The online Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program from The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) offers RNs a convenient, accelerated and affordable path toward earning their BSN degree. As a nurse, the additional education can have a significant positive impact on your personal and professional well-being. Here are six ways this degree can improve your life.
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Expand Your Skills, Knowledge and Responsibilities
The essential purpose of an RN to BSN degree completion program is to build on the education and experience you already have as an RN. UTA’s nursing coursework covers many subjects central to both generalized and specialized BSN studies. Courses focus on holistic health, cooperative nursing, leadership and management in nursing, the transition to professional nursing, healthcare informatics and community health.
These and other advanced studies help nurses improve their practice in any role. Plus, they provide nurses with the competencies needed to take on specialized and supervisory responsibilities.
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Develop Career Mobility
With such expanded skills, knowledge and the ability to take on new responsibilities, BSN graduates have increased professional versatility. They may choose to work in areas like public health, critical care, pediatrics, quality control, health education and informatics.
Of course, nurses with a BSN are exceptionally qualified to work as staff nurses at top hospitals. Or they may choose to work as travel nurses, experiencing new places while helping to meet the needs of underserved populations and addressing dire, shifting circumstances like those surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Gain a Competitive Edge
Increasingly, a BSN is a job requirement for certain positions as mandated by employers or states. According to 2023 data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), nearly 70% of employers in healthcare settings express a “strong preference for BSN program graduates.” Plus, for a hospital to receive Magnet recognition, all nurse leaders and managers must have at least a BSN degree.
Given this shift toward higher education requirements, earning a BSN can give you a distinct competitive edge in the job market. Further, the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey reports that more than 70% of RNs now have a BSN or higher. Therefore, the degree is a virtual necessity if you want to be competitive for highly sought after jobs.
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Take Advantage of Career and Educational Advancement Opportunities
UTA’s online RN to BSN program equips you with the leadership, critical-thinking and analytical skills to pursue many career advancement opportunities. You may seek promotion to supervisory positions as a nursing manager or director. Or you may choose to focus on specialized areas such as care coordination, case management or quality coordination.
A BSN degree also prepares you for graduate school. This is essential if you want to advance your education to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) level. Such graduate degrees allow nurses to work in high-level administrative positions and educational roles.
An MSN degree is also the minimum educational requirement for becoming a nurse practitioner (NP), opening numerous opportunities such as working in private practice. Nurse practitioners are seeing incredible job growth, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projecting a 46% increase in employment between 2023 and 2033. Earning a BSN is a necessary step in pursuing a rewarding career as a nurse practitioner.
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Increase Your Income Potential
In financial terms, earning a BSN has clear benefits. BLS reports that RNs, as an entire cohort, had a median annual salary of $86,070 in 2023. At the more granular level, October 2024 data from ZipRecruiter shows the average yearly salary for ADN-prepared nurses as $80,321, compared to $125,323 for BSN-prepared RNs. Nurses who continue their nursing education at the graduate level can pursue even more lucrative Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) roles, such as the nurse anesthetist — an occupation with a 2023 median annual salary of $212,650, according to BLS.
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Improve Your Job Satisfaction
Increasing your level of nursing education, improving your income potential and advancing to your ideal job role can lead to improved job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is essential for your well-being as well as the stability and longevity of your career. In fact, research shows that job satisfaction helps mediate factors that lead to nurses wanting to leave their jobs, thus lowering turnover rates. Earning a BSN can positively affect these and many other beneficial work variables for nurses.
The versatility and qualification afforded by UTA’s online RN to BSN can help you explore and excel in a variety of nursing careers. Finding your ideal work environment can help you avoid the burnout far too common in nursing. In addition to important factors like increased income, skill development and a competitive edge on the job market, earning a BSN is essential to developing a long, rewarding career in the field.
Learn more about UTA’s online RN to BSN program.
