What is a BSN in Nursing and How Does It Prepare You To Be an RN?
If you’ve searched online to learn about nursing careers, you know that the information can be a lot to sort through. How many years of school do you need to complete to have a fulfilling career in the nursing field? What is the best path to become a registered nurse? Does it make sense to get a four-year degree in nursing? Which school program best prepares you for a good RN job?
Only you can choose the best program for your nursing career goals, but we can help demystify the basics about bachelor’s degrees, nursing programs, and your options for becoming a registered nurse. Read on to learn about getting a bachelor of science in nursing: how this relates to becoming an RN, the nursing career advantages of a four-year degree, and what makes a Gustavus bachelor of nursing degree unique.
What type of education do I need to become a nurse?
Here’s the basic program breakdown to consider as you’re seeking entry into the nursing field. What type of school you attend and what level of education you complete will depend on your nursing career goals:
Entry-level certification programs (CNA, LPN)
A CNA program prepares you to become a certified nursing assistant in as little as 4-12 weeks, and it takes about a year to become a licensed practical nurse, also known as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN). While either of these nursing programs will help you get entry-level nursing jobs, they do not offer a direct career pathway to becoming an RN or provide school credit towards earning an ADN, BSN, or BAN.
Associate degree in nursing (ADN)
To become an RN, you will need to earn a minimum of an ADN. Nursing associate degree programs are typically offered through community colleges, and the approximate time required to earn an ADN is two years. An ADN program focuses specifically on technical nursing skills, with an emphasis on preparing students to perform direct, basic patient care, versus nursing leadership or management roles.
Bachelor’s degree in nursing (BAN or BSN)
By contrast, a bachelor’s program in nursing offers aspiring nurses a well-rounded college education in addition to clinical nursing skills. The personal and professional value of a 4-year nursing education is reflected in the fact that almost three quarters of registered nurses hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Employers overwhelmingly select for RN job candidates who have completed a bachelor’s, and registered nurses with a 4-year nursing school education earn significantly higher salaries on average than nurses with only an ADN.
Master of science in nursing (MSN)
Most nursing careers only require students to achieve an ADN, BSN, or BA in nursing. However, about 20% of registered nurses go on to pursue a master’s or higher degree. An MSN degree allows an RN to become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), generally earning a higher salary, enjoying increased practice autonomy, and often functioning similarly to a medical doctor in their daily practice. Alternately, some nurses pursue graduate programs in subjects complementary to nursing, gaining cross-disciplinary skills in business, informatics, and other fields that prepare them for specific nursing management roles.
Doctorate programs (DNP, PhD)
Under 3% of registered nurses go on to complete a doctorate program in nursing. Nurses with a doctor of nursing degree often hold the top level management and executive nursing jobs in their clinical practice, while nurses with a PhD generally work in academia, pioneering medical research and teaching the next generation of nurses.
For a closer look at nursing degree programs, including how they relate to nursing career options and earning potential, see Types of Nursing Degrees.
Bachelor of nursing FAQs
You’re considering a bachelor’s degree in nursing in order to become an RN. Perhaps you see school as preparation for a dedicated career as a registered nurse, or maybe an undergraduate program is a point of entry to an advanced nursing practice of some kind. To help you think through your nursing goals and opportunities, here are some basic questions prospective students often have about nursing school programs and becoming an RN:
Do I need a bachelor of nursing degree to become an RN?
You do not need a bachelor’s degree to be a registered nurse. If you earn an associate degree in nursing (ADN), pass the NCLEX-RN, and satisfactorily complete your state’s nurse licensing application, you will be certified as a registered nurse and eligible to practice in that state.
Why should I consider a bachelor of nursing program?
Although you can become an RN without a bachelor’s degree, there are a number of reasons to consider a 4-year program:
- Training. You will receive the benefits of a liberal arts education in addition to all the technical nursing expertise of an ADN program. A strong multidisciplinary education helps you hone your critical thinking and communication skills and gain the confidence and competence to approach complex problems from multiple angles and discover creative solutions.
- Versatility. The additional education gained through a baccalaureate program is not only personally enriching – it also prepares you to handle a wider variety of on-the-job nursing tasks. Nurses with an ADN are typically limited to working in direct, basic patient care, whereas an RN with a BAN or BSN can perform more advanced patient care and will often also go on to work in higher level nursing roles including administration, research, leadership, education, training, and management.
- Advancement opportunities. With a 4-year nursing degree you are ready to pursue admission to an MSN or other postgraduate program, either straight out of school or after working as an RN and discerning next steps. Notably, as of 2022, there was a significant deficit in the supply of nurses with an MSN or DNP, compared to the professional demand.
- Competitiveness. Employers hiring registered nurses tend to select in favor of applicants with a 4-year nursing degree. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 28% of employers surveyed require RN candidates to have a bachelor’s degree, while 72% report that they “strongly prefer” applicants who do.
- Earning potential. Nurses with a bachelor’s degree receive a higher average salary: according to a 2023 survey, about $7,780 more annually than nurses with only an ADN.
Besides my degree, what do I need to become a Registered Nurse?
The gateway to becoming an RN is the NCLEX-RN, the standard nursing exam administered by the National Counsel of State Boards of Nursing. In order to become a licensed nurse able to apply for RN jobs, you will need to:
- earn an ADN or a bachelor’s in nursing from an accredited nursing program
- apply for a state nursing license and submit all required documentation
- pass the NCLEX-RN
The NCLEX-RN is a nationally standardized test you will only need to pass once to become an RN, while your nursing license is specific to the state in which you will be practicing nursing. If you move out of state, you can simply apply for a nursing license in your new state without retaking the NCLEX-RN.
Your Gustavus nursing school instructors can assist you with the application process to become an RN, including preparing to take the NCLEX-RN. It might sound daunting at this stage, but almost all of graduates from the Gustavus nursing program pass the NCLEX-RN on their first try!
Do nurses with a BSN need additional credentials to work as an RN?
Nurses do not need any additional certifications for many RN jobs, just their state nursing license. Your nursing school education and nursing license qualify you for a wide array of patient care and additional nursing roles in all sorts of healthcare settings. However, you may find that a specific type of nursing certification is required to move up in your nursing specialty of interest, or that board certification is strongly preferred by employers looking to hire an RN for a given nursing position. In other words, nursing board certifications beyond a state nursing license are generally a way for a registered nurse to advance and compete in their chosen nursing concentration.
Nursing board certifications typically require an RN to complete a certain number of hours of nursing work in the relevant clinical setting, then pass an exam to demonstrate competency in that area of nursing. For instance, to become a board certified occupational health nurse, you would need to pass the COHN exam as well as document that you’ve worked 3000 hours in the field of occupational health, or gained equivalent qualifying school credit, within the past five years.
How is a BSN from Gustavus special?
A bachelor of science in nursing at Gustavus emphasizes the broader perspective for learning, ensuring students are grounded in studies that enrich their cultural competency, communication, and critical thinking skills. Nursing students at Gustavus complete a rigorous program of clinical nursing and science studies as well as courses in language arts, performing arts, social sciences, and philosophy and theory. This is because we want our nursing school graduates to be not just excellent technical nurses, but thoughtful, self-aware, and creative individuals.
We also believe that building nursing school studies on top of a strong foundation cultivates the broader skill sets that enhance our nursing program graduates’ career success. By providing nursing students with a well-rounded undergraduate education we help them to develop incisive problem-solving abilities, fluent oral and written communication skills, flexible cross-disciplinary thinking strategies, and a compassionate cultural perspective rooted in social justice.
Do Gustavus nursing students receive the scientific and clinical education they need to compete in the field of health care? The answer is a resounding yes. The Gustavus nursing program is accredited by the Minnesota Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and nursing program graduates meet the requirements to become a public health nurse in Minnesota. Typically around 90% of Gustavus nursing students pass the NCLEX-RN on their first try and achieve a 100% RN job placement rate within 9 months of graduation.
Why consider a BSN from Gustavus?
There are a lot of factors to take into account when considering your nursing school options. As a prospective nursing student you’ll want to take a look at objective measures such as financial aid availability and post-graduation job placement rates, as well as seeking out the nursing program and overall school environment that is subjectively the best fit for you.
We hope you’ll take your time, do your research, go on some campus visits, and find your ideal school. If you’re considering Gustavus, here are some of the top reasons we believe our bachelor of arts in nursing program offers an exceptional educational experience and builds a solid foundation for your professional career in the nursing field:
We foster a vibrant, tight-knit academic community.
The interpersonal relationships students form during their undergraduate education are in some ways as crucial to success as the curriculum itself. At Gustavus, we facilitate intimate learning spaces where you can take full advantage of your professors’ expertise as well as form deeply collaborative relationships with fellow future nurses in your program cohort.
The faculty in the Gustavus school of nursing are dedicated professional experts, but we believe our nursing students’ success requires more than just highly competent instructors. Our rigorous curriculum means Gustavus nursing students learn crucial skills in classrooms, labs, and clinical settings, but we also ensure that students have plenty of opportunities to seek perspective and guidance from our nursing faculty in small group settings and one-on-one.
Because of our dedication to a comprehensive mentorship culture, the Gustavus nursing program doesn’t involve overpacked lecture halls filled with anonymous faces, or classes taught by professors who will never learn your name. Our tight-knit school community is reflected in the numbers:
- about 2100 total students on campus
- a faculty-to-student ratio of 11:1
- an average class size of 15 students
- only 40 nursing students per class year
Keeping class sizes and the overall program size in check facilitates our nursing instructors to form close working relationships with each nursing cohort. In this way, your Gustavus nursing education is designed to provide ongoing faculty guidance and mentorship that is impossible to achieve in school settings with a higher volume of students or a steeper student-to-faculty ratio. Small classes, engaged and knowledgeable faculty, invested alumni, and a multi-faceted network of student guidance programs make us not just another school with a nursing program, but a true academic community supporting each other towards mutual success.
We provide tailored student guidance and learning experiences.
Gustavus ranks alongside the nation’s top schools when it comes to both retention and graduation rates. The majority of our students pursue advanced degrees after they graduate, typically around 35% moving directly on to graduate school and many earn a master’s degree at some point in their career. Within nine months of graduation, nine out of ten graduates are either enrolled in a master’s program, working in a job aligned with their career goals, or serving in an organization such as the Peace Corps.
How is this achieved? From day one, every student is paired with a personal faculty advisor, and after their first semester they can change advisors to find an especially good personal fit. All students are also invited to work with the Center for Career Development for one-on-one guidance on graduate programs, professional networking, and experiential learning opportunities. In addition, many students join the Gustavus Mentoring Program to access formal one-on-one mentorship from members of the Gustie alumni community, or take advantage of our trained student peer mentor program.
The goal of this multifaceted mentorship network is to support you closely as you chart your path through four years of school and beyond. Your nursing faculty advisor, instructors, and other mentors at Gustavus are available to consult and brainstorm with you as you:
- choose elective classes that are particularly enriching given your interests and goals
- work out a healthy balance of academics, co-curriculars, and time for relaxation
- select an experiential learning / study-away program that aligns with your academic path
- design and execute research projects collaboratively with faculty
- apply for appropriate summer internships to gain valuable clinical experience
- prepare for an optional clinical immersion program your senior year
- gain expert perspective on nursing career options
- explore graduate school programs that fit your developing career goals
With this level of focused support and the Signature Experience that means all Gustavus students participate in enriching experiential learning programs such as internships, study away, or research projects during their four years of college. Nursing students gain invaluable clinical experience while in school, making them prime candidates for advanced degree programs and rapid job placement upon graduation.
We employ a holistic, cross-disciplinary educational approach.
As a dedicated liberal arts college we design all our academic programs to emphasize cross-disciplinary thinking, and our school of nursing is no different. As you earn your bachelor of science degree you will take essential science courses and practice all aspects of direct patient care in simulation labs on campus as well as professional clinical settings.
Why do we believe this liberal arts foundation is so essential? Because successful registered nurses possess a wide range of professional skills beyond the technical knowledge needed to pass the NCLEX-RN. Expert patient care requires nurses to employ critical problem-solving skills and practice deep interpersonal and cultural sensitivity. In addition to patient care, nurses must be able to collaborate well with a diverse array of fellow medical professionals in a complex and fast-paced work environment. Most registered nurses also take on additional management, administrative, and leadership responsibilities as they advance in their nursing careers.
In many ways, the nursing profession demands that nurses be generalists: well-rounded and thoughtful people who continue to learn and adapt, think expertly on their feet, communicate successfully with a wide range of people, and know when and how to advocate for their patients. While these attributes are less easily quantified than correct answers on a science exam, they are equally essential to professional nursing success. A rich, cross-disciplinary Gustavus nursing program is how our nursing students develop these crucial qualities and skill sets.
We place an extra emphasis on communication.
In addition to being emphatically cross-disciplinary, the Gustavus liberal arts program specifically facilitates students to become excellent communicators. Most professional career paths benefit greatly from strong written and oral communication skills, and nursing is one of them. Among other roles, a nurse will need to perform patient intake and type reports, liaison between patients and other medical professionals, and compassionately communicate complex information in ways patients and their families can understand.
More than a job skill, though, effective communication is core to human relational thriving, which is why we use the rigorous Writing Across the Curriculum program in all our program majors. The philosophy behind the WAC program is that good writing is not only a rhetorical skill to be achieved, but an essential exercise for the internalization of complex information and the development and clarification of ideas. In other words, the process of writing helps students to communicate information more effectively but also to process and understand that information as they work to explain it to someone else.
Visit the Gustavus campus
We’re passionate about educating the whole person and raising up the next generation of nurses to be exceptional leaders in service to their communities. If you’re intrigued by the idea of a bachelor of arts in nursing, come visit us on our beautiful 340-acre campus in Saint Peter, Minnesota. Bring us all your pressing questions, go on a campus tour, talk with our expert faculty and staff, explore the local culture, and decide if the Gustavus nursing school might be a good fit for you. We’re excited to meet you!
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