Upon graduation, you are encouraged to sign your name with B.S., RN. When attending conferences or in agency settings, however, you may see a placard or name tag with BSN after your name, since that is the nationally recognized title.
Three reasons for getting your B.S. in nursing
1. Job security
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) recommended that nurses be baccalaureate prepared. Since then, this has been used by healthcare agencies nationwide to set the bar, with many listing nursing positions as BSN preferred or having associate prepared nurses sign contracts requiring them to achieve that degree within 3-5 years or face termination.
This is especially seen in hospitals pursuing Magnet or Pathway to Excellence status. In 2017, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation requiring future nurses graduating from associate degree or diploma nursing programs to obtain a baccalaureate in nursing within 10 years of initial licensure.
2. Quality of patient care
In 2010, an Institute of Medicine report called for 80 percent of the nursing workforce be baccalaureate-prepared by 2020, noting that higher degrees in nursing yield significant benefits for patients, employers and communities.
A 2013 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report found that “…a 10 percent increase in the proportion of BSN-educated care was associated with a 10 percent reduction in the odds of mortality.”
The reasons for this are multifaceted, but ultimately, bachelor’s programs include more content on patient safety measures, patient satisfaction tactics, quality care skills, interdisciplinary practice, and leadership development.
Three reasons for getting your degree from SBU
1. True student-centered approach
The RN to B.S. in Nursing program is a hybrid program, offering students face-to-face and online/distance-education instruction. Clinical hours are student-centered through one-on-one discussions and placement to not only meet clinical objectives, but personal ones as well.
2. Grow into a technology savvy consumer
With the hybrid approach, students are exposed to online courses, modules, and virtual simulation. Technology is the way of healthcare’s future, and it is found in many graduate school programs, so it is the mission of the nursing faculty at St. Bonaventure to prepare B.S. in nursing graduates to be savvy consumers for current practice and future academic endeavors.
Course content is also focused on technology, with two classes dedicated to developing skills in nursing informatics and evidence-based practice.