affiliate (Colorado ACNM)
• American Psychiatric Nurses Association – Colorado Chapter (APNA Colorado)
• Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses – Colorado (AWHONN Colorado)
• Colorado Association of Nurse Anesthetists (COANA)
• Colorado Association of School Nurses (CASN)
• Colorado Emergency Nurses Association (Colorado ENA)
• Colorado Organization of Nurse Leaders (CONL)
• Colorado Student Nurses Association (CSNA)
• Rocky Mountain PeriAnesthesia Nurses Association (RMPANA)