There’s no getting around the fact that nurses care for patients that have increasingly complex conditions that require excellent technical and critical thinking skills. Nursing, like what you see on TV, is not what nursing is really all about. Real life nursing requires special skills that a can be achieved with a BSN degree. Here are five things important to consider when considering a BSN degree.
- Expanded knowledge & competencies. A BSN gives nurses additional tools to have in their nursing toolbox, including expanded competencies in leadership, teamwork, collaboration, application of research, understanding of health care policy and financing, quality outcomes, and systems thinking.
- Marketability. An increased number of clinical job postings are listing “BSN preferred.” Many healthcare employers recognize that nurses with a BSN degree have additional skills that result in better patient outcomes.
- Increased Career Opportunities. A variety of career opportunities exist for nurses with a BSN degree. Many are outside of the traditional hospital or long term care facilities. Some highly specialized clinical areas prefer nurses who have a BSN.
- Springboard for graduate education. The BSN degree is the stepping stone to getting a master’s or doctoral degree. Nurses who are interested in specializing as a nurse practitioner, educator or researcher must have a BSN to continue with their education.
- Personal enrichment. Nurses who acquire more knowledge through education experience a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction with their accomplishment.
Nursing is a dynamic profession and lifelong learning is essential for nurses to stay current with the increased complexity of the healthcare needs of today and into the future. In other words, the needs of our patients are changing, as we must change in order to be prepared to better serve that need.
Dr. Marlene Pietrocola, Chair & Associate Professor, Division of Nursing at Tabor College