Healthcare professionals served as frontline soldiers in the nationwide campaign to curb COVID-19. The battle against the pandemic has taken its toll on American nurses. Statistics reveal that 34% of RNs in 2022 were planning to switch professions by the end of that year. They cited burnout and menial salaries as reasons why they were quitting.
So, are there any solutions to climbing the ladder of success in the nursing sector? Yes. You can boost your education and become a BSN-prepared nurse to enjoy its many perks. Texan nurses shouldn’t forget that the Lone Star state today has America’s highest RN employment levels.
It’s estimated that almost two-thirds of nurses have a BSN degree right now. In many states, e.g., Texas, nurses slowly realize that the only way to survive in the health sector is to upgrade their learning and enhance their expertise constantly. Here are some reasons why a BSN degree is worth it in 2023:
- Earn online degrees
Many nurses are overworked and underpaid– simply too exhausted to attend college. However, distance learning lets you enhance your education remotely and pursue a BSN degree. So, you can find a lot of cost-effective distance-learning programs in your home state. A BSN degree will demand a year or two in Texas, costing $22,000+ even in the private sector. However, you can find quality BSN online programs in Texas that cost less and finish in 15 months.
Choosing the right BSN program can help you establish yourself as an employable nurse in the Texan health sector. Choose an online program with at least a 90% NCLEX-RN pass rate. This exam lets you get your nursing license to start practicing as a nurse in Texas now. If you want further information on how much is the NCLEX exam fee, click here.
- More comprehensive education
Enrolling in an online BSN program means getting a comprehensive education in nursing science. This expanded education prepares you for a prolific career in the health sector so you can ascertain optimal patient outcomes. Besides sharpening your clinical competency, this degree also hones your soft skills; these skills often make all the difference between accepted and rejected CVs.
- Get jobs quicker
As nursing becomes an in-demand field, employers prefer candidates with at least a BSN degree. So, a survey shows that 94% of nurses get jobs just 4 to 6 months after finishing their BSN degrees. You can see that a BSN degree makes you more marketable than ADN-prepared nurses and better equipped to meet patient needs. So, you can get employed quicker than less-educated RNs.
- Changing industry demands
Another pressing reason to pursue a BSN degree is the changing industry demands. Since 2010, industry experts have been campaigning to make BSN the mainstream nursing degree in America by 2020. So, the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report proposed making 80% of nurses by 2020, a goal they’ll now achieve in the next few years.
However, you shouldn’t delay obtaining your BSN degree. Surveys from January 2023 indicate that a nursing shortage in Texas will usher in a new batch of young nurses. As experts expect a shortage of 57,000 RNs in Texas by 2032, prepare yourself academically.
- It’s becoming mandatory
In 2017, the state of New York made news by making BSN mandatory for nurses. Now, RNs in New York need to get a BSN degree within a decade of kickstarting their careers. But Texan nurses should hold that sigh of relief; more states may mandate it soon. So, before the state of Texas makes BSN obligatory for all nurses, you should obtain one to gain a competitive advantage over others. Try to stay ahead of the curve. Don’t forget that over 55% of Texan nurses already have a BSN.
- Higher job security
Getting a BSN degree promises job security over ADN-equipped nurses. Many hospitals are gradually replacing their nursing staff with one with better academic qualifications. A BSN degree gives you a leg over your counterparts and makes you an irreplaceable asset to the administration.
- Get more autonomy
With better education, you earn the trust of your colleagues/superiors. A BSN degree elevates your reputation among your coworkers, and they can assign more responsibilities to you. That’s why BSN-prepared nurses enjoy far greater autonomy than ADN-prepared ones.
You can decide on your own without consulting another professional, saving lives quickly and effectively. As America’s aging population grows exponentially, the health sector needs better-qualified nurses with more autonomy who can be trusted blindly.
- Earn better salaries
The monetary incentive of getting a BSN degree can’t be neglected; sources claim that BSNs make $15,000 a year more than ADNs. As a BSN-prepared professional, your advanced know-how and updated knowledge of the nursing vocation make you more valuable to your employers, thereby promising you a more lucrative earning.
- Career advancement opportunities
A BSN degree raises your odds of getting an amazing job and brings many career advancement opportunities to your doorstep. Consider this degree as a stepping stone to success in the nursing industry. You can continue improving your academic credentials and become educated enough to apply for leadership positions. Similarly, many nurses become nurse practitioners or even nurse anesthetists, some of the highest-paid members of the nursing workforce in 2023.
- Better patient outcomes
But the greatest reason nurses should consider pursuing a BSN degree is to make healthcare an effective industry and improve patient outcomes. It’s because BSN degrees equip nurses with the medical skills necessary to care for patients needing critical caregiving. For instance, a survey shows that increasing BSN-equipped nurses in hospitals by 10% lowered patient mortality rates by 11%, thereby causing better patient outcomes.
Conclusion
Continued education has become necessary for every profession in the United States, and nurses aren’t an exception. Technology forces healthcare practitioners to stay updated about the latest innovations. So, nurses have to become well-versed in the latest developments in the health sector to gain a competitive advantage over their coworkers. That’s why they should seek a BSN degree.
This degree comes with several incentives, e.g., better salaries, more autonomy, securer jobs, numerous career advancement opportunities, and better employability. Texan nurses can now find a BSN program online to bolster their medical acumen and climb the ladder of success faster than their colleagues.
