FIVE ADVANTAGES TO EARNING YOUR BSN ONLINE

Online BSN Advantages

• Shorter Classes
• Flexible Schedules
• Less Clinical Work
• Make More Money
• Improve Your Patient Care Skills

RN to BSN online programs are programs that take place entirely online and allow those working as a registered nurse to more easily earn their bachelor's degrees. With a BSN, you should see an almost instant boost in your salary, but you'll likely find that there are more opportunities available to you also. While you can go the more traditional route and study on a local campus, you can enjoy several advantages to earning your BSN degree online.

Shorter Classes

Do you remember the longer classes that you took to get your RN license? Most nursing programs feature standard 16-week classes that run the length of the semester. Online programs feature shorter classes that are usually just eight-weeks long. You may find some programs that let you take just five-week or six-week classes too. This lets you finish the program faster and will keep you from struggling to find time for all those classes.

Flexible Schedules

When designing online RN to BSN programs, colleges and universities often design those programs with flexibility in mind because they know that most students enrolling lead busy lives. As a working nurse, you might work 12-hour or even 18-hour shifts a few times a week, which can make it hard to sit down and assessments or read articles for a class. When you take online classes, you can enjoy the flexibility of doing work at any point throughout the week instead of at set times every day.

Less Clinical Work

Getting an RN license requires that you do clinical rotations, which are work experiences that you do in real medical facilities. Not only will you work under the supervision of licensed doctors and nurses, but you'll work with real patients too. Online programs generally do not have the same clinical requirements because registered nurses already have practical experience. If the program does require some fieldwork, it may let you submit proof that you currently work in the health care field and give you course credit for some of the things that you do every day on the job.

Make More Money

Though you might study nursing because you want to work in the health care industry and help others, you probably also appreciate the money that you make too. Traveling nurses are among those most in demand, and they can make a lot of money traveling to different facilities that need help. When you earn your BSN, you may find that your earnings rise almost overnight. An advanced degree can also help you enter more specialized fields of nursing like pediatric or critical care nursing, which will pay more too.

Improve Your Patient Care Skills

Another reason to enroll in an online program is because it can actually improve the skills you have in regards to caring for patients. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, there is a direct correlation between the way in which patients feel about their medical experiences and interactions with nurses and the number of nurses completing BSN programs. It also found that the direct care classes that many of these programs offer can help nurses learn more about working with patients and improving their bedside manner. Improving your patient care skills is especially important if you took some time off to work between getting your RN and enrolling in a BSN program.

Though you can find work as a nurse and make a nice salary with just an RN license, your options for the future will grow significantly once you have a BSN. Online RN to BSN programs let you improve your skills, have a flexible schedule and take shorter classes. It is clear that there are a multitude of advantages to earning your BSN degree online.

Related resource:

Top 30 Cheap Online RN to BSN Degree Programs