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6 Reasons to Get a BSN

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Jennifer Fink, RN, BSN

Jennifer L.W. Fink, RN, BSN, is a Registered Nurse who has been writing professionally for over 10 years. As a med-surg and transplant nurse, she worked hard to develop a rapport with her patients, to teach them according to their needs and to provide them with information and options. Today, she uses those same skills in her writing career. She is very interested in professional issues in nursing. Follow Jennifer on Facebook and Twitter.

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#3: BSN required for entry to practice?

ADN, diploma and BSN nurses are excellent nurses; after all, they all sit for the same licensing exam and are held to the same standards of professional accountability. But increasingly, a number of nursing organizations are recommending the BSN for entry into practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recognizes the BSN degree as “the minimum educational requirement for professional nursing practice” and says that “the BSN degree is essential for nurses seeking to perform at the case-manager or supervisory level or move across employment settings.”

The AACN also notes that the BSN-prepared nurse “is the only basic nursing graduate preferred to practice in all health care settings – critical care, ambulatory care, public health, and mental health.”

The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP), an organization the reports to Congress and the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services on nursing issues, also supports the BSN as the minimum for entry into practice. In 2010, they recommended that “the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education…work with U.S. nursing programs to support the goal of having all registered nurses prepared at the baccalaureate in nursing (BSN) or higher degree level to improve quality and safety in healthcare in the United Sates.”

#4: Nurse Educator Shortage

A critical shortage of nurse educators is keeping even qualified nurse applicants from nursing school. That’s a situation that must change if nurses are to meet the healthcare demands of the future. Obtaining a BSN puts you in line for a nurse educator position.

BSN-prepared nurses are qualified to teach both certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) at technical and community colleges. Most universities and schools of nursing require nurse faculty members to have a Master’s degree, at minimum, but BSN-prepared nurses may be able to lead clinical rotations as adjunct faculty members. If you find you love teaching, you can go back to school to obtain a MSN while continuing to teach clinical nursing.