Will a BSN Be Mandatory For Nurses Everywhere? (2024)

FAQs

Will a BSN Be Mandatory For Nurses Everywhere? ›

The short answer? No. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) will not be mandatory for most nurses anytime soon. That said, there is a push for more BSN-prepared nurses across the country—and there is one U.S. state where it's mandatory now.

Many employers prefer to hire nurses with a BSN. Today, 70% of employers report a strong preference for BSN nurses, according to the 2023 New Graduate Employment Data from the AACN. Further, 25% of hospitals currently require that all new nursing hires hold a BSN. That translates into strong employment numbers.

BSN-educated nurses tend to have lower mortality rates, higher chances of success in cardiac arrest, as well as increased diagnostic accuracy. Hospitals place a high priority on patient safety and treatment quality, and BSN nurses play a critical role in both patient outcomes and safety.

While obtaining a BSN before moving on to an MSN has traditionally been the most common educational pathway for nurses, many higher education institutions now offer alternative programs designed for nurses seeking to earn their MSN without a BSN.

While it's entirely possible to begin your nursing career with an associate degree, the majority of RNs today now hold a BSN or MSN in nursing. According to the latest National Nursing Workforce Survey, almost 72 percent of nurses now hold their BSN degree or higher – the highest recorded in history.

Registered nurses are required to have a minimum of an associate's degree in nursing to become licensed. However, for nurses seeking to grow in their careers, earning a bachelor's degree in nursing can open more doors for nurses looking for career advancement, increased salaries, and improved patient outcomes.

The Top Advantages of a BSN Degree. The advantages of a BSN degree include a shorter path to graduate-level education, more earning potential, higher NCLEX-RN passing rates, and additional classes.

The salary difference between RN vs BSN degrees is that those who hold a BSN degree are likely to make more than RN's who only have their associates degree. A BSN degree is favored over just an associates degree for many entry-level nursing jobs, therefore a BSN has more opportunities to make more money.

ADN vs BSN Patient Care & Safety Situations

Several studies, such as the one by The National Center for Biotechnology Information has shown that hospitals with a higher percentage of nurses with a BSN or higher level degree have lower mortality and failure-to-rescue rates, especially when it comes to surgical patients.

Can you do a master's in nursing without a BSN? ›

Can You Get Your MSN without a BSN? The short answer is yes. The most common path to earning an MSN degree is to earn a BSN degree first. However, some nursing programs allow non-nursing degree-holding students to earn an MSN without a BSN through a Direct Entry MSN program.

No, you can't take the National Council Licensure for Examination (NCLEX) without going to nursing school.

Nurses with an MSN can earn more than RNs with a BSN. That's partly because a nurse with an MSN is better positioned to work in management or become licensed as a nurse practitioner. As of 2021, the average annual salary for a nurse practitioner is $120,680.

The short answer? No. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) will not be mandatory for most nurses anytime soon. That said, there is a push for more BSN-prepared nurses across the country—and there is one U.S. state where it's mandatory now.

Many leaders predict nurses will mostly leave the hospital setting to do more community work and hospitals will be used only for the sickest of the sick. Here are seven nurse leaders on other ways nursing will change over the next 50 years. Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

The states that pay nurses the most are California, Hawaii, and Oregon, with California paying the most with an average of $133,340 wage per year.

A BSN-trained nurse will be prepared for several different career options and nursing roles after they finish their degree. They can practice nursing in a healthcare setting, like an RN, but they are also prepared for roles in research, leadership, or management.

BSN education focuses on knowledge development, critical thinking, leadership, case management, and health promotion. A cross-sectional study showed that hospitals that increased their proportion of BSN-prepared nurses over time had a 32% decrease in surgical mortality cases.

You can become a registered nurse with an ADN, but most employers and medical facilities are starting to require their registered nurses to have a BSN.

The law states that in order to maintain licensure as a registered professional nurse in New York State (NYS), registered nurses (RNs) must have attained a baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing within 10 years of initial licensure.