BSN or Health Information Administration?

These two paths are both health careers, but are quite different.

RHIA = health info. mgt; see thread http://allnurses.com/nursing-informa...gt-380211.html for an excellent overview

BSN= nursing; see any of the hundreds of threads in this forum for details about what it is like to be a nurse.

Fundamentally the choice could be posed as "which do I prefer, people or paper?" (Yes, yes, I am _fully aware_ that both choices will involve both people and paper, and that HIM is moving away from paper...save your flaming.)

Both will have some opportunities for a new grad, and many more opportunities after gaining two years of experience. Both can lead to management within a few years. Both can have salaries in the $40K-60K range within two years. Both will involve a bachelor's degree. Both are portable, in that any healthcare organization can use the skills of either path.

As with any career choice, shadowing someone in the field for a day is a very good way to learn about what you want to do or want to avoid.