Registered nurses can improve their job opportunities by taking an RN to BSN degree online. Nursing is a very rapidly growing occupation in the USA: in fact the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics say that it is the second fastest growing occupation in the economy of the USA. Not only that, but nurse's salaries have increased steadily since the beginning of this millennium up to an average of $57,000 in the USA.
Keep in mind that this is an average, and the better your qualifications then the bigger slice of this average you will be liable to receive. Although rapidly increasing employment opportunities are a good sign for nurses, they are also an indicator of the increasing importance of qualifications, and why an RN to BSN program can help you to improve your career opportunities. There is no doubt that as an increasing number of nursing vacancies is generated; those with the higher nursing qualifications will tend to fill those that pay the most money.
For yesterday's nurses, the letters R.N. were sufficient to secure a good position in the nursing hierarchy. Now, however, they are in danger of being the norm, and insufficient for the new breed of employer for whom paper qualifications mean more than experience. While this might appear on the face of it to be illogical and unfair, especially in the field of nursing where experience is paramount, it is an indication of the current litigious society where employers play safe by basing employment decisions on paper qualifications rather than on experience. However, good nurses will bend with the wind and gain those essential paper qualifications.
What that means is that while the experience of Registered Nurses does not go unnoticed, it is the graduate that will earn the money. The answer is simple. If you are a Registered Nurse, then convert that RN to a BSN. RNs are given fast-track opportunities to Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing, and how good would that look on your r?sum?? So what is involved in an RN to BSN degree program?
The BSN covers a broader range of academic subjects, and includes topics such as leadership and critical thinking. However, these courses rarely cover subject matter that you will not have come across previously in the course of your work as an RN. There also many advantages to online study that make the conversion well worth considering. Here are a few:
1. The first, and the most important benefit, is that you can work full time while studying. The irregular working hours of a nurse are irrelevant since there are no fixed course times: it is an online course that you take when you have the time do to it.
2. There are no classes to worry about getting to on time and therefore no traffic to drive through and parking to find. You study for this course from the comfort of your own home.
3. The cost is considerably less than with a traditional nursing school or college, and because you are working full time you might be able to finance it yourself: just consider the financial advantages when you have been awarded your degree and you are a BSN!
4. Many employers will finance you through the course; ask the question, you might be pleasantly surprised. The more BSNs a hospital has, the more material it has for advertising, and the more business it can attract.
5. Online BSN degrees are exactly the same as those awarded to on-campus students, so don’t think that because you are studying online your degree is in any way less: it is exactly the same. Successful completion of an RN to BSN program will provide with the letters RN, BSN after your name if you wish.
Because nurses that enroll in RN to BSN programs are improving their management skills, and developing leadership qualities and critical thinking and supervisory skills, they are provided with many of the best jobs in nursing, and since this is an expanding field then it makes sense to make the conversion. A BSN graduate can supervise a complete unit of patients, while at the same time being responsible for the training of several other nurses.
Others start up their own businesses as nursing recruitment agencies, or get involved in providing the nursing facilities for home care or nursing home services. The opportunities and options are there, but first you must become a BSN. So what should you be looking for in an online curriculum to allow you to achieve that?
Because not everybody is completely computer literate, you need good technical support and somebody that can guide you through the program. You should also use a program with the experience in delivering distance learning and that has a good record of success. You should be able to access the programs 24/7 and get exactly the same degree as students on campus receive. The date of you gaining your RN should be irrelevant, and finally the course and degree must be accredited.
If your program fits all of these requirements, then this could be the best career decision you will ever make in your life. The advantage of a BSN over an RN is not in doubt, and a RN to BSN degree online can provide you with a complete career makeover: that is how registered nurses can improve their careers online.