Top 7 Reasons to Earn Your BSN in 2018: A Faculty Perspective

If you’re thinking about going back to school to earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), you can rest assured there are a number of great reasons to embark on this journey.

We recently interviewed two of our RN to BSN Degree Completion Option faculty members and experienced nursing professionals, Melissa Myers, DNP, RN, CNE, CPN and Kate Cook, MSN, RN, to gain their perspective on why nurses should earn a BSN.

Discover their top seven reasons why you should earn a BSN:

1. More and more hospitals are requiring BSN degrees.

More and more hospitals are either already only hiring nurses with BSN degrees or that is their goal in the near future. This is according to the American Nurses Association, who also stated that as of 2013, the American Nurses Credentialing Center requires all nurse managers and nurse leaders to hold a BSN or higher degree in order to obtain Magnet® status.

2. A BSN degree can open up career opportunities.

If you’re looking for a long-term job opportunity that isn’t in the typical hospital environment, such as in research, leadership or education, a BSN could open many doors. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses with a BSN could have additional job prospects, although there is no guarantee of a job or job opportunity. We have had students who have pursued all different kinds of avenues—school nursing, forensics, corrections, home health and hospice. From acute and critical care, to many outpatient leadership roles, BSN-prepared nurses have a variety of options.

3. A BSN degree can help strengthen your population care.

Our program prepares you to handle complex issues—especially in the areas of diversity, culture and specialty populations, which are critical in becoming an extraordinary nurse. There is going to be a greater call for nurses who have a higher level of education with the technological advancements we’ve seen in medicine, new research that’s coming out, the general population living to an older age and all the changes in healthcare.

4. You can receive the support you need to earn a BSN while working.

If you’re concerned about adapting to an online environment, you’ll receive extensive support at Chamberlain. We offer many resources to benefit students including a student success strategy course in your first semester. It helps you learn everything from Microsoft Office™ to time management in an online environment.

Something that we’ve recognized since teaching at Chamberlain is that Chamberlain Care® and our teaching philosophies are not just on paper or on our website – we truly uphold them. Faculty leaders are constantly giving us new resources for students. And as members of the faculty, we make ourselves available to support and guide our students.

5. A BSN degree can give you better access to professional nursing organizations.

There are networking opportunities that arise from being a part of professional, international nursing organizations that have a minimum requirement of holding a BSN (like Sigma Theta Tau).  

6. A BSN degree can give you a “bigger picture” perspective.

A BSN graduate has the opportunity to learn more about topics like healthcare policy, which affects their level of care immensely. We give our students the foundational policy knowledge so they understand how it influences the patients they care for, and we cover policy from the patient level to the community level and on to the national level. It really puts together a more robust picture of a nurse’s approach to care.

7. A BSN degree can help elevate the nursing profession.
As professional educators, we believe that the profession benefits if more nurses earn a BSN. If you want to become a registered nurse, you can earn various degrees – an associate degree, an LPN certificate or a bachelor’s degree. But when you think about it, the staff who work with a typical nurse are required to at least have a bachelor’s degree—from the respiratory therapists, to the physical therapists, to dietitians, social workers and pharmacists. As a nursing community, we can really come together to elevate the profession as a whole—and that’s where the BSN comes in.

Learn more about Chamberlain’s RN to BSN Online Degree Completion Option

Author Bios

Melissa Myers, DNP, RN, CNE, CPN teaches community health, informatics and nursing history in Chamberlain’s RN to BSN Option. Earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Chamberlain in 2016, she believes in the power of higher education and has been a nurse educator for 12 years.

Kate Cook, MSN, RN teaches health assessment and community health. She strongly considered going to back to school for an Associate of Nursing Degree (ADN)—and ended up earning a BSN degree instead because of the opportunity she saw in it. She’s been a nurse educator for nearly 10 years.

By Meg Tokars