Top 5 Questions About Getting a BSN Degree

Today’s economy has become so difficult that a lot of job seekers are returning to school. This is true of both unemployed persons and those who are already gainfully employed. Everyone is either looking for a job or seeking a promotion. Amongst those who are returning to the classroom in record numbers are RNs who want to earn their BSN.

A lot of RNs are not familiar with how online classes work or the opportunities that will become available to them whenever they earn their BSN. They oftentimes have a lot of the same questions, which include:

Will it make a difference to my career if I get a BSN?

A nurse that has a BSN degree will be able to progress from the technical to the professional level of nursing. They will also stand out amongst other job candidates. Furthermore, those nurses who have a BSN are the ones that magnet status hospitals, those hospitals that the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recognize as being excellent to work for, really prefer to hire.

What new skills will I acquire whenever I earn my BSN?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor there will be more new jobs for RNs than for any other occupation by the year 2018. If you have a BSN, you will be in high-demand for such jobs as cardiology, critical care, dermatology, ob/gyn and oncology. There are some employers, especially magnet facilities, may require that you have a BSN if you want to work in management.

How will I benefit from taking online courses?

There are a lot of state-of-the-art classrooms available to choose from today. These offer a lot of interaction with faculty and with your fellow classmates through office hours, chat rooms that are monitored by faculty, message boards and email. You will find yourself impressed with the quality of education that you will receive and impressed by the well-organized faculty that you are training under. Most of the time the BSN course work will be challenging too. It will not take you long before you will feel as though you have benefited in your career. Your confidence and competence will increase as your professional knowledge grows. These things should make you proud of yourself for having enough courage to return to nursing school.

Should I think about becoming a teacher?

Besides there being a shortage of nurses, you should also know that there is a shortage of nursing teachers too. The AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing) has done a survey that shows that between 2004 and 2005 32,617 qualified applicants had to be turned away because there wasn’t enough qualified faculty available. If you get a BSN along with a masters in nursing online or a Ph.D. you will be able to reap the numerous rewards that come from being a nursing teacher.

Will a BSN earn me more money than my RN is already earning me?

There are a lot of employers who are willing to reward their nurses who have BSNs. In fact, you can expect to see your salary increase anywhere from 50 cents to $3.20 per hour. This is according to a survey that was conducted in 2007 by RN Magazine. Furthermore, you will also be able to get specialty jobs that will offer a greater pay differential.