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.

So whether you’re looking to earn a nursing degree, or you’re a registered nurse looking to further her career and education, finding the right BSN program in CT is important to your future employment. And it’s important to make sure that the BSN program you choose meets your unique needs as a student.

Pursuing a Four-Year Program

Some schools offer a traditional four-year course of study for a BSN, requiring students to attend school full time. In a typical four-year program, students take prerequisite programs required for an undergraduate degree during their freshmen and sophomore years, as well as completing pre-nursing classes like anatomy and physiology, or biology.

Four-year nursing schools are competitive, often for very few available student slots. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported that only about 40 percent of those who applied to BSN programs were accepted in the 2009-2010 school year.

Accelerated BSN Program

For some students, the thought of going back to school for four whole years—full time—can be a difficult prospect. For those students, an accelerated BSN program offers an avenue to pursue intensive courses over a much shorter period of time. An accelerated BSN degree is specifically designed to help individuals looking to pursue nursing, but might have already completed another course of study. This style of fast track learning can certify students for a job in nursing in less than two years!

Goodwin College’s RN-to-BSN curriculum can be completed part-time in just 16 months. Goodwin designed its BSN program around its students’ busy lifestyle. And Goodwin’s BSN program can be taken online or in a hybrid format; flexible coursework for students who have more going on in their lives than just school. Graduates of the program are prepared to practice in a variety of areas with knowledge and skills that are transferrable to multiple settings.

Interested in learning more about Goodwin College? Learn more today, or check out all of our nursing programs to see why we’re a leader in healthcare education in CT! You can also interact with us on Facebook or Twitter!