Do Nurses Really Need a BS in Nursing?
Top 3 Reasons to Get a BS in Nursing
Nurses know the burnout is real, and between a demanding work schedule, family schedule, and everything life brings, it can feel like there’s no time or energy left for yourself and your education.
Earning your BS in Nursing is a big commitment, but it’s an investment in yourself that will produce even bigger benefits for years to come. Whatever the reasons why you haven’t earned your bachelor’s degree yet, chances are you know it’s an important next step in your career. Here are the top three reasons why earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing should be at the top of your list.
- Happier, Healthier Patients
For nurses, their job title is more than a career, it’s a calling to care. And that means making sure you have everything you need to help people stay healthy. The advanced skills and knowledge you gain with a BS in Nursing is the best tool you have in becoming a stronger advocate for your patients’ health. Nurses who have a BS in Nursing have gone beyond the basics of nursing and are prepared to be better critical thinkers, more holistic care providers, and more empowered leaders.
In short, you’ll be better at your job and being better at your job comes with many other rewards—bringing us to reason number 2. - Getting the BS Boost
A BS in Nursing just means more, with more earning potential being one of the main reasons many nurses return to school. Top employers will often give preferential consideration to nurses with a BS, and jobs within the field that require a bachelor’s degree pay exponentially more than those that don’t.
A bachelor’s degree gives you options like the flexibility to move into those more specialized, and lucrative, areas of nursing like informatics, nurse education, or health policy as well as opens a path to graduate education.
Your skills will be more in demand, and you’ll have the luxury of being more discerning about your employers. Employers such as magnet hospitals. - The Magnet Status Effect
Magnet status for hospitals is designated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and is given to organizations. According to the ANCC, magnet status is:
“Where nursing leaders successfully align their nursing strategic goals to improve the organization’s patient outcomes. The Magnet Recognition Program provides a roadmap to nursing excellence, which benefits the whole of an organization. To nurses, Magnet Recognition means education and development through every career stage, which leads to greater autonomy at the bedside. To patients, it means the very best care, delivered by nurses who are supported to be the very best that they can be.”
The National Library of Medicine says magnet-designated hospitals have been shown to have better patient health outcomes over time and consistently appear on lists of the best hospitals to both employees and patients. A large part of this success has to do with the requirements for all nurses with certain levels of responsibility to have at least a bachelor’s degree. So, if your big career plans include working at one of these prestigious institutions, you may be required to earn your degree sooner than you think to stay ahead of the curve.
We hope you’ve decided to pursue a BS in nursing. Whether your goals are to earn more money, step into a leadership role, or just be the best nurse you can be, your bachelor’s degree can help you reach them. And in case you needed one more reason, perhaps the more important one of all is: you’re worth it!
