BENEFITS OF HAVING A NURSING BSN DEGREE

Extensive research performed by the American Association of the Colleges of Nursing shows that the more BSN-prepared nurses a health care facility employs, the better the patient outcomes. Several other studies have also come to a similar conclusion, including one that compared inpatient cardiac surgery mortality rates to nursing education levels. The study found that as a hospital increased its number of BSN-prepared nurses on a unit, patient mortality decreased.

Furthermore, the Institute of Medicine published a report on The Future of Nursing in 2010 that called for increasing the number of BSN holders in the U.S. workforce from 50% to 80% by 2020.

For these reasons, many health care employers prefer to hire nurses who have a BSN degree or higher. These nurses have a broad perspective of the profession given the liberal arts and humanities requirements of a bachelor’s degree. They also have a rich understanding of how culture, economics, and politics play into patient care.

Hospitals seeking Magnet® recognition are among the health care employers that seek nurses with high levels of education. Considered the “gold standard” for nursing excellence, Magnet status means that 100% of a hospital’s nurse management staff has a BSN or graduate degree. While there is not a specific mandate for direct care nurses, Magnet hospitals tend to have a higher number of BSN degree holders providing direct patient care.