While not always a requirement, the bachelor’s degree is becoming a standard in the nursing field. Nearly 80 percent of healthcare employers today express a strong preference for hiring nurses with a Bachelor’s of Nursing (BSN) in hand. If you have decided to take the trek towards earning your BSN, rest assured you are making a meaningful decision for your nursing career. Sources say that nurses with a BSN often provide a higher quality and more informed level of patient care. BSN nurses also have the potential to earn more pay and apply for more advanced job opportunities within the healthcare field.

We’ve already outlined some of the many reasons one might consider earning their BSN degree. But like many aspiring students, you may be wondering just how to get a BSN degree today. If nursing is an entirely new career path for you, there a few different ways you can go about earning your Bachelor’s in Nursing degree. If you are already working as an RN and have earned an associate degree in the past, going back to school and earning your BSN degree is actually pretty straightforward.

As a leading nursing school in Connecticut, Goodwin College has outlined how to get a BSN degree – at any stage in your career – below.

How to Get a BSN as an Already-Working Nurse

So, you’ve gone to nursing school once and taken the time to complete the educational requirements needed to become a nurse – you earned an associate degree in Nursing, and have your Registered Nurse (RN) license in hand. Right now, however, you might be looking to grow in your career or advance into a different role that requires a bachelor’s degree. The good news is, you are already very close!

Many nurses think that going back to school to earn a BSN degree is near-impossible: how can one balance full-time work as a nurse, alongside a college education? A flexible RN-to-BSN program is your answer. RN-to-BSN programs, as the name implies, allows licensed nurses to go back to school, pick up where they left off, and get a BSN degree in just a matter of months. At Goodwin College, RNs can earn their BSN degree in just 16-months part-time, allowing them to still work while going to school. For added flexibility, the RN-to-BSN program is offered entirely online, meaning you can complete your classes and assignments in any environment (Wi-Fi provided), and on your own schedule.

How to get a BSN as an already-working RN, then, is relatively simple. At Goodwin, you just need to:

1. Hold an active, unencumbered RN license in the state where you practice
2. Complete the application for admission into Goodwin College
3. Complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Application
4. Attend an academic advising session with the Nursing Department Academic Advisor
5. Once accepted, complete the required BSN coursework (online or in a hybrid format) with a minimum grade of C+

How to Get a BSN if You’re Just Starting Out

If you are completely new to the nursing field and looking for a change-up in your career, your path towards getting a BSN can take a bit more time. However, there are flexible BSN programs available to you, depending on where you are at with your education and readiness to get started.

Many people dive into college, unsure of what they want to do with their lives. If you went to school, earned the four-year bachelor’s degree, and ultimately decided you aren’t passionate about what you do, you are not alone. In fact, studies show that one-third of college graduates never end up working in their major – many will change career paths somewhere along the way!

If you have a bachelor’s degree in another field, and want to move from your 9 to 5 into a rewarding, exciting nursing career, know that a BSN is very attainable for you. And you can earn it in just 16-months full-time through an accelerated BSN program, like the one at Goodwin College.

To get a BSN at an accelerated pace at Goodwin College, you must:

1. Have a bachelor’s degree(minimum 3.0 GPA) in a non-nursing major from a regionally-accredited college or university
2. Complete the application for admission into Goodwin College
3. Complete the ABSN Program Application, with prior official college transcripts included
4. Take the pre-admission examination
5. Complete or must have already completed BIO 212 (A&P II), as well as any other prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of C

After completing these steps, and successfully completing the ABSN program curriculum, you will walk away with a BSN degree and be eligible to sit for the RN licensing examination. For the full ABSN program requirements, please click here.

If you do not already have a bachelor’s degree and are looking to become a BSN-educated nurse, you can expect a longer educational path. Aspiring nurses must go to nursing school, complete clinical rotations, finish the required coursework, and earn a college degree before getting their RN license. The typical BSN program takes about four years to complete. The good news is, you do not need a BSN degree to get started as a nurse. Most states, like Connecticut, just require nurses to have their associate degree in Nursing and to pass the NCLEX-RN exam, to qualify for an RN license.

If you want to get into the nursing field fast, you can always earn your associate degree in Nursing (ADN), and then go back to school for your BSN once you land a job. That way, you can earn your BSN degree part-time, while earning money and gaining experience as a full-time Registered Nurse. The ADN program at Goodwin can be completed in 20-months part-time, after your general pre-requisite courses are complete. There are also no wait lists for enrollment, meaning you can get in and started right away!

To learn more about the various nursing programs at Goodwin, or to learn more about how to get a BSN degree in Connecticut, please do not hesitate to reach out. Call 800-889-3282 or visit us online to request more information.