RN to BSN Bridge Program for Working Nurses

Published On: May 23, 2017

As a registered nurse (RN), you have a work schedule that can be quite demanding — with long shifts and sometimes unpredictable changes every week. For this reason, it can be difficult to work on furthering your education. You either must make sacrifices at work by going part time, or sacrifices in your personal life. Both choices are not ideal, especially when you consider the psychological, physical and financial toll such changes can have on you. Fortunately, online RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) programs exist, specifically designed with working nurses in mind.

Onward With Continuing Education

While many nurses decide against further education, not everyone can afford this luxury. Nurses with BSNs typically make more money, and the degree has quickly become the gold standard for hospital systems across the country. Soon, you may not even be able to get a job without a BSN. Why is this significant? Because research shows that nurses with BSNs offer better patient care and are better suited for further development. The Institute of Medicine (now called the National Academy of Medicine) published a report recommending that the percentage of nurses with BSNs be increased from 50 percent to 80 percent by 2020 to meet the demands of an evolving healthcare system.

Knowledge Acquired to Improve U.S. Healthcare Delivery

Mississippi College (MC) offers an online RN to BSN program to help you become a more knowledgeable and skilled nurse leader. Designed specifically for working RNs, the CCNE-accredited program is a flexible, affordable and convenient route toward new careers in healthcare.

You will go from being a nurse generalist to someone who can incorporate clinical reasoning to deliver safe, holistic and patient-centered care. You will learn how to convey healthcare information to a diverse population, using cultural awareness and social sensibility. Through evidence-based practice, you will learn how to integrate knowledge and critical thinking into each patient interaction. Finally, you will learn effective use of technology and informatics to improve how you store and interact with patient data.

The Convenience of Online RN to BSN Programs

With so many upsides to earning a bachelor’s, more nurses have begun enrolling in RN to BSN programs — so much so that nursing schools turn away more than 50,000 qualified students each year due to a faculty shortage. So even if you could find the time to go back to nursing school, there’s a chance you won’t get in due to a lack of space. Here’s where online RN to BSN programs shine.

Because the coursework and lectures are hosted online, these RN to BSN programs are among the most flexible and convenient ways to earn your bachelor’s degree. How does it work? Courses are offered over seven-week terms, and you can take as few as one or as many as three classes at a time, so you can work school into your busy schedule.

Learn more about the Mississippi College online RN to BSN program.

Sources:

Institute of Medicine: The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health

American Association of Colleges of Nursing: Nursing Faculty Shortage Fact Sheet

Role of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

Throughout the years, nursing has evolved — both in the way nurses provide patient care and the way they are educated. Over the past few decades though, evidence-based practice has emerged as the gold standard of care and greatly influenced Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) coursework.

Role of Nurses in Improving Public Health

Nurses are known for the patient-centered care they provide. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses put their own safety at risk, providing critical care under extraordinary stress. Public health nurses were also on the frontlines, working to prevent and control the disease, train workers for testing sites, conduct contact tracing, help marginalized communities access vaccines and more.

Evaluating Social Determinants of Health

In recent years, the importance of understanding social determinants of health (SDoH) and how they impact an individual’s care has grown. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), social determinants of health are “the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems.”

Qualities of a Nurse Leader

Each nurse, regardless of education level or role, is a leader. Nurses rely on decision-making and critical-thinking skills to improve patient health, whether as a caregiver at a patient’s bedside or as a manager in the boardroom. The nation’s healthcare landscape is changing, and nurses are at the forefront of this change. They are being asked to strengthen their leadership skills so that they can deliver optimal patient-centered care and take on a growing number of roles — administrators, policy advisers, researchers and teachers.