To find the strengths of having a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) on staff as opposed to nurses of a more inferior education, one doesn’t have to look very far. Over the past several decades the competencies of nurses with different levels of education have been the subject of many discussions, and lots of research.
In this writing, it may seem that I am picking on those nurses who have settled for say, an Associate degree in nursing, a nursing education one level below that of a BSN. That is not the intention. My primary goal is to point out the strengths of a nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or BSN, and explore the advantages of their presence in the workplace.
The education one must have to acquire a BSN takes four years as opposed to the two-year Associate degree. The student takes the same nursing program, along with general education courses. Due to these extra studies these students will have more opportunities upon graduation not only for entry position jobs but specialized areas of nursing in the future. A specialized nursing field would require some additional training but due to their extra education the BSN will be best prepared for such.
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Any student considering pursuing a BSN has the advantage of the jobs demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Registered Nurses are expected to see a job growth of 15 percent between 2016 and 2026 (BLS, 2018).
Recent research and studies favor the BSN very heavily and insinuate that they will be sought after to fill positions before nurses of a lesser education. An example of this research is a study published in September of 2014 by Olga Yakusheva, a researcher at the University of Michigan, which concluded that the mortality rate for patients treated by a baccalaureate-prepared nurse was an astounding 10.9 percent less than that of lesser educated nurses (UMSN, 2014). Large variances in studies such as this are the driving force behind the increasing demand for the BSN.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Charity Hacker, RN, MSN-Ed, and asked her for her opinion on having BSN’s in the workplace based upon her own experiences. When asked about how patient care was affected due to being treated by a BSN, she replied, “When a patient is cared for by a nurse who holds a BSN degree they benefit from having a nurse who has demonstrated a higher level understanding of the human body, its systems, and the pathophysiology associated with those symptoms….Critical and clinical thinking are key assets that a BSN-prepared nurse may be much more proficient in using as opposed to a nurse who holds a lesser degree (C. Hacker, personal communication, January 23, 2019). She went on to mention the mortality rate variances noted in Olga Yakusheva’s study from September 2014. She explained in detail (see attached interview) the qualities a BSN brings to the job that a lesser educated nurse may not. It was pointed out that the BSN is usually more organized and prepared to manage situations more efficiently. The BSN is prepared to be a leader. Nurse Hacker proclaimed that a nurse with a BSN shows more than just bedside care, but “the whole patient-care process”, and when their evidence-based practices are put into place “everyone benefits.”
In closing, pursuing a career as a nurse with a BSN shows nothing but good expectations. As mentioned before, there is the growing demand for the nurse in todays field to have a BSN as well as the vast variety of specialized career paths one can pursue once they obtain their degree. What we haven’t mentioned is the high level of job security which is a welcome peace of mind in todays economy. A nurse with a BSN has a wide range of diverse health-care settings from hospitals to clinics. With all that being said, if you were on the fence about pursuing your BSN, just do it, you wont regret it. One more thing I forgot to mention your high (and climbing) starting salary as well as a generous benefits package.
