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Masters of Science in Nursing
Individuals considering nursing should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of enrolling in a BSN or MSN program because, if they do, their advancement opportunities usually are broader. In fact, some career paths are open only to nurses with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. A bachelor’s degree often is necessary for administrative positions and is a prerequisite for admission to graduate nursing programs in research, consulting, and teaching, and all four advanced practice nursing specialties—clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners.
Education beyond a bachelor’s degree can also help students looking to enter certain fields or increase advancement opportunities. In 2006, 448 nursing schools offered master’s degrees, 108 offered doctoral degrees, and 58 offered accelerated BSN-to-doctoral programs.
All four advanced practice nursing specialties require at least a master’s degree. Most programs include about 2 years of full-time study and require a BSN degree for entry; some programs require at least 1 to 2 years of clinical experience as an RN for admission. In 2006, there were 342 master’s and post-master’s programs offered for nurse practitioners, 230 master’s and post-master’s programs for clinical nurse specialists, 106 programs for nurse anesthetists, and 39 programs for nurse-midwives.
Masters of Science in Nursing Career Options
Nurse Practitioner
Certified Nurse-Midwife
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
echoi
5 months ago
4 comments
I know this was a frequent debate that I mentally carried in my head: was going for a MSN worth the time, money, and energy? I realized that an online MSN was the answer after I found out there were several creditable universities that offer it. Doing an online MSN was definitely helpful in my career so I would advise any of my fellow nurses to consider an online school for their Online RN to MSN programs.
rnivz
6 months ago
2 comments
I really want to have my master's degree but a lot of things bother me.. I don't know when can I pursue that degree.
remanisn
7 months ago
4 comments
Would love to get a list of the anesthetist school list. CAn anyone help me with that?
Emmanu
8 months ago
4 comments
iwish to have a master's degree in nursing so that i can better serve my country with the expertise that i have
sudha
9 months ago
2 comments
what is MD
kstiltner1
about 1 year ago
7266 comments
Good idea for the older nurse.
Gin3
about 1 year ago
2 comments
You need to update your MSN specialties to include the Clinical Nurse Leader speacialty. This is a nantioanlly accredited specialty with certification.