Why a BSN Is Important in Nursing

Nurses with a bachelor’s degree often have more job opportunities, earn higher salaries, and can provide a higher level of care than nurses with an associate degree. Understanding why a BSN is important in nursing starts with understanding the coursework involved, the benefits of earning a BSN, and the many potential career outcomes associated with the degree. Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) programs are specifically designed for working RNs who want to earn their bachelor’s degree. RNS can benefit from earning a BSN degree in many ways, including by honing their essential skills, gaining opportunities for specialization, and preparing to advance into leadership roles.

What Is a BSN Degree?

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or BSN, is a traditional four-year university or college degree. The first two years of the program cover general education and prerequisite courses, and the final two years focus specifically on nursing, combining classroom education with hands-on clinical rotations. Licensed RNs who have completed an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program and who want to earn their bachelor’s degree to pursue a career in nursing leadership or a specialization can enroll in a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program. This program gives RNs credit for their prior education and working experience, allowing them to earn their BSN degree in as little as 12 months.

General Education and Prerequisite Courses

Graduates of ADN programs and nonnursing bachelor’s degree programs have often completed many of the BSN program’s general education requirements. These may include courses such as Writing for the Professions, Mathematical Functions, and Exposition and Argumentation. Students must also complete courses in chemistry and biology before moving on to nursing courses. Students may be allowed to choose elective courses that appeal to their interests or career goals as well. Some electives may be more general, but some are focused on nursing.

Core Nursing Courses

Understanding why a BSN is important in nursing requires taking a close look at the nursing courses in the program. The core nursing courses in an RN to BSN program are as follows:

Fundamentals of Nursing: This course covers the essential knowledge and skills required to practice nursing in the modern health care landscape.
Pharmacology and Metrology: This course combines the study of how drugs impact the body with the proper measurement and dosages of specific pharmaceutical drugs.
Health Assessment: Health assessment involves the collection of data from patients and their caregivers that will be used to create a plan of care for the patient.
Theoretical Frameworks of Nursing: More specific than Fundamentals of Nursing, this course focuses on concepts and purposes that guide every aspect of the nursing profession.
Population Health: This course introduces the basics of how groups of people stay healthy, teaches about the factors that influence health care costs, and explores health equity among diverse populations.
Nursing Care of the Family: This course prepares RNs to work in family medicine, which involves providing comprehensive care to patients of all ages and genders.
Health Care Informatics: This course prepares RNs to acquire, study, and manage vast stores of health data. It also explores the ways in which nurses combine their clinical knowledge with information technology to deliver better patient outcomes.
Nursing Science V: Nursing science takes an interdisciplinary approach to health care, drawing on natural, social, and behavioral science. It teaches students to use evidence-based approaches and shows them how they can advance nursing as a profession, both now and in the future.
Quality Across Health Care Systems: This course explores how nurses can ensure they provide and/or facilitate the best possible care for their patients, regardless of their workplace or specialty.

What Is an Accelerated BSN (ABSN) Degree?

Students who choose to enter the nursing profession after earning a bachelor’s degree in another field can pursue an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) degree. Students who enroll in an ABSN program are given credit for the courses they have already taken and focus on gaining core nursing competencies in as few as 18 months. ABSN programs build on what students have already learned and help them gain extensive clinical knowledge as well as the soft skills that are imperative in the nursing profession, such as critical thinking and communication skills. Students learn about the history of health care, the sociopolitical nuances that impact the modern nursing profession, the principles and calculations associated with pharmaceuticals, and the skills required to help patients overcome their health concerns and enjoy health and well-being throughout life.

ABSN Courses

Many ABSN courses are the same as traditional BSN courses, but there are some differences. Courses that ABSN students may take include:

Acute and Chronic Care
Nursing Care of Specialized Populations
On-Campus Skills Bootcamp

Differences Between ADN and BSN Programs

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), BSN programs cover all the coursework taught in ADN programs but go into more detail in subjects such as nursing research, public health, nurse leadership, the humanities, and the physical and social sciences. These additional courses give RNs with a BSN a better overall understanding of the health care system at large, as well as the issues that affect patients and influence the way health care is delivered. While an ADN program prepares students for entry-level RN positions, a BSN program gives students the opportunity to apply a fuller scope of nursing practice in any health care setting.

9 Benefits of Earning a BSN Degree

Working RNs who are still unsure of why a BSN is important for their nursing careers may be surprised to learn that the benefits extend well beyond an increased earning potential. In fact, following are nine benefits associated with earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing that can open the door to many exciting opportunities.

1. Higher Salaries

ADN graduates had a median annual salary of about $77,000 as of March 2024, according to data from Payscale, while BSN graduates had a median annual salary of roughly $95,000 as of August 2024. As RNs gain experience, this significant salary gap between the two degrees widens even further.

2. Higher Rates of Employment

Nurses with BSN degrees may have a higher chance of getting hired than nurses who don’t. As of 2022, about 28% of hospitals required their RNs to have a BSN degree, and another 72% had a strong preference for RNs with BSNs, according to the AACN. Furthermore, a report from the AACN on 2023 new graduate employment data noted that 96% of BSN graduates found meaningful work within four to six months of graduation, and 84% had a job offer at the time they graduated. Comparatively, among those who earned bachelor’s degrees in a nonnursing field, only 55% had secured full-time employment in the six months after graduating.

3. More Comprehensive Knowledge

A BSN program goes above and beyond the education required for licensure and entry-level nursing roles. After graduation, RNs with a bachelor’s degree often are better prepared to provide nursing care to diverse populations across all settings than those with an associate degree.

4. Specialization Options

RNs who complete a BSN program have more opportunities to specialize in their nursing practice. For example, coursework and practical experience in a BSN program prepare students to work in leadership roles, as informaticists, or as public health professionals.

5. Opportunities for Higher Education

Completing a BSN program lays the foundation for RNs to take their education even further with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, which is essential for aspiring advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Some nurses may even choose to pursue doctoral degrees, such as a PhD or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Many go on to become nurse practitioners with their own private practice.

6. Better Patient Outcomes

Of all the reasons why BSNs are important in nursing, the training they offer in providing better patient care may be the most rewarding. Research suggests that nurses with a higher level of education directly improve patient outcomes. One study published in Research in Nursing & Health in 2021 found that as hospitals and other facilities increased the proportion of bachelor’s-educated RNs they employed, patient outcomes improved significantly. Another study published in Nursing Outlook in 2022 found that hospitals with a higher proportion of BSN-educated nurses were associated with significantly lower odds of surgical mortality after 30 days. The study included RNs who earned their BSNs through any educational pathway — not just the traditional four-year bachelor’s degree program.

7. Advanced Career Possibilities

RNs who go on to earn their bachelor’s degree have numerous nurse advancement opportunities available to them. All RNs can provide excellent bedside care, but those who want to pursue careers in leadership are encouraged to earn their bachelor’s degrees by the American Nurses Association.

8. Preparation for a Potential Future Mandate

Although most states have no requirement for RNs to hold a BSN degree, New York became the first state to enact such a law. As of 2017, RNs in New York State must earn a BSN degree within 10 years of their initial licensure to keep their license and continue practicing as a nurse. Additional states may follow suit as it becomes clearer that well-educated nurses lead to healthier populations.

9. Multiple Pathways to a BSN

From the traditional four-year BSN program to the 12-month RN to BSN program and the 18-month ABSN program, there are several ways for RNs to reach their educational goals. Many of these programs are flexible, affordable, and designed with working professionals in mind.