The bachelors of science in nursing (BSN) is a four-year academic degree that provides students with the ability to earn their BSN and become a registered nurse.
Students who are interested in becoming registered nurses or existing registered nurse looking to acquire a higher level of education must first attend a four-year nursing program at an accredited college or university that offers a bachelors of science in nursing degree program and take the national licensing exam for registered nurses (NCLREX-RN).
Upon successful completion of the RN program and passing the NCLREX-RN licensing exam students may then begin applying for jobs in the nursing field as a qualified licensed registered nurse.
The Bachelors of science in nursing degree is one of the most popular degrees in the field of nursing because it provides students with a well-rounded education and gives them better opportunities for career advancement and job placement within the nursing field.
In fact most hospitals and healthcare facilities prefer to hire and work with nurses who have acquired their BSN because of the advanced training and education students receive in the four-year program, which allows them to provide a higher level of medical care to patients at hospitals and healthcare facilities, and in many cases unless a nurse holds a bachelors of science in nursing degree it can be very difficult to get hired for anything beyond an entry-level nursing position and even harder to find career advancement opportunities since most specialized fields of nursing require nurses to have a higher educational background and understanding of the medical and nursing fields.
In some cases students may decide to take a two-year Associates of science in nursing (ASN) program in order earn their degree so that they can begin working immediately, which is great for students who are either unsure whether or not they want to continue pursing a career in nursing or for individuals who want to begin working and gain experience as registered nurses as quickly as possible in the nursing field.
Eventually however it is important for nurses that want to move forward in their career to go back and earn their BSN so that they can apply for positions beyond entry-level nursing positions such as bedside care nursing.
Some of the extended education and training offered by the BSN program that expands beyond most ASN programs include leadership training, nursing informatics, nursing science and in-depth anatomy, physiology and medical research training.