What is Unique about Florida BSN vs. Other General BSN?
Jan 9, 2015 | 10:00 am
According to Northwest Florida State College, the registered nursing or RN to bachelors of Science in nursing or BSN program is designed for Florida licensed registered nurses who are seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing. This is also true with other Florida Universities and their nursing programs that they have to offer.
Types of Degrees for BSN in Florida
The traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a 4-year college degree. The BSN prepares students to work as registered nurses in hospitals and other medical facilities.
An Associate’s Degree, or diploma is a minimal requirement to work as a RN nurse and nurses who have a BSN are eligible for leadership and supervisory positions.
The RN-BSN is for nurses who have already earned an Associate’s Degree in nursing and looking to get the bachelor’s degree.
The accelerated BSN program is available to those who have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in another field and are able to lighten their course load to complete their degree in nursing.
It is important to note that all nurses throughout the United States must pass the National Counsel Licensure Examination or the NCLEX-RN in order to become a nurse.
Colleges for BSN in Florida
Florida Colleges offer nursing programs that are designed to meet the needs not only for Florida, but also meet the needs of all nurses. The programs that Florida College and Universities offer are unique for the Florida Licensure regulations and ensure their curriculums meets all requirements of the state of Florida.
According to Study.com and nursing programs in Florida, the colleges may vary some in their curriculum and meet truly high standards in their students’ requirements.
Boward College in Fort Lauderdale offers RN-BSN, which students are required to complete upper division nursing coursework in nursing roles, nursing concepts and theories, nursing research, nursing leadership and management. All students must also complete a capstone practicum.
Florida International University offers a generic BSN and RN-BSN. The generic program is 125 credits and consists of nursing courses, lab work and a practicum. The RN-BSN can be completed entirely online with courses including nursing leadership, childbearing, community health, health assessment and health care systems.
Miami Dade College has a RN-BSN program that requires all applicants to have an Associate’s Degree in nursing and an active license before formal admission into the program is allowed. All students must have completed 31 credits in human anatomy and physiology, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, and sociology.
The University of South Florida offers traditional BSN, accelerated BSN and RN-BSN programs. Students in the traditional and accelerated programs take upper division courses in nursing fundamentals, community health, and medical surgical nursing, pharmacology and health assessment. The RN-BSN is 30 credits and includes nursing core courses and electives.
Florida State University offers traditional and accelerated BSN programs. The traditional program is 120 credits and in addition to completing an internship, the student will also take courses in health populations, vulnerable populations, complex health disorders and systems of care. Student who enroll in the accelerate BSN program must complete at least 30 hours from the nursing program at FSU or Florida State University.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job growth is projected to rise by 19% from 2012 to 2022 and some areas can grow more than 20%. The salary can start at $35,000 per year in the lower percentile. The median percentile can make around $65,000 annually. The higher percentile can make from $73,000 to as high as $94,000 per year, depending on areas such as management and trauma nursing.
This field is stressful with many long hours on the floor, along with heavy lifting. The ability to save a life is a reward that many will never fathom. However, the medical field is not an exact science and everyone cannot be saved.