Continuing education remains a necessity for healthcare practitioners for success in their careers. Nurses today are struggling to survive the onslaught of accelerating technology that compels them to revisit the basics of nursing. Why should well-educated RNs return to school now? This question bothers nurses and makes them wonder if continuing education is worth the trouble. Truthfully, RNs can improve themselves professionally by pursuing higher degrees in nursing.
In the 21st century, almost every industry requires workers to continue learning. Since education doesn’t stop and keeps evolving, you can’t attain mastery of the nursing practice without going “back to school” for better education.
Benefits of continuing education for nurses
How many nurses have attained higher education? We learn that merely over 13% of RNs today possess either a master’s degree or a doctorate in nursing. Similarly, around 57% of nurses today have a bachelor’s degree in this subject. As technology is accelerating rapidly, your nursing know-how requires renewal. That’s why we believe that more nurses should return to college and pursue higher education programs to increase their nursing knowledge.
So, here are the advantages of revisiting college and pursuing higher education programs:
- Affordable academic courses
Previously, nurses faced career stagnation as they couldn’t set aside time for higher academic prospects, depriving them of career advancement. Fortunately, in today’s time, nurses can opt for eLearning since it’s manageable alongside full-time work. They can pursue an online RN to BSN program to update their skills and knowledge base and enjoy career growth.
This student-centric digital course teaches you the leadership capabilities needed to hone your career professionally. What’s more, these programs only take twelve months to complete.
- Studying diverse topics
Continuing education programs enable nurses to study diverse subjects, thereby boosting their medical expertise and their chances at promotion. These programs allow you to select the courses you wish to learn. Besides, that’s how you discover subfields relevant to your skillset. It’s also crucial for nurses to determine their specialties among hundreds of courses available. Now, we can’t mention all of them here, but some interesting CE courses you must know about include:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatal
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Winning professional advantage
What inspires nurses to return to college? Some experts believe that professional advancement opportunities constitute the primary factor in encouraging RNs to pursue continuing education programs. Many nurses are inspired by professional development to attain BSN degrees since they’re willing to establish a proper work-life balance.
They realize that credentials matter to employers now, and it’s difficult to climb the ladder without going “back to school.”
- Learn additional practices
Today, you can learn additional practices by pursuing continuing education programs. These practices allow a nurse to accept more responsibilities within an organization after learning them. Hence, you can choose to become a leader in nursing and assume more roles. More importantly, higher education opens doorways to additional employment opportunities for you.
So, you may become a manager or a supervisor with your enhanced education. That’s why more nurses should return to college now.
- Better patient outcomes
Renewed education promises enhanced patient outcomes, ensuring that RNs commit fewer mistakes. As a result, BSN-prepared nurses can reduce patient mortality rates and medical errors. Studies indicate that nurses holding a bachelor’s degree lower the risk of post-surgery mortality among patients. Likewise, experts observed an average decrease of around 2.12 deaths among 1,000 patients, thereby proving the value of education.
Better education leads to nurses producing better patient outcomes.
- Updating your knowledge
Scientific literature has become increasingly expansive as more articles are being added to the medical database than one can read. So, nurses must stay updated and continue expanding their health-related know-how. These educational programs enable you to refresh your information while accepting newly-added knowledge regarding the institution of healthcare.
Experts state that nurses who refuse to learn can’t stay relevant in nursing for long. So, keep yourself updated.
- Higher salary options
We cannot deny the value of fatter paychecks for nurses struggling financially. With better learning come higher salary options. The prospect of promotion and earning more money has motivated many nurses to attain a bachelor’s degree. How much do BSN-prepared nurses make? The BLS states that nurses made over $75,000 last year with a bachelor’s degree. For MSN-prepared RNs – however – these earnings go as high as $95,000 as well. That’s why you shouldn’t stop learning.
- Maximize your strengths
Nurses require “soft skills” to advance their careers and become professionals. Therefore, getting yourself a bachelor’s degree can help you attain these skills and become better at teamwork. Other “soft skills” include critical thinking, valuable networking, effective communication, and problem-solving.
That’s how you become better at dealing with your colleagues and supervisors in the organization. You can now maximize your strengths and regulate your weaknesses as well.
- Greater job satisfaction
Nurses are well-known for their higher employee satisfaction scores. A survey shows that RNs enjoy satisfaction ranging from 94% to 96%, making them some of the most satisfied employees in the industry. However, nurses also suffer from stress/anxiety. Earning higher education degrees can help RNs escape the clutches of mental health problems and increase their job satisfaction.
A higher degree allows nurses to strive for success while maintaining their mental well-being.
Conclusion
We’ve established that over 50% of nurses today possess at least a bachelor’s degree. It means that RNs today require continued education opportunities for enhancing their academic know-how. So how can RNs advance in their careers after going “back to school”? Well, continuing education promises better patient outcomes by updating knowledge. Nurses study diverse topics and acquire additional practices in their field.
Moreover, this education enables them to seek higher salary options and greater satisfaction scores. They can easily hone their “soft skills” while pursuing career advancement opportunities. That’s why nurses shouldn’t underestimate the value of education today.
