Creating Choices for You: RN to BSN Programs in Nevada

If you’re an experienced RN thinking about returning to school for your BSN, there are a lot of people hoping you do just that. The Institute of Medicine has set an ambitious goal: 80% of the nursing workforce should be educated at the baccalaureate level by the year 2020. The Tri-Council for Nursing, which is made up of several key nursing organizations including ANA and the AACN, has also issued a call for nurses to continue their education. Why? Medicine is seeing daily advances, but discrepancies exist. In order to deliver healthcare to all, the system needs to move from a focus on acute care to one on management and prevention. Services are transitioning away from hospital settings and out into the community. Population needs demand that this trend continue and that nurses be skilled at coordinating and managing care as well assisting individual patients.

What can you expect to find in an RN to BSN program? There will be one or more classes in public health. In Nevada, these may have a specific focus on rural health needs. Some BSN programs include a class on gerontology to help you learn to coordinate care for the aging population. Leadership is another important part of the curriculum.

The program will likely include some general studies requirements, but they’re not necessarily the same ones that you would be required to take if you were pursuing a liberal arts degree. The school of nursing may require courses like statistics that are directly applicable to nursing at the baccalaureate level. Such courses will also give you a strong foundation for graduate school and advanced practice if you choose to go that route. School-wide general studies courses like communications may also help you forge processional collaborative relationships. You do not necessarily have to put in clinical hours in a healthcare facility.

Nevada BSN Career Mobility

The higher degree can open up new career opportunities for an experienced RN. BSN nurses are care coordinators as well as direct care nurses. Case manager and risk assessment positions generally prefer the BSN degree. Some hospitals also prefer candidates with four year degrees for clinical positions on wards like labor and delivery or wound care.

In Nevada, you can also be competitive for a number of desirable leadership positions with a baccalaureate and experience. Recent examples include program director of the neonatal ICU at the University of Southern Nevada Medical Center and director of cardiac services at Valley Hospital Medical Center. To conduct an efficient job search, you may need some new strategies. Nevada State College reveals a surprising bit of information: Local hospitals are using Twitter to post jobs.

RN to BSN Program Considerations

You have a lot of choices when it come to program selection. Programs are sometimes taught entirely online using Blackboard or other e-learning systems. You may select a school that has its physical location in Nevada or in another part of the country. There are many things you’ll want to consider including the school’s reputation, the pacing, and any special programs that may be available.

You may complete a program in as little as a year. There are a number of factors that effect program length, though. You will be subject to the general studies requirements of the school as well as any program-specific prerequisites, and this can have a big impact on your time in school. You can also choose whether to be full- or part-time. Some schools give you a good deal of flexibility with regard to how many classes you take at a time.

Nevada schools are a little cheaper than those in some parts of the country. Great Basin, for example, lists a $4,000 charge plus $500 a semester for books. At some schools, you do pay per unit. Flexibility may come with a bit more expense. The money won’t necessarily come out of your paycheck, however. Medical centers like Renown offer tuition assistance to their employees to help them continue their educations.

RN to BSN Programs in Nevada

Great Basin College

Nevada State College

Touro University

University of Nevada-Reno

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