One of the many advantages of nursing is that there are plenty of opportunities to advance and specialize. If you have gained a few years’ worth of experience in nursing and are ready for more, it may be that you have considered gaining your BSN degree.
With the need for nurses to further their own education and help to bridge the gap between nurse and physician, there really has never been a better time to gain your BSN and jump into a new career. Whether you are wanting to switch career roles, earn more money or become more confident in nursing, here are just five of the many advantages of gaining your BSN degree.
Better Your Knowledge and Skills
Choosing to study for a BSN will help you to become a better nurse overall, as well as advance your skills in many areas, not just clinical practice. As a nurse, you should always be looking for new ways to better your skills and knowledge and you should keep up to date with any changes in nursing policies and practices. Studying a BSN will enhance essential skills that you will need to get those higher-paid jobs with more responsibility. You can look at gaining better skills such as:
- Communication- in nursing, communication is key. Everything from body language to how you speak to patients and their families is an essential part of everyday life in nursing
- Leadership- if you want to get further in your field, you will need to develop leadership skills
- Critical thinking- nurses need to be fast thinkers and be able to critically think and appraise everything they do. This is how nurses learn from each other and improve their own skills
A BSN will help you to be a better and more confident nurse; making better clinical judgments and having the ability to more accurately diagnose and treat conditions. If you are looking for the best way to gain confidence in your role, a BSN is an excellent way to do so.
Study Online
Online studying is becoming a popular choice for many new and returning students, with nursing students being no different. You can choose to gain to study for an RN to BSN online. As a nurse, you know how busy life can get and with shift work taking up a lot of time, it may be that studying isn’t in your time schedule. Online studying is beneficial in its own right for many reasons including:
- Total flexibility- unlike lectures which are carried out at the same time every week, your online work and lectures are there for you, wherever and whenever. This means if you work best once the kids are in bed, you are free to study then. You can also take your degree with you wherever you go. For some, working at home can be too distracting but you also have the option of taking your laptop and going to the creche with your children, the public library or your favorite coffee shop. This also means if you get sick, you can even study in bed, rather than missing out on lectures.
- Save money- some online courses are cheaper but even if this is not the case, you will save money in many areas. Traveling to and from classes can be costly, especially if you are having to rely on public transport and don’t live near to the university of your choice. There are also the added expenses of eating and drinking during classes, as it is all too tempting to grab a coffee on your breaks.
- Comfort- many people find online studying much more comfortable, as although you will have deadlines, you are free to study when you want and where you want, at the pace that you require. You can still get the support needed when studying online, perhaps even more so than if you were to study at a university in large seminars.
With the ability to cut out travel to university and instead study at home, gaining your BSN really has never been easier.
Career Advancement
There are so many more career opportunities open to those who have a BSN. As an RN, you may specialize but in general, you won’t get very far without studying further. If you don’t want to do shift work for the rest of your life and want to get more responsibility, a BSN is a no brainer. Some of the roles that are available to those with a BSN include:
- Quality control
- Case management
- Charge nurse
- Infection control
- Healthcare informatics
- Nurse educator
- Clinical training and development specialist
If you want to further your career to the highest paid jobs then you will need to complete a BSN first, following by an MSN. This will then open up careers such as Family Nurse Practitioner.
Better Pay
As completing a BSN opens up more job opportunities, it goes without saying that BSN nurses also have better pay. Even those nurses that choose to stay in their current role are likely to get paid more, as they have more qualifications and skills than RN’s. This will depend on many things, such as your current role, whether you work in the private or public sector and what state you live and work in. On average, nurses with a BSN earn $69,000 each year.
BSN Nurses Are More Sought After
Although there are plenty of opportunities for nurses, some jobs are more sought after than others and you are more likely to land your dream job if you have a higher qualification. Many job requirements now ask for a BSN or higher, meaning more jobs will be waiting for you following the completion of your degree. If a job is struggling to choose between you and another candidate, it may well be that your degree will be what gets you the job over someone that has yet to gain their BSN.
If you are looking for the next way to further your nursing career to benefit you now and in the future, choosing a BSN will provide you with many benefits. With the added option of studying online, completing a BSN in your own time has never been easier.
