A report carried out by the Institute of Medicine in 2013 studied the responsibilities, roles, and education of nurses to recommend a series of changes to improve the ever-evolving and increasingly complex healthcare system in the US. One of the key recommendations in the study was to increase the number of nurses with a bachelor of science of nursing (BSN) from 50% to 80% of the nursing workforce.
In 2020, the number of nurses holding this degree increased from 49% to 56%. Although the number of bachelor-level nurses is on the rise, there is still a lot to be done to reach the IOM’s goal of 80%.
Some of the efforts that have been put in place in order to help facilitate this is that nurses that are on active duty in the military, and nurses within the Veteran’s Administration, are required to hold a BSN. In addition, Magnet status for employers that have a more highly educated workforce has led more private healthcare employers to boost their educational requirements for nurses. In New York State, the new BSN-in-10 rule means that all nurses now need to earn a BSN by law within ten years of getting their license, and there is more employer support available for nurses who want to achieve this.
As a nurse, there are many reasons to consider getting your BSN. Along with higher salaries, better opportunities for further learning and career progression and better employment prospects, BSN-educated nurses tend to produce better patient outcomes in comparison with nurses with a lower degree of education, in most cases. Here are some of the main reasons for registered nurses to consider getting a BSN.
Improved Career Preparation:
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, a bachelor’s degree is the best option for nurses that want comprehensive career preparation. Nurses who have studied for a degree at this level tend to gain abilities that go well beyond the basic nursing skills that are required of them for their careers. The BSN not only teaches the necessary nursing skills that you’ll need on the job but several further abilities including health promotion, case management, critical thinking and leadership. Along with the AND coursework that is required to earn an RN license, the BSN degree goes further with classes covering humanities, public health, community health, research and more. As a result, it is the best degree program for aspiring or current nurses who want to become well-informed, well-rounded professionals will a solid understanding of the connections between health and societal issues.
Shift to Preventative Care:
Over the past years, nursing has seen a shift in focus on inpatient care in favor of patient-centered systems of both primary and preventative care. Rather than hospital and doctor visits, procedures and tests being used to treat patients, healthcare is shifting to primary and preventative care that focuses on collaborative practice models and integrative care systems. The BSN degree program is the best option to prepare nurses for this, with a high level of focus on training nurses to work as a key part of multidisciplinary teams. Along with this, nurses will receive training in providing patients with preventative care advice on regular check-ups and screenings, following care plans and maintaining healthy lifestyles.
Work in More Settings:
Nurses who hold a BSN degree will often be able to work in a wider range of healthcare settings since they are provided with the knowledge, skills and training to do so as a result of their degree program. Some of the settings where it is often much easier for BSN-educated nurses to find work include residential facilities, home-based nursing services, specialty clinics and more. In addition to providing core patient care, BSN-trained nurses may also find work in various other areas of healthcare including nursing leadership, management, administration, research and clinical nursing. While the ADN degree or nursing diploma will cover all the core areas of nursing, the BSN curriculum includes a lot more including health policy, nursing theory and nursing informatics, along with providing students with a wider range of extensive clinical experiences. As a result, BSN-qualified nurses tend to become better candidates for a wide range of specialty career options in various different healthcare settings.
Higher Demand for Employment:
A survey carried out by the AACN in 2020 found that over 90% of BSN graduates are likely to secure employment within six months after graduating from their degree programs, with many offered immediate employment through healthcare employers that they gained clinical experience with while studying. In addition, over 40% of hospitals and healthcare settings in the US have now made the BSN the minimum educational requirement for nurses, and over 80% of employers now strongly prefer nurses that have gained a BSN. This may be a result of another study, carried out in 2019 by New York University, that found RNs who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing tend to be significantly more prepared for the role compared to ADN-qualified nurses in twelve out of sixteen different safety and quality areas of the role including evidence-based practice, data analysis, and project implementation.
Prepare for Graduate School:
Another reason for RNs to consider getting a BSN is that is it now often required for nurses who want to move up the career ladder by getting an advanced degree in nursing. If you are interested in a degree program such as the Texas Womans University’s Post-Masters Certificate – FNP Online Program to train to become a family nurse practitioner in the future, a BSN is likely to be required in order for you to subsequently gain the master’s degree in nursing that is needed to qualify you for this program. The changing emphasis on primary and preventative care, along with the fact that despite the shortages of both, RNs are still outnumbering primary care physicians in the healthcare industry, means that nurses are quickly becoming the main primary care providers. Graduate nursing education, which often requires a BSN as a minimum, is becoming more and more important to prepare advanced practice nurses who are experiencing increasing demand, higher salaries, and more career opportunities.
Better Career Advancement:
A BSN is often the minimum requirement to advance your career in nursing no matter what kind of role you aspire to do. On the other hand, ADN-qualified nurses are often faced with a much smaller list of opportunities compared to BSN-educated RNs when it comes to career opportunities, specialty areas and progression. In New York, for example, legislation was passed in 2017 making it the first state to carry a rule for all new nurses that requires them to gain a BSN within a decade of licensure. Known as the BSN-in-10, the new law has been designed to improve the outcome for patients across the healthcare industry in the state. It is backed by studies that show that for each ten percent increase in BSN-qualified nurses, there is a five percent decline inpatient mortality rates. As a result, more states across the US are considering similar laws, which will only make the need for nurses to get a BSN even more important.
Improved Patient Care and Outcomes:
Most nurses decide on this profession since they want to be able to help others and make a difference to the health and wellbeing of the individuals that they work with and care for on a regular basis. If you are looking to become a nurse to improve the healthcare system, getting a BSN can be one of the best ways to achieve this. There have been several studies that link the improvement of patient care to a higher number of BSN-educated nurses in the workforce. Studies have found that when more nurses are qualified with this degree, the incidence of many patient problems is lowered. This includes a lower number of patients with hospital-acquired infections, post-operative deep vein thrombosis, pressure ulcers, and more. In addition, employers with a higher number of BSN-educated nurses tend to have lower patient admission rates and a much lower incidence of post-surgical mortality among patients. In 2014, the University of Michigan carried out a study that found an association between a ten percent increase of BSN-educated nurses and an eleven percent decrease in the risk of patient mortality.
What are the Options for Getting a BSN?
It is clear to see that a BSN is often the best way for nurses to enjoy more career progression and advancement in this field since it is required by a growing number of employers and is often the minimum requirement for studying for several advanced degree programs including master’s degrees in nursing and nurse practitioner training programs. There are several options to consider if you are thinking about getting a BSN, including:
Bridge Programs:
For nurses that are already qualified as a Licensed Practical Nurse or a Registered Nurse with an ADN, bridge programs can be the ideal way to build on the knowledge and skills that you have already gained in nursing to get your BSN. These programs will often take less time to complete compared to the traditional four-year BSN program and take into account the nursing training that you have already have, allowing you to catch up on the BSN curriculum and fill in any gaps in your learning.
Accelerated BSN Programs:
Accelerated BSN programs allow you to get your BSN in around half the time that you would expect to achieve it from a traditional four-year degree program. These degree programs are primarily designed for career changers and may not always be suitable for registered nurses that do not already hold a bachelor’s degree. To qualify for an ABSN program, you will usually be required to hold a bachelor’s degree in a non-related subject. However, the program takes your previous professional training into account, allowing you to build on any knowledge and career skills that you have already gained to become a BSN-educated registered nurse.
Campus-Based Nursing Programs:
Campus-based BSN programs are still one of the most popular ways to gain a BSN, however, they may not always be the best option for professionals who are already working in the nursing field. This is a very typical degree program that will require you to attend lectures and classes on-campus for around four years’ time when studied full-time.
Online BSN Programs:
Online BSN programs are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among registered nurses with an ADN or diploma that are looking to boost their qualifications and gain a BSN. Online BSN programs are available from a growing range of nursing schools, including online-only nursing schools that are becoming more mainstream. This type of bachelor’s degree is often the ideal choice for registered nurses who are looking to boost their resume with a BSN since they offer more flexibility and are typically easier to work around a busy nursing career compared to attending campus-based classes. Nurses who are working full-time will often find it easier to fit studying online around their shifts, and this study option can often help nurses save money by allowing them to work full-time and avoid various costs such as commuting.
Employer Training:
Last but not least, some employers are now offering nursing apprenticeships that are designed to help nurses gain their BSN qualification on the job. This is a good option for anybody who prefers to learn on the job and take a more hands-on approach. While there will likely still be some classroom learning to take part in, it’s often less classroom-based than any other BSN option.
With the evidence backing BSN-educated nurses showing that they are better for patient care, it’s no surprise that more and more employers are now requiring nurses to hold this qualification as a minimum. Along with increasing patient care with their additional training, knowledge and skills, a BSN can be very beneficial to individual nurses by improving opportunities for employment, further training and career advancement, and more. With a BSN as a registered nurse, you are more likely to find employment faster after graduating and have more opportunities to climb the career ladder.