Do Bachelor's Degrees Save Lives? - The Facts about Earning a BSN

[Rasmussen University]

Some assert that there are some pretty distinct differences in the capabilities, responsibilities and patient outcomes that come with each educational milestone. It's no secret that more voices in the field are citing those differences as a driving force behind the push to convince more RNs to pursue BSN degrees. But are the benefits as clear-cut as they've been made out to be?

Here's what we found from doing some research on what has been written.

The push for more BSNs

Initiatives like "80 by '20" and "BSN in 10" have become hot topics in the nursing world, but they're often misunderstood. Here's a quick breakdown of the differences:

• 80 by '20 is a call-to-action that requires 80 percent of nurses to hold bachelor's degrees by 2020. This initiative has been put in place by the Institute of Medicine in tandem with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• BSN in 10 is a proposed policy that would require new nurses to obtain their BSN within 10 years of entering the field if they wish to continue practicing. The initiative originated with the New York State Nurses Association and has received support from the House of Delegates of the American Nurses Association.

The motivation for initiatives like these is threefold. Proponents hope to see improvements in patient care; increased prospects and longevity in nursing careers; and efficiencies in the ability of healthcare facilities to manage increasing patient loads.

It hasn't taken long for other healthcare organizations to align with these commitments. Many hospitals may be drawn by the motivation to uphold high standards of patient care and professional development in order to achieve magnet status, while others can't seem to ignore the question, "Do bachelor's degrees really save more lives?"

The link between education & mortality rates

Healthcare organizations and hospital leadership continually recognize the contributions made by nurses of all educational levels. But many have acknowledged reports that suggest qualifications impact mortality rates.

What does the data say?

Studies suggest a correlation between patient mortality rates and the level of education achieved by their nurses. A 2014 study supported by the National Institutes of Health reported a 7 percent decline in patient mortality for each 10 percent increase in the number of nurses who hold bachelor's degrees. Put simply, nurses with more education appear to have better patient outcomes.

The study brought the conversation a step further by comparing patient outcomes with nursing workload. Hospitals in which 60 percent of nurses hold bachelor's degrees and care for six or fewer patients saw a 33 percent decrease in patient mortality when compared to hospitals in which only a third of nurses hold a bachelor's degree and care for up to eight patients.

This suggests a significant decrease in the number of patient deaths for nurses who have more education and also care for fewer patients. The data suggests that healthcare organizations recognize the need to not only increase RN qualifications, but also increase the number of nurses available to care for patients.

The added benefits of earning a BSN

Because many healthcare facilities are prioritizing a bachelor's level education for RN candidates, the number job prospects for nurses with bachelor's degrees has seen a huge surge in recent years.

In fact, Burning-Glass was used to identify more than a million RN job postings from the past year and found that candidates holding a bachelor's degree qualified for 78 percent of them, while diploma and associate degree holders qualified for just 53 percent.1

The prospects are also greatly increased for RNs hoping to progress into advanced nursing positions later in their careers. For example, we examined nearly 100,000 nurse manager job postings from the last 12 months. The data revealed that candidates with bachelor's degrees qualified for 70 percent of the jobs available, while associate degree holders qualified for just 25 percent of them.2

But the job vacancies don't tell the only story here. There is also increased earning potential for bachelor's degree holders. Nurse manager candidates with bachelor's degrees can expect a $7,000 increase in mean annual salary.3

Are BSNs worth more than the hype?

The initiatives in place to encourage more RNs to earn bachelor's degrees are hard to ignore, but there are two sides to every coin. Some professionals are pushing back despite support from leading healthcare organizations. It's a debate that continues to rage throughout the comment streams of nursing blogs across the Internet.

So what do you think? Are there tangible benefits to a nursing workforce with a higher percentage of bachelor's degrees? Is the jump from RN-BSN worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

Is RN-BSN Worth It? 9 Reasons to Level Up.

Earn Your BSN Degree - Your Way

[Bwise3487]

At 40 I went back to school from being a Medical assistant for 25 yrs and got an associate RN degree. I have been an Rn for 8 years and worked my way from med surg to now circulating in a diagnostic cath lab. Now at 54 I would like to move to another state and do not want to go back to school at 54. I started to take pre classes and had to take statistics and med ethics and also chemistry to even start my degree. I was spending every day off and week end trying to figure out on line statistics and how to write a Thesis in APA format for med ethics. I was getting an A in both classes and just quit this week b/c I couldn't take the stress anymore. It actually was affecting my thinking at work because I was so stressed from school! I would rather focus on CME's that apply to my craft or maybe obtain my CCRN than write a Thesis in APA format whatever that means! I do not want management I just want to care for the patient. Hopefully I will obtain a job with my move without having to get my BSN. We have a lot of new young nurses at our hospital and I still believe that experience makes the difference not the degree!

[Bwise3487]

I concur!

[Roy Hanson]

AGREED! Earning a BScn has nothing to do with being a GOOD nurse. A degree! BS! Boastful Statement (lol). I have worked with BSCN in the past, and most have no idea how to handle or manage us! But they were good at pushing drugs or doing admin duties. You have to earn your stripes, in experience. A University degree is just a that, only a degree! So hang your BScn at the door, and just do a good job!

[canigraduate]

I have several problems with this "article."

A) It's a commercial, not an article.

B) Nurses with lower ratios have better outcomes, degree or lack of notwithstanding.

C) All the sources come from the same website, which has nothing to do with nursing.

D) I find that the promotion of a school with this propaganda-type article to be extremely distasteful. It's focus is on salesmanship rather than scholarship.

[Nerd eNurse, ADN]

Good article and I would like a link if possible. There are quite a few nurses that have an associate degree but hold other degrees or have taken other degree programs and didn't finish. I went to be a manufacturing engineer for two years and took multiple other classes. After getting my associates degree I went through 2 years of business management. I really don't want a BSN. I don't think the BSN should be a definitive line of good nurse vs not at as good nurse. Furthermore, if it is the degree and not the quality of the education, why not go for MSN by 2020? I would like to see the breakdown of mortality rates of ASN to BSN vs straight BSN. Maybe we need to make ASN mandatory.... work for a few years and then get the BSN. In other words I can be convinced but right now I'm not buying it. I have a suspicion that it may have more to do with who goes through the ADN. I went through were mainly older adults working their way through. The other factor that I would wonder about is that hospitals that strive for higher education also strive for lower patient to nurse ratios. I would like to see the factual reason why the BSN has a lower mortality rate and make that into a class so that ADN's don't have to spend 2 extra years to get what is probably only a class or two. I hope they take nurses background into consideration and don't make it a flat out BSN or else.

I feel that my varied educational background has helped me be a great nurse. I am using these talents to help better mankind. For instance: with my engineering background I saw how inanimate objects were germ magnets before the super germs became popular and I invented the vinyl gait belts. Recently while trying to make a better transport container for blood I discovered that their are standards for how we are suppose to collect blood. Check out my article titled :

Blood Collection Variables are a Risk to Patients.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Extra Pickles said:

A BSN new grad does not have better outcomes than a ADN new grad. BSNs having better outcomes has a lot more to do with having much more experienced nurses going to get the BSN degree later on, you and your BSN colleagues are interchangeable straight out of the chute. After you have the amount of experience that lots of the BSNs who have lots of experience also have, you'll have the same outcomes!

I was just trying to think of some kind of reason that the study would even be plausible because I think it's hogwash. It was one study sponsored by a nurse who had strong feelings about more education. She should not have been a part of the study, period. Research should not have bias. That's a fundamental process of the scientific method.

It's an argument that will only be put to rest through years of accurate research. It's not a question that cN be answered right now.

[nutella, MSN, RN]

Regardless of individual opinion - the BSN is not going to go away. It is already the preferred entry education in competitive areas and many employers prefer the BSN over the ADN.

There are good and bad nurses with ADN and BSN. And nursing practice will transform some nurses, no matter what their entry education, into true experts. But - a degree provides you with more credibility, the same way the specialty certification proofs that you have attained special knowledge. When I will be done with my graduate studies I will most likely still keep my current job as I enjoy what I am doing. But in addition, I could teach, take studies and so on. Plus my practice has changed (hopefully for the better) over the years with the different knowledge.

Costs is a point of course. Having one child go to college this year and another one in 2 years, I am aware of the financial constraints and limitations. If money is a concern, going to a community college for 2 years and after that transfer to finish the degree may be best. The way things are going in nursing right now, I recommend that high school students apply to a BSN program if they can afford it because it will give them more options especially in popular areas.

Not everybody enjoys nursing theory but personally, it broadened my understanding of the way I practice nursing and the way nursing can be understood. Could I be a great nurse without BSN? Sure - but it did open more possibilities and I enjoyed learning.

[Farawyn]

Nutella, I agree. I like learning, too. I don't think there could ever be enough to learn.

But when a nurse with years of experience is told she/he is not good enough, has to go back to school, learns stuff she/he already practices- to the tune of thousands of dollars- and that warrants maybe a $3,000 raise a year? No.

I have a BA in Psych and I ate ice cream tonight. I'm already well rounded.

[angeloublue22, BSN, RN]

As soon as I read the article, I was thinking the same thing. They don't take into consideration that many BSN nurses were ADNs that gained experience before they went back to school.

[nutella, MSN, RN]

Farawyn said:

Nutella, I agree. I like learning, too. I don't think there could ever be enough to learn.

But when a nurse with years of experience is told she/he is not good enough, has to go back to school, learns stuff she/he already practices- to the tune of thousands of dollars- and that warrants maybe a $3,000 raise a year? No.

I have a BA in Psych and I ate ice cream tonight. I'm already well rounded.

I am glad you had ice cream! I am a huge fan of my two boyfriends Ben and Jerry myself ...

I think we have to look at this topic also from another angle. Instead of interpreting the push for a BSN as "not good enough" despite years of experience, we could also look at it saying that this is a time of transition in which a new standard of education is achieved.

I do not think that it is feasible to force already hired and working RN to go back to school for their BSN unless it was a condition from the get go. But going forward, it seems that this will become much more mainstream in areas that already prefer the BSN. I have worked with nurses who are great in their work and would be a good fit for a hospital but who do not accept a job offer because the stipulation requires them to get their BSN within 5 years of hire. The most common argument I hear is that based on age it does not make sense to them to go back to school and acquire a BSN with only 5 or 10 more years to retirement. In addition, they may have to save money for retirement and do not have money for school but the vast majority is intimidated by the idea of technology and writing papers in APA format....

I think experienced nurses are absolutely "good enough" but it is clear that the options of employment will be limited without a BSN in the future.

[eieiyo]

My sister and I are both RNs. She has a BSN and I have an ADN. When we graduated I trained her in our first job. I was hired first. She didn't know how to do an admission assessment for starters. She is a very smart cookie, but my nursing education was way better. And her degree came from one of Oregon's premier colleges. Over the years we have had very different careers, I would not say she has ever saved a life, she was more management while I was a hands on nurse. I've now been a nurse for almost 28 years and these same arguments have been going on at least that long. The degree doesn't make the nurse. I've known some good and a lot of bad nurses, and a lot who just don't care. I say let's get back to our jobs, stop the fights about whose a better nurse

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

Rasmussen College said:

Our RN to BSN program actually costs less than half of that and we're continually seeking innovative ways to minimize costs and improve curriculum for our students. We appreciate all of the thoughtful feedback and insights this post has generated thus far. As we predicted, this is a hot topic in the industry which is why we love hearing the viewpoints of those on the front lines! Keep them coming, everyone! ?

My degree was non nursing minion to BSN, RN cost approximately $42,000 less than this.

even at half price $22,000 still cost $19,000 less than what you charge