5 Benefits Of RN To BSN Programs
There are a number of benefits to doing an RN to BSN program, as I am sure you can imagine. The five most compelling and important reasons are mentioned here for your consideration and thought. Once you have the necessary knowledge regarding whether or not an RN – BSN program is the best choice for you, you can take the next step in furthering your career.
Firstly you will be able to expand your career options. A registered nurse with a BSN degree has a lot more options when it comes time to look for work than a nurse that just has a certificate or a basic associate’s degree. Once you have completed an RN to BSN program your skills will be in much higher demand which means that you will be in a position of greater power than you experienced before. You will also have your pick of the best jobs that are available out there and you will be the first to be considered for a position.
Once you have completed RN – BSN programs you will be eligible to receive a far high salary and this is always a good thing. Be careful about doing t just for the money, however, because often having a BSN degree can mean that there will be extra responsibility put on your shoulders that you will then have to cope with. Make sure that there is also a personal interest in nursing involved in your decision to enroll in an RN to BSN program. If you have the wrong attitude this may be not be the best choice for you.
Many health care facilities prefer to hire those RNs that have completed an RN to BSN qualification. The reasons for this are the following:
- You have spent a longer period of time honing your skills in order to give the highest quality of care possible.
- Because of the shortage of nurses employers are more likely to employ someone with a BSN because they are more convinced that their training was of a higher quality.
- Most importantly a much higher standard of care can be guaranteed from someone with a BSN.
When you do an RN to BSN qualification you are receiving more training than you otherwise would have had. This of course will help you to get a job and a higher salary and so on, but it can also benefit you at a personal level. With an advanced level of training you will be able to feel more confident on a day to day basis. You will be able to handle more situations with greater ease in a health care environment and you will be able to generally experience higher self-esteem and confidence in your job as a registered nurse.
Last but not least you will receive the recognition that you have always wanted both from other people in your field as well as from yourself. Self-recognition and a feeling of self-esteem can be one of the greatest things that you can experience as a nurse. Once you have reached that level of recognition you will have received not only the material benefits of completing RN-BSN programs but also the more abstract advantages thereof as well. This is great news for people who are hoping to engage in RN to BSN programs as it means that you will be truly fulfilled.
Some Tips For Finding The Best RN To BSN Programs
There are a number of things that you should keep in mind when it comes to choosing RN to BSN programs.
For one thing everyone is different and it is important that you find a program that is suitable for you personally. People can differ in the following ways:
- What they are looking for in a school socially speaking
- Their personalities
- Their study methods and the situations in which they learn the best
So it is important that you not only find a good school but that you find one that suits you personally. The RN to BSN program that your best friend loved may nevertheless not be the best option for you to go with.
It is important that you speak to the advisers at each of the RN to BSN schools that you are interested in. A good tip in this regard is to carefully prepare all of the questions that you would like to ask about the school beforehand so that you can get a really good basis on which to compare schools.
You may want to consider studying online. Online study can be:
- Cheaper
- More flexible
- Easier to fit into your schedule
- Lee time consuming
However you should also remember that online RN to BSN schools are not always accredited and that they may not offer the best possible tuition. Also they are not for everyone. Online study requires a lot of self discipline that not everyone is able to display to the degree needed for success.
Another thing you need to think about is how much time you have to devote to the school. Are you able to study at the RN to BSN program intensively for a long period of time or do you need to get things done as quickly as possible? With this in mind you should inquire at each of the RN to BSN programs you are interested in about how long they expect the course you enroll in to take.
You will also have two basic decisions to make when it comes to RN to BSN courses. You will have to decide if you want to attend one of the following:
- A progressive RN to BSN program, or
- A traditional RN to BSN program.
This is something that you will have to look into carefully and decide for yourself because there are a lot of differences between the two options. Look at the success rates of the two approaches as one criterion on which to base your decision.
Another important thing to keep in mind when looking at RN to BSN schools is exactly what your career goals are. In this regard you definitely need to consider both your short-term goals as well as your long-term goals. Different programs will make it easier for you to reach certain goals, so having a clear idea in your mind of where you want to eventually end up will make your decision of which RN – BSN program to attend substantially easier.
Remember that you also have the option of practicing as an RN in other states. However it is important to note that the education requirements may differ significantly from state to state. Hence a decision regarding whether you want to stay in your own state or work elsewhere is crucial in deciding which RN to BSN program to do.
Another thing you need to keep in mind is whether or not you intend to keep on working full time while you study. If you do then you may want to opt for one of the following:
- Flexible online classes where you can work in your own time
- RN to BSN schools that offer evening or weekend classes that are easy enough to fit into your existing schedule
It is possible to work and learn at the same time when getting your BSN qualification; you just need to find the right program for you in this regard.
Another important thing to ask is whether or not you will need financial help to pay for you RN to BSN qualification. There are many RN-BSN programs out there that offer financial aid options to their students. If this is something that you think you will need then you should base your search for a school at least partially on whether or not they offer you financial aid. However this does not need to be a deciding criterion because there are a number of other avenues through which you can get financial aid for studying.
Try speaking to people who have graduated from RN to BSN programs n the past and try to get some advice from them about which schools are best to attend. You can do this by speaking to them face-to-face or by looking for reviews online. Student reviews and success rates are one of the best indicators of whether or not a school is worth attending.
Schools Offering RN – BSN Programs
According to http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/rntobsnprograms.shtml the best RN to BSN schools are:
- Azusa Pacific University
- California Baptist University
- California State University, Dominguez Hills
- California State University, Fullerton
- California State University, Northridge
- Concordia University
- Holy Names University
- Jacksonville University Online School of Nursing
- National University
- Pacific College
- Pacific Union College
- Rasmussen College
- Stanbridge College
- West Coast University – Los Angeles
- West Coast University – Orange County
- United States University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Unitek College
- University of Antelope Valley
- University of Phoenix
- University of Texas at Arlington
- Vanguard University of Southern California