4 Reasons You Should Get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree
Being a nurse is about more than just collecting a paycheck—for many it’s a calling. When you are passionate about the career that you choose, you will wake up every day ready to change the lives of the people you come in contact with. And when you’re a nurse, changing lives is what you do.
Highly Trained Nurses are in High Demand
The Institutes of Medicine (IOM) published a report in 2010 that highlighted the importance of highly educated nurses. Today about 1 in 3 nurses have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), but the IOM recommends increasing that number to 4 out of 5, or 80% of all nurses who are working in clinical settings, by the year 2020. Not only do nurses with a bachelor’s degree or higher have better patient outcomes, they also enjoy more employment opportunities, career advancement, and higher pay. If you want a career you love, getting a BSN is a great place to start.
More Employment Options
Employers today prefer nurses that have a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) over those with just an associate’s degree. The IOM report recommends that hospitals and care facilities aim to have 80% of their nursing employees hold bachelor’s deees by 2020. Plus hospitals that are working to achieve “magnet” designation from the American Nursing Association are more likely to hire a bachelors-program graduate, since that designation now requires 100% of nurse managers to hold a BSN, and on average about 50% of all nurses at these hospitals have BSN degrees.
Higher Income Potential
Nursing is a career that offers great income potential throughout your life (and plenty of job security, even in a recession), but did you know that nurses who earn their BSN make 10% more on average than those who get licensed as an RN but only achieve an associate’s degree? It’s true—the average RN salary nationwide is $67,220 while the average salary for RNs who have a BSN is $74,000 a year. Give yourself an automatic raise by getting your bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Career Advancement Opportunities
Getting licensed as an RN will allow you to provide basic clinical care in most facilities, but you may find that your career advancement options are limited. Four of the highest paying nursing jobs (nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, and clinic nurse) all require a BSN. The Veterans Administration (VA) requires all its nurses to have a bachelor’s degree, and many administrative, teaching, and management positions also require a BSN.
More Comprehensive Education & Better Patient Care
All nursing programs will teach you the basics on providing clinical care, but nurses with a BSN are exposed to curriculum that covers communication, critical thinking, and leadership—all essential skills if you want to move up in your career as a nurse. These skills also translate to better patient care. Research from the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing (AACN) showed that BSN-educated nurses have lower mortality rates, lower “failure to rescue” rates, and higher proficiency in making good diagnoses than their peers with associates degrees.
Ready to get started in your career as a nurse?
Roseman University offers several options for getting your BSN. Click the links below to find out more about each program!
18-month Traditional BSN
16-month Accelerated BSN
35-week RN to BSN