“The day is coming when trained nurses will be required to possess a college education before being admitted to training.” — Susan B. Anthony, 1902

If you’re thinking about a BSN degree, your education is a gateway to a better career and great care for your patients.  And now is a great time to pursue that education!

With an increased emphasis on higher education for nurses in CT, there has never been a better time to think about earning an RN to BSN degree! As part of a greater move towards more competent health care, Connecticut is looking forward to achieving an 80% BSN workforce by the year 2020. Today 78.6% of all healthcare employers nationwide prefer to hire BSN graduates, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

In CT, employment vacancies for nurses are on the rise, and a BSN degree can help set job seekers apart. A survey of private sector Connecticut employers in fall 2014 revealed 1,763 openings for registered nursing positions. And that number grew from 1,677 vacancies ten years earlier, according to the State Department of Labor.

Here are just a few of the fascinating BSN classes available to Goodwin students!

Health Assessment

This course builds on the professional nurse’s theoretical knowledge, the skills necessary to perform a comprehensive health assessment and physical examination on clients across the life span. Students will build skills in history taking and physical examination. Each student will have the opportunity to perform a focused examination under the observation of the instructor or will submit a specific focused exam provided by the instructor. The Goodwin College Nursing Theoretical Framework and the Nursing Process will provide the basis to promote health and prevent/manage illness of the client.

Introduction to Nursing Research

This course introduces the research process and its application to scholarship and evidenced-based nursing practice. Qualitative and quantitative methods are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking and writing. This course enhances the student’s ability to apply and integrate nursing conceptual frameworks, clinical research and evidenced-based practice. Student is prepared to be an informed consumer of nursing research.

Public and Community Health Nursing

This course focuses on the client as a healthcare consumer and member of a community. The student will apply the Goodwin College Nursing Theoretical Framework to meet the needs of the client as well as the needs of the community. This course will focus on the role the nurse has in establishing partnerships with the public health system in customizing therapeutic care in order to protect, promote and restore optimal public and community health within the local, national and international domains.

Clinical Nursing Leadership

The focus of this course is on the professional nurse as a change agent in the clinical setting to positively influence the patient’s level of wellness. Review of the local and national systems and how they affect the practice of nursing and ultimately, patient outcomes will be analyzed. Utilizing the Goodwin College Theoretical Framework and criteria from Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), students will develop an evidence-based practice change project for the clinical setting. This course allows the nurse to apply and integrate previously learned skills in research, leadership, management, and nursing in order to transition into a more independent practitioner role.

Contemporary Topics in Nursing

This course examines contemporary topics affecting professional nursing practice from national and global perspectives including but not limited to affordable health care, advanced practice, nursing ideology, independent practice, international migration of nurses, and technological advances in informatics. This course will enhance skills in investigation, literature review, critical thinking and persuasive argument of an issue of interest to the student.

Interested in taking BSN classes at Goodwin College? Learn more today, or check out our nursing school to see why we’re a leader in healthcare education in CT! You can also interact with us on Facebook or Twitter!