According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, these are the nine BSN Essentials.
- Liberal Education in Baccalaureate Generalist Nurse Practice
- Basic Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Care and Patient Safety
- Evidence-Based Practice and Scholarship
- Information Management and Patient Care Technology Application
- The Health Care Policy and Finance Environments
- Interprofessional Collaboration and Communication to Improve Patient Health Outcomes
- Clinical Prevention and Population Health
- Professionalism and professional values
- Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice
One or more of the BSN Essentials can be addressed in every nursing course. A course in nursing research might focus on BSN Essential #3: Scholarship for Evidence-Based Practice. This teaches students how to critically assess research and use evidence-based practices to provide patient care. BSN Essential 7 – Clinical Prevention and Population Health is addressed through a practicum in the community. It provides opportunities for students to identify and address community needs, design and implement programs that promote health, and then evaluate them.
If you want to show how BSN Essentials can be fulfilled in particular courses and clinical experiences, then reflect upon specific assignments and experiences that dealt with one or more BSN Essentials. One example would be to discuss how the leadership course developed skills for BSN Essential #2. Basic Organizational and System Leadership for Patient Safety. Another example is how your hospital-based clinical rotation helped you achieve BSN Essential #6 Interprofessional Communication. Collaboration for Improving Patient Care Outcomes.
In short, every nursing program or experience can cover one or more BSN Essentials. You can show how your education has helped you meet these BSN Essentials by reflecting upon specific experiences or assignments.