Wyoming RN to BSN Bridge Programs
Wyoming is a very sparsely populated state with an estimated population of 579,917 as of 2021, and they are suffering from a nursing shortage, particularly in the more rural areas. While the number of nurses with their BSN is rising, it is still not sufficient to meet Wyoming’s needs.
At BestNursingDegree.com we believe that a well educated nursing workforce is essential to the health and wellness of our nation.
That’s why we have done our part to aid in your search for an RN to BSN program in Wyoming. We have compiled a list of all the programs available, including distance education and online options, which are featured below. Please take some time to look over our site, and request information from the schools you are interested in, so you can make a well informed decision about how to proceed with your nursing education.
Wyoming has a large number of accredited online RN-BSN programs, which help meet the flexibility needs of working nurses and which work well for students in the rural majority of the state. Many of these programs can be completed entirely online with no campus requirement, with clinical sites conveniently located in your own area.
There are also fully accredited campus based RN-to-BSN programs, and the Wyoming Healthcare Professional Loan Repayment Programs is available for those students that need financial assistance. In addition, the Margaret L. Hageman Scholarship and the Mable C. Sargent Scholarship are offered to students working toward a BSN degree in Wyoming.
Curriculum of RN to BSN Programs in Wyoming
The admission requirements for entrance into most RN to Bachelor’s in Nursing programs include completion of all the prerequisite courses, a Wyoming RN license, a GPA of 2.5 for prerequisite courses. Many colleges require a 3.00 GPA be maintained for nursing core courses, however these requirements can vary between colleges.
RN to BSN required courses typically include:
- Cultural Diversity in Family Care
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Healthcare Promotion
- Evidence–Base Nursing Research and Practice
- Public/Community Health Nursing
- Nursing Leadership
- RN/BSN Capstone Project
The capstone course actually synthesizes the concepts of the program through analysis of documented public health issues, and utilization of evidenced-based resources to address health competencies. The majority of the program contents in an RN to BSN program involve the development of well rounded, independently functioning nursing skills, including clinical and non-clinical areas, across the entire lifespan. For example, as a BSN you should be able to plan care for many different age groups, in a variety of settings and situations.
Careers for RN to BSN Graduates in Wyoming
Wyoming is expected to leave many of the state’s 35 percent nursing vacancies unfilled by 2015, according to the Wyoming Research and Planning Committee (WRPC). To address the vacancy rates, the WRPC is in the process of evaluating and making changes to educational and workforce systems intended to attract and retain nurses, especially in public health settings. They are monitoring trends and encouraging nurses to return to school for their bachelor’s degree. They are also working to increase the salaries of nurses. They work with the aide of state and federal grants, including Maternal Child Health, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Community Block Grants, and Wyoming Health Council.
Nursing in Wyoming can be a financially solid choice, and earning your Bachelor’s degree may open up some new practice areas that could allow you to earn even more. According to O*net (2013), the median annual income of a registered nurse in Wyoming is $59,600 with an upper end of almost $80,000 possible.
A Bachelors prepared nurse is much better prepared, in most instances, to work in a leadership or management position, whether it be in a hospital, home healthcare, or case management agency. Hospital nursing positions that move away from the traditional floor nurse role are also available to Registered Nurses with a Bachelor’s degree, such as a unit managers, utilization review nurses, or clinical supervisors.
Some other interesting opportunities for Bachelor’s prepared nurses exist within locations such as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the American Red Cross and include such titles as competency evaluation program nurse, public health nurse, and occupational nurses. You will likely find that obtaining your BSN enhances your qualifications in general, and can positively impact both your career and the quality of care you provide to your patients.
We at BestNursingDegree.com commend your interest in continuing to educate yourself as a nurse, and we offer any assistance we can, when it comes to finding the right school with the best nursing degree program to meet your needs. Remember to ask for information from multiple schools on our listing, so you can be prepared and informed when it comes time to apply to an RN to BSN program.
Wyoming Nursing Schools to Consider
- CollegeAmerica (Cheyenne): This fully-online program may be completed in 20 months. Some of the upper division nursing classes include critical issues in nursing; evidence-based nursing; sociology of aging; and leadership, power, and politics in nursing.
- University of Wyoming (Laramie): An RN may complete the BSN program in one year of full-time study depending on course availability. The final practicum – community focused nursing – requires 120 contact hours of clinical time which may be arranged with a public health agency in the nurse’s area. Other classes include cultural diversity and evidence-based nursing practice.
