If you want to work in the health care industry, but don’t want to endure the training you need to become a doctor, nursing might be a great career option for you. Most nurses are officially known as registered nurses, or RNs, and to become an RN, you can take a number of different educational routes. For those who want the most education, a bachelor of science in nursing is the best choice. Abbreviated BSN in the medical and educational fields, a bachelor of science in nursing can open up a number of career doors for you in the future.

There are around 2.5 million registered nurses in the United States alone, yet the nurse shortage has created a very stable job market for those wishing to pursue this career option. As a nurse, some of your duties may include talking to patients, collecting samples, keeping records, helping doctors diagnose and treat patients, providing emotional support, educating patients on medical conditions, doing general exam procedures, and overseeing rehabilitation.

As a nurse, you can practice general medicine, or you can choose to specialize in an area of medicine that interests you most. Some nurses specialize to a specific body/organ system or specific illness. Others choose to specialize in a specific form of treatment. Like doctors, nurses can additionally specialize in a specific kind of patient (such as children). Your specialization will determine where you’ll most readily find jobs. Nurses are also needed in the areas of research, case management, or education, all of which require a registered nurse’s license, but don’t have to do directly with patient care.

Not all registered nurses have a bachelor of science in nursing. There are also diploma and associate’s programs that qualify a nurse for certification as a registered nurse. So what’s the benefit, career-wise, to having a BSN instead of attending school for a shorter period of time? First, if you want to advance to become a nurse practitioner or even doctor someday, you need to start with a bachelor’s degree. Hospitals also usually choose head nurses and other administrators from the pool of candidates who have bachelor’s degrees. Along with needing a BSN to become a nurse practitioner, you also need one to become a midwife, nurse anesthetists, or clinical nurse specialist. With a bachelor of science in nursing, you have another career choice as well: you can enter one of the over 50 BSN to doctoral degree programs in the United States to receive your doctorate in nursing. Remember, the higher the degree, in general, the more you’ll get paid and the stronger candidacy you’ll have for any nursing job opening.

Earning your BSN does not automatically mean that you can work as a nurse. This degree simple qualifies you to obtain your license, officially making you a registered nurse. Of all the options to becoming an RN, getting a four-year degree might take the longest, but the payoff is worth it if you want to climb the ladder during your career.