Is a BSN worth it? Only you can answer that question for yourself, but for many the benefits of a BSN, such as the opportunities for advancement it unlocks, the potential to add to your qualifications and the projected growth of the profession make it an advantageous degree path.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree but are interested in transitioning into the nursing field, you may be asking yourself, “Is a BSN worth it?” If fast-tracking your entrance into an in-demand and rewarding profession with a competitive edge sounds appealing to you, we say it’s definitely a path worth considering.
Furthermore, it may not be necessary to spend four more years in school to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Instead, consider applying to the University of St. Thomas Houston’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. With the ABSN program at UST, it may be possible to graduate in as few as 12 months with prior non-nursing college education.
So, what exactly are the benefits of earning your BSN? Every nursing student might give you a slightly different answer, depending on their reason for wanting to become a nurse. In general, however, you can look forward to joining a robust nursing field filled with career advancement possibilities. You’ll also have the skillset and nursing knowledge necessary to contribute to favorable patient outcomes—and helping others is really what nursing is all about.
Below, you can explore the top five BSN benefits.
1. Job Growth Projections
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that job growth for registered nurses across the country will be 6% from 2021 through 2031, as fast as average. This indicates that healthcare employers expect to hire about 203,200 new nurses each year through 2031.
Texas is not immune to this shortage. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the demand for RNs is expected to grow by 38.8% through 2032. It’s expected there will be a nursing deficit of more than 57,000.
With a hybrid learning model, three start dates per year, and an accelerated timeline toward graduation, UST’s ABSN program is working to mitigate the nursing shortage in the state and across the country. If you decide to become an RN, you can look forward to a robust demand for your skills. This is one of the top reasons why the answer to the question, “Is nursing school worth it?” is a resounding “Yes!”
Are you eager to respond to the need for more qualified RNs in Texas? Explore the top reasons why you should consider nursing school in Houston.
2. Opportunities for Career Advancement
Is a BSN worth it in terms of the potential for career advancement? Absolutely! A second-degree BSN is the start of your nursing education. However, nurses are lifelong learners. Not only will you stay on top of the latest developments in the field by taking continuing education classes and reading nursing journals, but you can also further your career qualifications if you wish.
After gaining some clinical experience, you might decide to head back to school. Earning your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree can allow you to pursue a career as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Alternatively, you might decide to transition away from direct patient care and toward healthcare management or administration instead. There are plenty of opportunities to pursue career advancement in the nursing field.
3. The Ability to Choose the Nursing Specialty You’re Passionate About
Even if you decide not to earn a graduate-level nursing degree, you can choose from a wide range of nursing specialties. With your second-degree BSN, you could pursue a nursing position in one of the following specialties:
- Oncology
- Critical care
- Emergency room
- Urgent care
- Cardiology
- Obstetrics
- Geriatrics
- Pediatrics
- Urology
- Gastroenterology
- Mental health
This is just a small sampling of all of the possibilities out there. During your clinical rotations, you’ll get a sense of what it’s like to work in various nursing units.
Want to explore 10 alternative careers for registered nurses? Check out this blog.
4. Potential to Add to Your Qualifications
As previously mentioned, you can pursue career advancement as a BSN-prepared nurse. There are a number of ways to go about this. One of them is to earn one or more certifications. Certain certifications are a must-have for all nurses, such as a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. Others can be helpful for career advancement, such as the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications.
In addition to earning certifications, you can add to your qualifications by heading back to school. If you aspire to become an APRN, you should know that the minimum qualifications include either an MSN or DNP degree. (Earning a DNP is recommended, as many states are expected to require it as the new minimum qualification soon.) You’ll also need to pass a certification exam and obtain APRN licensure from your state. The types of APRNs are as follows:
- Nurse practitioner (NP)
- Clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
- Certified nurse midwife (CNM)
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
Within those four main categories, you can choose from a range of subspecialties.
5. Better Patient Outcomes
As you can see, there are many BSN benefits for nursing professionals. However, a second-degree BSN also benefits patients. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has compiled research demonstrating that BSN-prepared nurses are better able to contribute to favorable patient outcomes than nurses with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Here’s a look at some of the stats:
- More BSN-prepared nurses in the hospital leads to lower mortality rates among surgical inpatients.
- A 10% increase in the number of nurses with a BSN in a hospital leads to a 24% increase in the survival rate for patients who suffer an in-hospital cardiac arrest. Plus, those same patients showed sound cerebral functioning.
- In 12 out of 16 areas pertaining to patient safety and care quality, BSN-prepared nurses were “significantly better prepared” than ADN-prepared nurses.
- If BSN-prepared nurses provide 80% of nursing care in a hospital, patients would have shorter hospital stays and much lower readmission rates.
For all of these reasons and more, healthcare employers generally prefer to hire BSN-prepared nurses over ADN-prepared nurses.
Prepare for Your Nursing Career
Is nursing school worth it? It certainly can be if you’re interested in pursuing a rewarding career with advancement potential and the opportunity to serve others when they need you most. At the UST ABSN program, we can’t wait to introduce you to all the applicant and student support resources you’ll have access to here.
If you can’t wait to become a nurse and you have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field, a second-degree BSN is worth it. After you complete UST’s ABSN program in as few as 12 months, you’ll be prepared to sit for the NCLEX and to enter the nursing field with confidence.
Take a bold step and contact an admissions counselor today to learn more about why enrolling in the ABSN program at UST is worth it for your future nursing career.