Are you an aspiring nurse looking to jumpstart your nursing education? Are you a seasoned RN looking to explore new nursing opportunities? Nursing is a great career choice! In fact, it is one of the most valued, gratifying, and in-demand careers today.

With nearly three million members, registered nurses (RNs) make up the largest segment of healthcare workers in the United States. And each year, the need for nurses continues to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that nursing jobs will increase 16 percent by 2024, much faster than the average of all other occupations.

The demand for trained, qualified nurses is consistently high, largely because the majority of healthcare environments require nursing services. Currently, about 60 percent of nurses work in hospitals. The other 40 percent work in a diversity of medical settings: private practices, public health agencies, urgent care clinics, nursing homes, schools, mental health facilities, military bases, research agencies, patient home care, and more.

The Importance of Nursing Education

If you dream of becoming a nurse, know that job opportunities are abundant. But in order to land a job in this increasingly popular field, you must have sufficient nursing education under your belt. Today, employers are looking for highly-educated nurses that can meet the growing demands of the healthcare industry. Today, nurses must be competent in several disciplines, according to the Institute of Medicine:

“The ways in which nurses were educated during the 20th century are no longer adequate for dealing with the realities of health care in the 21st century. As patient needs and care environments have become more complex, nurses need to attain requisite competencies to deliver high-quality care. These competencies include leadership, health policy, system improvement, research and evidence-based practice, and teamwork and collaboration.”

Across the nation, leading healthcare employers are calling nurses to pursue higher levels of education. By doing so, nurses will be best suited to address recently impactful, chronic conditions (like the Zika virus and obesity) and to meet the needs of the aging baby boomer population.

Fortunately, today’s options for aspiring nurses are plentiful. There are many different paths you can take in pursuing a nursing education: You can earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), or a diploma from an accredited nursing school such as Goodwin.

Nursing Degree Paths

Whether you are just getting started or hoping to continue your nursing education, you’ve come to the right place. Pursuing one of the many nursing degrees at Goodwin College is a great place to prepare for a nursing career. Here are three degree paths you can take at our nursing school in Connecticut.

• Registered Nursing (RN) degree: An RN degree, otherwise known as an Associate Degree in Nursing, is one of the fastest, most common pathways to becoming a nurse. At Goodwin College, you can complete your RN degree in as few as 18 months part-time. This means that you can continue to work while still obtaining an education. Upon completion of an associate program, you will sit for the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) to become licensed as an RN. Once you have passed the NCLEX and are licensed as an RN, you may choose to start working or go on to complete your bachelor’s degree.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing: While it is not always required, a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing is preferred by almost 80 percent of healthcare employers. For this reason, a BSN degree can actually introduce you to more (and often more fulfilling) job opportunities in the nursing field. With a BSN degree in hand, you will have a greater likelihood of standing out among other applicants as well as an increased potential at a higher starting salary rate. At Goodwin, you can customize your BSN program and class schedule to meet your specific needs.
• RN-to-BSN degree program: With the increasing demand for BSN graduates, we believe that nursing students should have a streamlined way to complete their bachelor’s degree. Goodwin’s RN-to-BSN completion program allows aspiring nurses to do just this: you can advance your nursing education when you are ready and at your own speed. Our RN-to-BSN program can be taken online or in hybrid format, and completed in as little as 16 months’ time.

Now is the time to obtain your nursing education, increase your experience, and advance in your career. Why wait? Learn more about Goodwin College today to see why we’re a leader in healthcare education in CT!