Obtaining a nursing degree is a major step on your career path as a healthcare worker. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) has become the standard for employment as a nurse. This degree demonstrates that you meet the minimum qualifications to work as a nurse in most capacities, and therefore opens doors that would otherwise remain closed without a BSN. Most BSN holders choose to work as nurses – but there are other options that a BSN offers as well.
Career Options with a BSN
Nurse
There are a variety of nursing positions with different focuses, including mental health nurses, adult nurses, learning disability nurses and children’s nurses. Not only do you have different areas of focus, you also can choose from different work environments. Some nurses choose to work in schools, while others work in hospitals or doctors’ offices. Like different areas of focus, different work environments offer unique experiences that may or may not appeal to your individual personality.
Health Education
A BSN is a good starting point for a career as a health educator. Your education and background in nursing can help to qualify you for positions as a school educator, elder care educator or to work with non-profits in providing health education to underserved communities. You can also work as a healthcare educator for children with a BSN.
Medical Writer
If you enjoy writing and have a talent for it, your nursing education and background could provide a solid foundation for medical writing work. Different organizations hire medical writers to cover a wide variety of medical and health-related topics, and prefer writers who can speak with authority and accuracy about the subjects they cover. You can develop areas of specialization as a medical writer, or you can focus on more general topics.
Patient Advocate
Patient advocates work on behalf of healthcare patients to ensure that they have the information they need to make informed decisions about their care. The healthcare system is complex and difficult to navigate for many patients, which is why patient advocates are becoming increasingly important. As a nurse with a BSN, you are well-equipped to advocate for others.
Recruiter for Healthcare Related Positions
Medical professionals like doctors and nurses are in high demand today, and many organizations are seeking temporary professionals to fill in employment gaps. Healthcare recruiters work on behalf of healthcare organizations to help them find qualified recruits and to guide those recruits through the often complicated process of getting hired.
Healthcare Administration
Administrative staff take care of all the behind-the-scenes tasks that are necessary to keep a hospital, doctor’s office or other healthcare organization operational. If you enjoy keeping things organized and managing people and organizations, your BSN could make you a good candidate for medical administration.
Nursing Informatics
Information technologies are increasingly being incorporated into healthcare. Information systems offer opportunities for increasing efficiency, reducing costs and improving patient care. Nursing information can range from basic management of hospital and patient data, to actual software development and designing new information management practices. If you have a background in technology, or have an interest in a more tech-related career, nursing information offers considerable opportunities for career advancement.
Enrolling in an MSN Program
There are many different career paths you can take with a BSN, but there are even more opportunities when you possess a Master of Science in Nursing degree. An MSN puts you in position to pursue higher-level careers, including:
Family Nurse Practitioner
After going through additional training to learn to diagnose diseases and prescribe medication, you can become an NP, or nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners are in great demand across the U.S. because they provide a more economical healthcare option than a standard physician – while still delivering high-quality medical care. As a family nurse practitioner, you consult with patients under the supervision of a physician to diagnose illnesses and prescribe medications. Working as a nurse practitioner allows you to be much more involved in the care of patients than you would be as an RN.
Nurse Administration
An MSN is helpful in obtaining a position as a nurse administrator, where you manage other nurses and provide oversight for patient care. As an administrator, you oversee a team of nurses to ensure that all hospital policies are followed and that the standard of care is maintained, while also balancing the business needs of the organization where you are employed.
Director of Nursing
The Director of Nursing is a nurse administrator responsible for the management of nurses in a hospital or other healthcare organization. As a nursing director, you will supervise nurses, be involved in hospital planning, see to budgetary concerns related to your department, ensure that your team is maintaining high standards in the care of patients and facilitate communication between doctors, patients and your team.
Choosing the Path That is Best for You
While working as a nurse is the most obvious career for someone with a nursing degree, it is not the only one. Whether you choose a nursing career, you prefer to try your hand at a different career, or you go on to pursue an MSN – your nursing degree gives you options. It is up to you to choose the path that best fits your goals, your personality and your vision of your ideal future. With Athona recruitment you can find a nursing job in seconds, this is most definitely the best path to go down once you have your degree.
