11 Reasons Why a BSN in Nursing is Important

Are you looking to become a sought-after registered nurse helping others every day? Do you want to feel secure in your job and take on leadership roles, both inside and outside of the hospital? If this sounds like a future you want, then a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is a great place to begin. Why get a BSN? There are several reasons why a BSN in nursing is important, and we’ll discuss them in detail here.

While traditional BSN programs require a four-year commitment, accelerated programs help students earn their degree faster. With the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track at Concordia University Texas, students who have completed the necessary prerequisites and have a prior non-nursing bachelor’s degree or 60 college credits can earn their BSN in as few as 16 months.

Here are 11 top benefits of a BSN in nursing and why a bachelor’s degree is a worthwhile investment in your nursing career.

1. High BSN Nurse Demand

By 2030, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the employment for nurses will reach over 3.3 million. This consists of replacement nurses needed to fill the positions of retiring nurses and new nurses needed to address the ever-evolving demands of healthcare. Since the onset of COVID-19, the need for qualified nurses has become even more apparent.

Higher educated nursing teams have been shown to result in better patient outcomes, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). In order to address the need for improved outcomes, hospitals are seeking to hire more BSN-educated nurses.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), as of 2019, based on completed responses from 645 schools of nursing, 40.6% of hospitals and other healthcare settings require new hires to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, while 77.4% of employers express a strong preference for BSN program graduates.

Nurses with a BSN are preferred not only for clinical nursing roles, but they’re also at an advantage when it comes to management and non-traditional nursing positions. If you’re wanting a career where you’ll be a valued and sought-after employee, earning your BSN is an ideal choice.

2. Improved Patient Outcomes

As patient care rises in complexity, nurse leaders are advocating for an increase in the number of BSN nurses in all clinical settings. Why? Because they believe that education affects the quality of patient outcomes. Which studies show, holds true.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation states that having a higher proportion of BSN-prepared nurses on staff links to better patient outcomes. These outcomes consist of lower:

• Incidence of pressure ulcers
• Postoperative deep vein thrombosis
• Hospital-acquired infections
• Post-surgical mortality

The AACN also states that having nursing staffs with a bachelor’s degree results in improved patient outcomes, decreased patient mortality, and better safety and quality.

As healthcare continues to evolve because of new techniques, advancements in technology, and policy, it’s imperative that tomorrow’s nurse is educationally prepared to meet the rigors of today’s nursing profession.

3. Better Job Stability

With the push to hire more nurses who have a bachelor’s degree, another reason why a BSN in nursing is important is that nurses with a BSN can enjoy a stable, long-term career. The need for nurses is high, especially when they have a BSN, which translates into greater job stability.

By earning your BSN right away, you’ll avoid the pressure of feeling you have to go back to school in order to remain a valued member of the healthcare team. A BSN is the only degree you’ll ever need to be a professional nurse, and it will serve you well whether you choose to work in a clinic, hospital, operating room, outpatient care center, nursing home, community, or school.

One of the benefits of BSN is it gives you credibility as a nurse. Healthcare employers value education, so they work to retain their BSN-educated nurses. Therefore, if you’re looking to begin a nursing career where stable employment for many years is possible, earning your BSN is the first step.

4. Higher Salary

Another reason why a BSN in nursing is important is the competitive advantage with salary. Because healthcare employers value the skills and educational background that comes with having a bachelor’s degree in nursing, you can expect increased pay compared to nurses without a BSN.

5. Access to More Nursing Specialties

Another of the key benefits of a BSN is that it opens you up to many more nursing specialties. If you have a desire to work somewhere other than a standard clinic or hospital RN role, earning your BSN is the way to go. BSN-prepared nurses have a broader scope of practice, meaning they can treat patients across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings.

Equipped with a BSN, nurses can find jobs in specialty areas such as operating rooms, intensive care units, emergency departments, neonatal intensive care units, dialysis centers, and more.

On top of the many opportunities available within the clinical care environment, nurses with a BSN also have more diverse job choices outside the traditional hospital setting. For example, nurses with a BSN can become school nurses and college campus nurses. They can also work within other sectors, such as insurance, pharmaceuticals, law, and public health. A BSN is the ideal degree for nurses who aspire to make a difference in many facets of their communities.

6. Career Advancement Opportunities

Earning a BSN also sets you up for career advancement and leadership positions away from the bedside. For example, some of the opportunities that become available to BSN-educated nurses as they progress in their careers include:

• Nurse manager
• Healthcare administrator
• Nurse recruiter

By earning a BSN, you’re giving your future self the chance to step into these highly sought-after roles. You may want to work in direct patient care now, but in 10 years, you may want to progress into a management role, leading other nurses to provide excellent patient care. By putting in the work now to get a BSN, you can have access to meaningful career growth later.

7. Possibility of Becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse

Some nurses aspire to develop their skills even further and take on greater autonomy as a healthcare provider. If you’re planning to return to school to pursue an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) role, you can begin by earning a BSN.

APRNs include nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, and clinical nurse specialists. To become an APRN, you’ll need to enroll in a master’s- or doctorate-level program that prepares you for one of the advanced nursing specialties. These programs require a BSN for their applicants.

APRN careers offer numerous benefits, including a competitive salary and more independence in treating patients. The salaries of APRNs average well into the six figures, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2020 data:

• Nurse Practitioner: $111,680
• Nurse-Midwife: $111,130
• Nurse Anesthetist: $183,580

8. Accelerated BSN Programs Take Less Time

With accelerated BSN programs like the ABSN track at CTX, students with 60 college credits or a prior bachelor’s degree can transform that background into a BSN in as few as 16 months. Concordia University Texas even offers three start dates each year in January, May, and August so you don’t have to waste any time waiting for a new school year to begin.

The accelerated track at CTX uses a hybrid online curriculum, which combines foundational education through online courses with in-person learning through simulation and skills labs and clinical rotations. This means CTX students can earn their degree faster while also having the advantage of ample clinical and real-world nursing experience.

Rather than spending four years earning a BSN degree, you can earn this life-changing degree in a little over a year. What are you waiting for?

9. BSN Programs Teach More

A valuable reason why a BSN in nursing is important is that you’ll learn so much more than just technical patient care skills. Bachelor’s level nursing programs teach other valuable nursing soft skills, including problem solving, communication, collaboration, and leadership.

BSN programs also prepare nursing students to handle complex patient scenarios. That means as nurses they’re better prepared to successfully manage challenges. Furthermore, BSN programs educate students in physiology, pharmacology, and human health. Therefore, you’ll also learn the “why” behind your patient’s health conditions, and you’ll understand how the human body and healthcare complement each other.

Earning a BSN means you’ll understand patient care much deeper than surface level. You’ll glean a thorough understanding of why nursing interventions make a difference.

10. Qualified for Magnet Hospitals, VA, and Military

Because nurses who have a BSN have been shown to deliver significantly better patient results, there are some opportunities only available to those with a BSN. ANCC Magnet hospitals are hospitals that are committed to having high nursing education standards, and they receive recognition for their achievements. Therefore, Magnet hospitals focus on hiring nurses with BSN degrees so they can maintain their recognized status.

Another of the benefits of a BSN in nursing is the ability for BSN-educated nurses to work with the Veterans Association (VA). The VA is the largest employer of registered nurses in the U.S., and it requires a BSN for nurses to be promoted beyond an entry-level position, according to the AACN.
Furthermore, if you desire to work as a nurse for the U.S. military, be prepared to earn a BSN.

Military service has the major advantage of providing students with a way to get their student loans paid off in full. However, according to the AACN, the Air Force, Army, and U.S. Marines all require a BSN for active-duty RNs, so prepare to earn your BSN to be eligible to work in this lifesaving role.

11. Option to Travel in the U.S. and World

Do you aspire to work as a travel nurse, visiting a diverse array of cities while advancing your career? The opportunity to become a travel nurse has risen significantly since the onset of COVID-19, as the demand for nurses has become greater.

Travel nurses work short-term contracts to fill in at healthcare facilities across the country. They are compensated very well, and they also receive travel and housing stipends plus full benefits packages. U.S. travel nursing agencies prefer applicants with a BSN, and having a bachelor’s degree sets you up for the competitive travel nursing landscape.

Another option for the travel-minded nurse is to pursue international nursing positions. If that’s you, you should also plan to earn a BSN, as many countries require a bachelor’s degree for travel nurses, according to the AACN.