Work Benefits of Getting a BSN Degree

Nurses from all walks of life work together every day. Some might have 20 years of experience, some might have a master’s in nursing midwifery, and some might be fresh graduates with a DN. Nursing is a spectacular profession in that respect — no matter where you are in your career, when you step foot in the surgical unit, or the OR, or a private practice, nurses of all educational backgrounds are equals in their commitment to patient care. While this is true, and has been for quite some time, there’s been a shift of late for more nurses to obtain their BSN. The Institute of Medicine wants to see nurses expand their competencies; that’s why, in “The Future of Nursing: Focus on Education” report, they recommend that, by 2020, 80 percent of nurses earn their BSN.

For the many nurses without a baccalaureate degree, that ambition may seem scary, but it’s a really great time for the nursing profession. If you’ve been curious about furthering your education, and you’re curious how your work will change with your BSN degree (and the skills that come with it), there’s no time like the present to learn.

1. Heightened senses means better care

Becoming a BSN-trained nurse won’t change your ability to be a compassionate, empathetic nurse, and, in some cases, won’t change your day-to-day activities much. The education and skills you’ll receive from your BSN will, however, train you to become a better critical thinker. With the disease process becoming more and more complex, solid critical thinking skills are needed now more than ever. Nurses need to analyze patients and apply the standards of care, sometimes with dizzying speed, in a busy environment, with a dozen other duties pulling them in every direction.

But your education will give you the ability to develop better plans of care, absorb evidenced-based literature and research, and improve the quality of care you give your patients. It doesn’t hurt that nurses who have their BSN have lower mortality rates, with lower incidences of pressure ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, and hospital-acquired infections.

Related Resource: Why Some Hospitals Already Require a BSN Degree

2. More opportunity for professional growth

It’s no secret that, in general, the more education you have, the more opportunity you’ll have for furthering your career. Of course this means you can further your career in terms of management positions, but also in job diversification. Your BSN will prepare you for this career leap faster, with an education steeped in healthcare policy, principles of system thinking, and leadership models. Obtaining your BSN can open up doors to promotions, more responsibility, specialty graduate programs, and greater job satisfaction.

On a practical level, this means your work can become more administrative. You can refine and use your natural leadership and organizational skills — and if you don’t want to leave the bedside, you don’t have to! There are plenty of opportunities for bedside BSN nurses to serve in leadership roles while remaining a contributing member of a team.

Related resource: 5 Reasons You Need Your BSN Degree

3. A boost of confidence

Think back on your accomplishments: graduating high school, moving out on your own, getting your first job in healthcare. How do they make you feel? Pretty great, right? Now, think about the feelings you’ll have the day you walk across that stage with your BSN skills in hand, ready to take on the world…

As a nurse, there is a lot riding on your shoulders. You’ll see really sick patients; you’ll face urgent situations; you’ll feel fear. When you motivate yourself to overcome a challenge, such as receiving your BSN, you’re giving yourself one more tool to help in difficult situations: confidence. A baccalaureate nursing education will instill and refine the bedside skills you learned when you earned your RN degree, reminding you that you can do the tasks at hand, and do them well. Having this self-confidence will help you face adversity when it comes your way. Confidence will show in the care you give, in the way your carry yourself, and in your judgement, perception, and skill — all qualities that are needed to make a good nurse a great one.

Our online RN to BSN degree completion program focuses on providing our students with a holistic education. It’s flexible, and designed for working nurses by working nurses. If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, we’re ready assist in any way we can.