5-minute read

Earning Your BSN

Since living in the midwest and western part of the United States, I’ve noticed a trend where students obtain their registered nurse (RN) license, obtain a job, and use tuition reimbursement to fund their BSN. I didn’t notice it in other parts of the country, but it’s definitely the popular option amongst the newest generation of nurses I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the last year. This may be because a BSN is required for employment in other regions, many schools of nursing have eliminated the BSN in favor of the MSN-entry degree, cost of living, or the culture in those regions that emphasize earning a bachelor’s degree as the first (and only) choice. I think it’s smart, especially as someone who has learned more about financial literacy and as someone who has accumulated a large amount of student debt. It’s advice I wish I would have received and highly recommend it. Not only is it smart financially, it allows nurses to gain work experience and decide if healthcare is the right career for them without making too large of an investment. Additionally, they get to talk to working nurses, learn about other career options in health care, and absorb advice they can use to fast track their success, make fewer mistakes, and wiser career choices, namely avoiding burnout and staying at the same job too long.

I always advise young people to never stay at your first job. It’s like never leaving home or staying with the first person you ever dated. While it’s possible, it can be challenging to really blossom when you stay with people who will always remember you as a child, freshman, or new graduate.

I Have My BSN: What’s Next?

Naturally, I meet a lot of nurses who are burned out from bedside and want to become a nurse practitioner (NP). I am not bias to the NP degree. In fact, I encourage working nurses to get involved in local and national professional organizations, to listen to podcasts, explore social media, and to listen to audiobooks by nurses and nurse practitioners who felt the same way they do, and did something about it. Learn what they did and how they did it. Then, follow them, email them, and take action.

At some point in our bedside nursing career, we all reach a point where we wonder, is this it? How much longer can I do this? Or, simply, I can’t do this much longer. But, without making an investment in exploring and better understanding healthcare and the plethora of careers, nurses think they can only be a bedside nurse, NP, professor, or enter administration in or outside of the hospital. I love nursing. I think each career opportunity presents advantages. But just because these are all the options you can think of, it doesn’t mean these are the only options that exist.

Too Much Working, Not Enough Dreaming

Nurses work too much. They have no time or energy to even research what else is out here. So, they either apply to NP school (say they’re going to figure it out later) or abandon healthcare altogether. This speaks to my wheel philosophy. We rely too much on school, academia, and hospital administration to show us the way. This may because we start our careers following orders and preceptors, and forget or never learn how to follow our instincts. While I do think academia could use a curriculum boost, it’s not solely their responsibility to teach us everything. Most professors in academia are busy teaching and working (the double wheel) so even they have a limited knowledge of what’s out there. I wouldn’t depend on them to tell you about the future of nursing. The future of nursing is in your hands. I was the DNP student representative for the curriculum committee at my alma mater, so I have a respect for what it takes to introduce new programs and the timeline in which that has to be implemented. I even benefitted from some of the entrepreneurship and innovation courses popping up that offer nurses another way to think about their future, but there’s still room for improvement.

Social Media: The Not-so-Secret Framework

A number of nurses and nurse practitioners have identified gaps in our education and training and have filled that gap by offering EKG courses, aesthetic training, tax preparation, business acumen, etc. The list goes on, and I love it! Social media isn’t a scary word, it’s a free tool to disseminate information, educate nurses and the public, and market your skills and interests. Once you know how to use something and make it work for you, it becomes an asset. Don’t know where to start, there’s people for that too (coaches and mentors). You HAVE TO NETWORK. Opportunities don’t just find you; you have to make yourself visible.

Networking

Why are nurses so shy when it comes to networking? I think it’s because so much emphasis is put on hard clinical skills (like catheter placement) and managerial checklists and protocols, that we forget the human aspect (soft skills) of what we have to offer. We meet and care for people in very vulnerable situations. We build these relationships very quickly (the art of rapport). Families, patients, and residents rely on us, learn from us, and trust us. We have excellent communication skills, even when we don’t speak the language all objectives are still met. We know how to sift through very important data to identify what needs to be prioritized. We know how to set firm boundaries and make the most of very little resources. We balance family, working, and school while precepting, supervising, and advancing our profession. We build the backbone needed to be successful when advocating for patients and our ability to practice despite extreme pushback, sometimes on a daily basis. Nursing school prepares us for boards, everything else we learn on the job, we learn from patients, and we learn from each other.

Learn From One Another

In my next article, I’m going to provide some actionable steps and a list of my favorite resources (with rationale) to guide you in your decision making as you consider the next steps for your career. But I want to close by saying, whatever it is you think you need to go to the next level; you have it. It just needs to be cultivated, mentored, and supported. The people and resources you need do exist. The first thing you have to do, is decide what you want. No one can do that for you, but they can share their dreams and offer inspiration to help you get started. You need to have a clear mind to be motivated. If you take PTO, use it purposely to plan your next chapter. Do it on a beach or do it at home on a staycation, just do it.

If you have limited thinking, you’re going to be stuck taking course after course, never leaving the hospital or clinical setting you’re in now, or finding excuse after excuse why you’re the only nurse/NP in the world who can’t try something different and change their life. Fear is powerful and it can stop you from living the life of your dreams. It can block your blessings and destroy your legacy. We don’t have to live like that. We have options and the choice is ours – P. Charles

‍

‍

‍

Kimberly Madison, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

Kimberly Madison is a new dermatology nurse practitioner with a passion for writing, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and mentorship. I created this blog to share my journey as I become a dermatology nurse practitioner and entrepreneur. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to helping nurse practitioners and aspiring students to better understand the business of dermatology and their role in improving access to care, providing culturally competent care, and advancing education.

‍