What jobs can you get with a BSN degree?

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is more than an academic achievement; it is an essential tool that opens many job opportunities in health care. Hospitals and healthcare institutions across the globe recognize the intrinsic value of nurses who bring a higher level of education and training to the bedside.

This article will give you an idea of the diverse career pathways available to those armed with a BSN degree, the enhanced skill sets they possess, and the resulting impact on their patients and communities. From the traditional halls of hospitals to the innovative fields of research and informatics, the opportunities for BSN-prepared nurses are as varied as they are rewarding.

Why choose a BSN degree?

For several decades now, studies have linked baccalaureate-prepared nurses to better patient outcomes, including lower mortality rates and reduced readmission rates, underscoring the critical role they play in patient recovery and health management.¹ Naturally, healthcare facilities are interested in hiring nurses who are likely to improve care and can strengthen the overall performance of the organization.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing surveys nursing schools annually about the hiring practices and requirements of the hospitals and health systems in their area. According to survey respondents, 25% of hospitals and other healthcare settings are requiring new hires to have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, while 70% of employers are expressing a strong preference for BSN program graduates.² Additionally, about 70% of the registered nurse workforce has a baccalaureate or higher degree as their highest level of nursing education. Given those stats, it's clear that to gain a competitive edge, registered nurses would be wise to earn their bachelor's as well.¹

Beyond the hiring numbers and competition among professionals in the field, there are other advantages to earning the BSN. Like any industry, a higher level of education often equates to higher salary potential for registered nurses. Additionally, earning a bachelor's can help you qualify for jobs outside of patient care and beyond the field of nursing overall.

What does a BSN do exactly?

The responsibilities of nursing jobs can vary a lot depending on the setting and level of experience of the nurse performing the role. However, in almost any clinical setting BSN nurses are responsible for:

• Performing nursing assessments
• Developing plans of care and documenting changes to care plans
• Developing education/training plans or protocols for patient families
• Identifying patient preferences and needs and maintaining accurate and detailed records

• Performing standard nursing care:

  • Taking patient vital signs, measurements and medical histories
  • Asking about the patient's symptoms
  • Performing physical examinations
  • Drawing blood samples
  • Requesting and conducting diagnostic tests
  • Recommending care options to physicians
  • Administering medication
  • Monitoring patients
  • Consulting with other health care providers
  • Providing emotional support to patients and their families
  • Setting up treatment rooms and sanitizing and assembling medical equipment
  • Checking and counting medication
  • Administering wound care
  • Changing dressings

A BSN degree program equips nursing students with competencies and knowledge on topics like ethical and legal nursing care, critical thinking for problem solving and making effective clinical judgements, promoting holistic health (physical, mental, and spiritual) for patients of all ages and cultures, care coordination and management across the health care system. All of these skills are crucial for preparing nursing students to take on active roles to improve patient outcomes beyond their bedside nursing responsibilities.

The different types of jobs you can get with a BSN

With a BSN degree you can find a wide array of nursing jobs. From bedside care to influential roles in education and policy, explore the varied and vibrant positions that a BSN credential can unlock for dedicated nursing professionals.

General nursing

To begin with, there are the straightforward healthcare services roles that will sound familiar to registered nurses and other healthcare professionals. These nurses work in settings like hospitals and clinics providing medical treatment to patients alongside doctors. Some general nurses might work in assisted living facilities or other care facilities for elderly patients as hospice nurses.

General nursing roles:

• Nurse
• Travel nurse
• Hospice nurse

Specialized nursing 

You can typically figure out nursing specialties by how departments are split up within a hospital and each role requires slightly different skills or personality traits. For example if you are someone who is calm in the face of chaos, consider becoming an emergency room nurse. A job as a critical care nurse might be appropriate for someone who can balance many complex projects and who is good at communicating between patients, families, and other health professionals responsible for patient care. If you like working with children and families you could become a pediatric nurse. Some nurses find that they're influenced by personal experiences such as a family member's battle with cancer and could be inspired to work with other cancer patients in a radiation or chemo clinic.

Some nursing specialties require certain certifications that can be earned to enhance your ability to provide care. Forensic nursing is one of these specialties. Forensic nurses provide specialized care for patients who are experiencing acute and long-term health consequences associated with victimization or violence, and/or have unmet evidentiary needs relative to having been victimized or accused of victimization.³ Forensic nurses work on cases that can be mentally tough and work in fields including sexual assault (as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners or SANEs), domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, elder mistreatment, death investigation, corrections, and in the aftermath of mass disasters.³

Specialized nursing jobs:

• ER nurse
• Pediatric nurse
• Critical care nurse
• Geriatric nurse
• Oncology nurse
• Forensic nurse
• Operating room nurse
• Public health nurse

Educational nursing

In any industry, to become an instructor you typically need to have a higher level of education than the students you're teaching. With a bachelor's degree in nursing you could take on some entry-level training roles for students at the registered nurse level by overseeing the clinical portion of their education. However, nursing schools require a master's to be able to teach the didactic classroom aspects.

There are other opportunities to "teach" with a BSN. As preventative care becomes a stronger focus for the healthcare industry overall, the importance of patient education also grows. Nurses are often the ones tasked with training patients or their family members about post-visit care whether that's how to change dressings, the recommended cadence of medication, or how to avoid future hospital stays.

A nurse who wants to work with kids outside of a hospital setting and also provide a low level of educational instruction could work on becoming a school nurse. The National Board for Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN), Inc., which was established to develop and implement the voluntary certification process for professionals in the school nursing industry, recommends nurses in the field have at least a BSN and also earn the certification in order to be properly prepared for the career.⁴

Educational nursing jobs:

• Patient educator
• Clinical skills trainer
• School nurse

Non-traditional nursing

With a bachelor's in nursing degree your options for nursing jobs outside of a clinical setting expand greatly. One that garners a lot of interest is that of a legal nurse consultant.

The field of legal consulting for nurses has grown such that there's a professional organization, the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC), dedicated to the professional enhancement and growth of registered nurses practicing in the specialty.⁵ The AALNC recommends nurses gain a minimum of five years of clinical experience before attempting to enter the field. The broader your experience in nursing, the more you'll be an asset to a legal team. As a legal nurse consultant you could provide medical expertise on cases involving medical malpractice, personal injury (auto, slip & fall, work injury), product liability, workers’ compensation, risk management, Social Security Administration disability, Life Care planning, compliance, billing fraud and more.⁶

Nursing informatics is a rapidly evolving sector of the field, defined as the integration of nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.⁷ Informatics nurses work in numerous capacities with information technology solutions such as electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs). A nurse informaticist needs to have a strong understanding of both nursing and technology, and might advise on EMR workflows or security. They might also be in charge of a new nursing process that involves tech or rollout of new technological features and systems. Much like legal nurse consultants, its to the advantage of a informatics nurse to have a good deal of experience as an RN before pivoting to this more technological-focused role.⁷

Working as a nurse recruiter is another non-traditional nursing job. Nurse recruiters help hospitals and health systems find eligible candidates to fill roles. Nurse recruiters don't provide direct patient care but need to be able to identify and screen for individuals with the appropriate nursing skills for the jobs they are attempting to fill. Some nurse recruiters will also work on behalf of nurses looking for a job that matches their needs. With healthcare workers in demand due to an aging population, nurse recruiters could see their job opportunities grow in the coming years.

Non-traditional nursing jobs:

• Legal nurse consultant
• Informatics nurse
• Nurse recruiter
• Health coach
• Insurance consultant
• Medical sales rep
• Occupational health nurse

Salary expectations for jobs you can get with a BSN

Zip Recruiter estimates the average salary for BSN graduates is $90,046, or a rate of $43 per hour.⁸ However, nursing salaries can vary widely based on the exact role as well as the geographic location where you're looking for a job. For example, BSN nurses in Washington and New York can make more than $100,000 annually while the average salary for BSNs in Oklahoma is $75,270.⁹ If making money is your priority, consider earning your master's degree in nursing in order to really expand your horizons.

How to transition to a new nursing role

In nursing, education is the key to progressing through your career. As a registered nurse you've likely gained invaluable hands-on experience that will inform the rest of your nursing career, but a bachelor's degree in nursing can really take you to the next level. If you're trying to move into a new nursing role, consider the skills and expertise needed for your dream job and ask yourself some questions:

• Are you trying to change departments or be promoted into a role with more responsibility?
• Do you know anyone with your dream job who you could interview to find out how they made it to the role?
• Does your ideal job simply require certification courses or will you be better positioned for the role with a BSN or advanced nursing degree?
• Does your current organization offer continuing education options or education/tuition reimbursement programs?
• Do you meet all the admissions requirements for nursing school like having an active RN license and any prerequisites?

Find out as much as you can about your dream job as well as the steps you can take to get there. Ultimately, if you want a long and diverse career in nursing, you'll likely need to invest in nursing education.

Discover diverse career paths with an online RN-BSN degree

Whether your passion lies in direct patient care, a specialized nursing career, or helping nurses find their dream jobs through recruiting, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree equips you with the robust skillset required to excel and lead.

By choosing to advance your nursing education with an online RN-BSN degree from Oklahoma City University, you are not only committing to your personal and professional growth but also contributing to the elevation of nursing standards and patient care quality. OCU's expert nurse educators have diverse and lengthy careers, making them excellent mentors for students interested in exploring the variety of job duties and careers possible in the wide field of nursing.

Return to nursing school with OCU’s distinguished online nursing degree programs and take the pivotal step towards realizing your full potential. For more information, speak with an admissions outreach advisor and begin the journey to define your own legacy in nursing.