Advancement for Nurses with a BSN page 2If you're lucky enough to get a pay raise with your BSN, it may only be an extra dollar. However, this is not a reason to continue your studies. Improving understanding of the field they work in, being on the front lines of becoming a nurse educator, and achieving better patient care outcomes are three reasons that I believe are important to earn a BSN. For those who read "pursuing education improves their understanding of the field in which they work" will think this is a common sense answer. What they don't realize is that knowledge of basic nursing skills is no longer enough to adequately practice nursing. The core skills of today's nurses include leadership roles, knowledge of health policy and system improvement, and how to work in a team. The way nurses have learned to deal with the realities of health care is different today than it was in the 20th century. People are now dealing with older, sicker, and more diverse patients than ever before, requiring more time to study and fully understand what a patient is experiencing and how to help them. Sure, experience can help educate them, but you don't always learn everything through a job, just like you can't learn everything about nursing through school. Training and experience go hand in hand, but being prepared for a situation can help you assess a situation and make the best decision for the patient's health. Today, the AACN will recognize that the minimum degree a nurse should have is their BSN. They also state that a BSN is essential for the nurse who wants to work in C...... middle of paper...... not much. I've been thrown into situations where I thought I couldn't handle it, but I was able to put all my nerves aside when a BSN nurse who shared some of her knowledge with me mentored me. I can't say I'm completely sure I know everything a BSN nurse knows, but I've had the pleasure of learning what I didn't learn in school in hospitals. I am even more excited now knowing that I can continue my education and learn more ways to help each of my patients. I am a nurse manager and I hope that one of the results of my further education will be a higher position as a director of nursing. I would then be able to help nurses who have not completed their bachelor's degree with medical issues that might arise and who do not know how to handle patient or family issues that might be encountered, and educate them sufficiently so that they think like a BSN. nurse.