Research for Career Path for BSN(only) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

For Career Path for BSN(only) - Research Paper Example The lack of appropriate knowledge means that nurses will, at all times, be lacking in certain areas where they are expected to perform the best. Thus, student nurses require long-term motivational aspects that will make them enjoy their profession and help people more in the future (Buerhaus, Auerbauch, and Staiger, 2009). Many who have upgraded their Registered Nurse diplomas to a bachelor’s degree have cited an improved perception of their work and an eventful stint at their work settings; the bachelor’s degree just adds the required confidence to the nurse as a way of ensuring that they perform their duty as expected. However these nurses are quickly running out of options in their career path. Nurses provide at least 80% of direct patient contact, and thus expect to be trained well and awarded career options that will serve them for long-term benefits and not for the short-term goals alone (Marsland and Hickey, 2003). Rewards have limited most people from entering t his education level and have thus led to attrition. However, this report will seek to search for three career options that a graduate holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can choose. Career Options A BSN prepared registered nurse (RN) has several options from which they can choose. For the purpose of this report, the three choices are public health nurses, military service nurses and long-term care nurses (Buerhaus, Auerbauch, and Staiger, 2009). These choices are entrusted to them because it is believed that the knowledge they hold at this level can be used for national service. There are reports that show that the more knowledgeable a nurse is, the higher the chances for their patients to survive. This is because they have a greater awareness that is helpful in the increase of a substantial survival advantage. It is also statistically proven from a research carried out by Metz, Fouad and Ihle-Helledy (2009) that at least 25% of all BSN graduates interviewed want to pursu e a career in faculty role and 76% wanted to further their education to fit into the national grid. However, even as BSN they have a high chance of being recruited into the workforce and serve as nurses in the long-term care centers, as public health nurses or military nurses as they would prefer. Why These Choices It is projected that by the year 2025, the number of nurses required to serve the public will have increased to at least 1 million. The growing number of baby boomers has necessitated a review of the way nurses are registered given that at least 260,000 registered nurses will be required to cater for this increase (Buerhaus, Auerbauch, and Staiger, 2009). Further, an increase in the number of chronically ill currently placed at over 100 million, means that the current number of nurses is strained and the ill are not receiving the care they require. The increasing complexities in the medical world also require knowledgeable people in different areas who can multitask and h elp to alleviate any backlogs that may arise while ensuring the safety of the patients. Despite this increased need for nurses it is also reported by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) that a large number of qualified undergraduate baccalaureate applicants are being turned down annually (Fang et al., 2011). They claim that the limited number of facilities as well as an inadequate number of faculties in the nursing field has limited the number of