The nursing field is experiencing rapid growth and change. Increased demand for nurses paired with a wave of retiring baby boomers has created a huge number of job openings. At the same time, the complexity of healthcare has increased. As a result, there is a push for nurses to obtain higher levels of education to provide the best possible patient care. This is leading to high demand for nurses with Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees.
The Benefits of Earning a BSN
A nurse with a BSN is prized in today’s healthcare system for good reason. BSN programs provide training in areas that an ADN or diploma RN may not receive, such as statistics, research, leadership, and community health. This equips BSN nurses with a broader skillset that allows them to:
- Coordinate care between different healthcare professionals
- Analyze data to improve processes and patient outcomes
- Take on leadership roles to implement change
- Understand the cultural, economic, and social issues that affect community health
BSN nurses are trained to be healthcare professionals that can implement evidence-based care, lead quality improvement initiatives, and tackle the healthcare challenges of today and tomorrow. This higher-level preparation is becoming essential.
Why BSNs Are in High Demand
Several key factors are fueling the demand for more BSN-prepared nurses:
- More complex healthcare: Patients often have multiple chronic conditions requiring coordinated care among different providers. BSN training emphasizes a big-picture perspective needed for this type of healthcare delivery.
- Move to improve outcomes: There is increased emphasis on using data analytics to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. BSNs are well equipped to collect data, spot trends, and make evidence-based changes.
- Leadership gap: Large numbers of retiring senior nurses are leaving openings in management roles best filled by nurses with BSN degrees.
- Magnet status: Healthcare organizations are pursuing Magnet status which recognizes nursing excellence. Having a high percentage of BSN nurses helps demonstrate an organization’s nursing expertise and quality.
As the complexity and demands of healthcare increase, BSN nurses have the right skillset to provide leadership at the patient bedside, as well as effect change organization-wide and community-wide. They are essential players in moving healthcare forward.
Key Steps to Meet the Growing Demand
With large numbers of baby boomer nurses hitting retirement age in the coming decade, the need for BSN-prepared nurses is approaching crisis levels. Here are some key steps to expand the BSN nursing workforce:
- BSN programs in Minnesota and other states are creating flexible RN-to-BSN options that allow working nurses to earn their BSN online or through part-time study. This expands BSN access.
- Healthcare organizations are partnering with universities to offer on-site BSN programs and tuition reimbursement to encourage nurses to advance their education.
- State governments are providing funding to nursing schools to increase student capacity in BSN programs.
- Accelerated BSN programs are appealing to second-career students interested in making a switch to an in-demand nursing career.
- Marketing campaigns aimed at high school and college students highlight the benefits of choosing nursing and showcase BSN pathways.
Increasing diversity within the BSN workforce will also help fill the talent gap. Recruiting more nurses from racial/ethnic minority populations and males will expand the pool of prospective nursing students.
The Road Ahead
The demand for BSN nurses will only intensify in the coming years. These highly skilled professionals will be essential to improving patient outcomes and leading change across every healthcare setting. An all-hands-on-deck approach will be required to recruit, educate, and graduate the numbers of BSN nurses needed to fill open positions. The future of healthcare relies on meeting this goal.