Continue Education with Bachelor Biology?

elkpark · Sep 5, 2011

If your intention is to stay in nursing, rather than getting another degree as a way to get out of nursing, there is no other baccalaureate degree that will benefit you professionally as much as a BSN. Turn the situation around and think of it the other way -- can you imagine anyone telling someone trying to further a career in biology that a degree in nursing would be a good idea, rather than an additional/higher degree in biology??

If you want to study biology and get a degree in it for your own personal satisfaction, that's a different matter. But, if you're looking to expand your professional opportunities within nursing, get a BSN.

Best wishes for your journey!

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 5, 2011

I strongly agree with elkpark -- and think that her advice to "turn it around" to help you think it through is great advice.

A BSN is necessary to advance your nurisng career -- and employers are increasingly preferring BSN's over ADN's and ASN's for even many entry-level jobs. Get the BSN if you want to be considered for most RN jobs in the future.

If you want to leave nursing and be a biologist, then a degree in biology would make sense.

pradachick · Sep 5, 2011

Thank you for your advice it is greatly appreciated.

hotstudentnurse · Sep 17, 2011

Holy Cow, you all are so rude. I wish the administrators would control some of your attitudes. Reading these forums really makes me think twice about becoming a nurse if this is how you treat your fellow nursing peers.

Columnist · Sep 17, 2011

I do not see any rudeness in the responses that have been posted. The members are trying to answer the questions posed in the first post.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 17, 2011

Dear pradachick:

I hope you weren't offended by anything I said. I wasn't meaning to be harsh at all. I was just trying to give you the facts ... and just the facts. I wish you the best of luck with your career.

gizzy123 · Dec 31, 2011

i have a bs in biology and it is useless to me. i went back to school for my associates in nursing and i am currently looking into my bsn. i want to go back to school but i am not sure i want to go rn-msn because i want to be get my apn and that is a whole different route. my degree in biology has been useless since i got it. i am not even sure why i did it. i worked in a lab for $12 an hour it was horrible. what do you want to do with this degree