If you have an Associate Degree in Nursing, you might have, at some point in time, considered moving a step ahead and giving your career a boost. Being in the healthcare sector is a noble profession, but you can pair it up with better monetary compensation and growth with a BSN degree and now you can even earn a BSN online. A BSN gives you deeper insights into regular patient care and helps you to make more informed decisions. With this degree, your study becomes more research and evidence-based, involves testing different methods and health policies, and helps you understand your profession from a wider angle.

Do you still find yourself confused? Let us take you through a few major benefits of pursuing this degree:

Salary Growth

For any professional, monetary compensation is an important concern. With a BSN, you can expect to experience a salary growth of around 20%. This is because you have better qualifications and higher chances of advancing in your field.

This degree allows you to specialize in your desired fields, such as pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, etc. You can also choose whether you want to work at a private clinic, a hospital, a community home, etc. Diversification of your career options leads to greater chances of practicing in your desired field and area and being promoted accordingly.

Time Constraint

Spending almost four years on a bachelor’s degree might be a problem for you while you are a practising registered nurse. Certain universities now offer online A BSN degrees, allowing you to complete your degree without changing your current job schedule. 

This degree can be completed in only around two years or less, less than the time required for a traditional BSN. It is also designed for adults who may not be in the health field and wish to transition their career path toward it. The degree involves the completion of academic coursework online but allows you to complete your lab hours in person. This helps you develop your clinical skills in the most efficient way possible. 

Growing Demand

Nurses constitute the largest section of healthcare professionals. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, almost 77.4% of employers want to hire nurses with a degree in BSN. The healthcare system in the United States is facing a shortage of nurses. This originates from Covid-19, which resulted in a total decline of 3.3% of nurses in the past two years due to extreme burnout and pressure.

A shortage of nurses is also a problem because many people decide to quit their jobs after coming into practice and learning how it practically works. These are a few facts which guarantee a growing career in this field because of its growing demand. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the consecutively growing demand will create around 194,500 job openings for nurses every year until 2030.

A better skillset and leadership opportunities

Nurses with a degree in BSN are more educated in healthcare practice and can make better and more informed decisions on their own, with more confidence. They also get rid of the feeling of getting more education to become more integrated and feel like an important part of the healthcare system. Going through a full-fledged bachelor’s program equips them with many soft skills that are very important to thrive in this profession, such as communication, crisis management, problem-solving and collaborative skills, etc., making them good leaders. Due to this, they have a higher probability of being promoted to leadership positions, where they can showcase their skills and guide other nurses working under them.

These opportunities not only help nurses understand the industry and patient care in a better way but also help them build their resumes. Showcasing your skills with so much confidence allows you to brag about your crisis management in clinical and lab settings, self-confidence, and hard skills in your respective field.

Opportunity to work with Large Organizations

A few opportunities are only available for nurses with a degree in BSN because they are proven to provide better patient outcomes in the field. For example, magnet hospitals are high-status hospitals that can only hire nurses with a BSN degree so that they can maintain their status.

A BSN degree also equips you enough to work in the Veteran’s Organization, which is the largest employer of registered nurses in the United States. BSN is the minimum requirement to go beyond an entry-level position in this organization. It also allows you to serve as a nurse in the military because it is also the minimum requirement for service in the US Marines, Army, Air Force, etc.

Become a Travel Nurse

Travel nurses have been in demand for the past few years due to the shortage of nurses worldwide because of the Covid-19 pandemic. If you dream of traveling to a wide range of cities while working, this degree may help you.

Travel nurses work on short-term contracts across different cities in a country to fill their nurse shortage gaps. Their accommodation and travel expenses are also covered most of the time. Nurses with a degree in BSN are preferred for this role due to their sensitive job description, so they can gain the trust of the different organizations they work for.

They get to stay in a city for a long time, allowing them to travel the city as well. Travel nurses can also earn more than traditionally practicing nurses because different cities have different payment standards and may differ a lot from each other.

This degree also makes you suitable for working internationally because it is internationally recognized and is the minimum requirement of almost every hospital worldwide.

Conclusion

Along with being a noble profession, nursing can help you to go a lot higher. This worthwhile investment opens several doors and helps you thrive and stand out as a nurse. As a nurse with a degree in BSN, you are qualified to work at any place and in any specialized field you want. Considering the growing demand for this field, nursing is one of the best career options to pursue in case your interest lies in the healthcare sector.