BSN degree helps students reach their goals
The pandemic revealed the importance of nurses during a health crisis, and the need for these caretakers — which was elevated before COVID — continues today.
Since then, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) has become one of the most popular degree choices.
Kathryn M. Tart, EdD, MSN, RN, Humana Endowed Dean’s Chair in Nursing, founding dean and professor of the College of Nursing at University of Houston, said people want to make a difference in the lives of others.
“The BSN degree is a four-year university degree that prepares students to become eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam, the national licensing exam that graduates of a nursing program take to become a registered nurse (RN).”
The career possibilities and salary are appealing factors for students.
Tart explained that nursing is a stable, well-paying profession with many areas of specialty such as psych/mental health, operating room (perioperative), community health, obstetrics, pediatrics, chronic and acute adult care, to name a few.
“Nursing is international, and the NCLEX-RN is the gold standard by which one can practice. Nurses can further their education with a master’s or doctoral degree to specialize even further. Nurses with advanced degrees can teach, do research, own their own clinics, become hospital administrators, go into health law and policy, and practice at the highest level of nursing,” Tart said.
Veronica Jammer, PhD, RN, department chair, RN-to-BSN program, interim ADN-RN program, San Jacinto College Central, said that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing shortages in the workforce had experienced on-and-off deficits due to factors such as economic downturns, waves of retiring nurses, and increased health care demand.
BSN programs are available in various formats to choose from.
“Online education has become one of the major deciding factors that future students critically examine when choosing a program,” Jammer said. “Programs that offer multiple content-delivery modalities are positioned to meet the demands of the communities that they serve.”
Tart said that nursing is a “hands-on” profession, and there is not a single nursing program that is all online.
“Many programs, such as ours, have at least part
of the nursing curriculum in an online format, which is an excellent way to communicate with students, provides innovative learning opportunities, and organizes the courses in a way that students always have access to their courses throughout the semester. However, clinical experiences in the hospital, community setting, or clinic are required by the Texas Board of Nursing and the professional accreditation organizations.”
Direct patient care is part of the program as well, and has nursing students spend 900 clock hours in direct patient care.