Texas RN to BSN Bridge Programs
Many healthcare facilities in Texas rely on nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), making this an excellent time to find out how to research RN to BSN programs in Texas. On this page, find out what type of education is required, how your work may change with a BSN and what the job outlook is in Texas. You may also learn more about healthcare employers in Texas that depend on BSN graduates. Use our list of nursing schools in Texas to request information from programs in your area, or use the quick search box to find more programs that meet your preferences.
As health care reform efforts continue to push for safe, high-quality, patient-centered and inexpensive care, you can help meet these demands by advancing your nursing education. Earning your bachelor’s degree is great way to start, and there are several RN to BSN programs in Texas to help you get underway. These nursing bridge programs allow professional nurses to prepare for the challenges of new roles in nursing, specialty areas and advanced practice. A highly educated RN is necessary to create new policies and strategies for the new formulation of health care guidelines.
If you are serious about long-term success and career security in nursing, consider enrolling in a nursing program in Texas. Doing so ensures you have the skills employers are looking for. With BestNursingDegree.com, you can find and compare nursing programs to make the right choice. Also, consider online RN to BSN programs in Texas, which may offer a more flexible way to earn your BSN, without giving up your quality education standards.
Texas nursing schools prepare RNs to work in a variety of places of employment including inpatient hospitals, outpatient hospitals, self-employed/private practice, schools of nursing, military, nursing home, businesses and many other areas. RNs in Texas are among the most highly educated nurses in the country. Nationwide, about 37 percent of RNs have a BSN degree or higher, while the rest are associate degree or diploma RNs. According to the Texas Board of Nursing, more than 50 percent of Texas RNs have a BSN degree or higher.
Even so, that figure is short of the goal set by the Institute of Medicine’s prestigious Future of Nursing Report which advocates that 80 percent of RNs should have BSN degrees by 2020. The RN to BSN programs in Texas can help boost that number by allowing you to earn a Bachelor’s in Nursing that builds upon your current knowledge.
To learn more about nursing programs in Texas, request information from the schools listed below. We have featured those schools that offer both traditional and online RN to BSN programs in Texas, to save you time and energy while you search for ways to expand your education.
The Transition from RN to BSN – Curriculum and Courses
Benefits of RN to BSN programs in Texas include advanced preparation for leadership and management positions in nursing. RNs with an advanced education often display enhanced critical thinking, diagnostic reasoning and assessment skills. Nurse leaders are required to incorporate effective polices for nursing staff and protocols. Executive positions are needed to be filled by highly educated nurses that can identify outcomes to improve strategies for defining nursing roles.
Transitional courses include some of the following:
- Advanced assessment and diagnostic skills
- Health policy and professional issues
- RN as educator and preceptor
- Nursing research, theory and advanced practice issues
- Community-based health promotion and disease prevention
- Sociology, psychology and public health nursing
- Computer literacy and medical technology
Student nurses typically complete an RN to BSN transitional program in approximately 19 to 20 months. Pre-requisites are adjusted towards your degree credit as well as the 60 credits for your ADN. BSN programs in Texas is typically require 125 credits total. Depending on the program you select, the length of the clinical practicum is usually 12 weeks of a full time class schedule. The clinical requirements will be present whether you are looking at ground based programs or online RN to BSN programs in Texas, but you may be able to select a nearby clinical site if you attend classes online.
Opportunities for the RN, BSN in Texas
Nursing programs in Texas offer RNs the oppotunity to continue to experience comfortable salaries as well as opportunities for specialty nursing professions.
Advanced practice nurses may assume lucrative and exciting roles that include the following:
- Nurse educators teach within accredited nursing programs in Texas, including those at the University of Texas in Houston, Arlington and Austin
- Nurse directors and administrators are employed by the BSA Healthcare System, home health care and health facilities throughout Texas
- Informatics nurses create computer databases, study healthcare systems and research the effectiveness of hospital or public health care
- Wound and ostomy nurses work in hospitals, home health and enjoy lucrative and independent positions in their community
- The clinical nurse specialist evaluates care, acts as a patient advocate and makes rounds with physicians
- Research nurses evaluate nursing techniques, protocols and ratios for effectiveness, cost and safety
Healthcare leaders in Texas have called for more RNs to be BSN prepared for the challenges of complex health issues, a diverse population of patients and the addition of intricate medical technologies. In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Texas recommended that the amount of nurses with BSNs must increase to prepare the nursing profession for the new healthcare changes and demands.
Texas nursing programs and educational leaders have responded to this call, as reflected in the number of Texas RN to BSN programs now offered across the state. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, “Americans 65 and older will be nearly 20 percent of the population by 2030.” The need to prepare for these challenges offers a generation of BSNs to make a positive impact in healthcare and experience innovation, security, and self-fulfillment in their nursing careers.
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Nursing programs in Texas to consider:
- University of Texas (Arlington). This is a fully online program presented in five-week classes with a one-week break. Application-based assignments and projects complete clinical requirements. Prerequisites may also be taken online concurrently with nursing courses. Students may log in at any time to access their assignments.
- University of Texas (Austin). Courses are flexible to meet the needs of working students, with full or part-time options available. Upper division courses include nursing research, genetics in health, Spanish for healthcare professionals and practicums in clinical case management and public health.
- Texas Woman’s University (Dallas, Denton, Houston). TWU’s RN to BSN program is 100 percent online and can be completed in one year of full time study. Part-time study is also an option. Applications for admission are accepted three times yearly. Students must complete a course in Multicultural Women’s Studies prior to graduation.
