How to Prepare for your Graduate Degree in Nursing

By TodaysNurse

The key advantage of being a nurse is to be able to obtain a degree in the field you wish to practice. Fortunately, the nursing field has plenty of options to choose from, and each option can bring you to a different experience that you never pictured yourself encountering. To continue your journey throughout your nursing career, it is possible to consider a Master’s degree to give yourself more options than you would typically be given with a Bachelor’s degree. Whether you obtain only a Bachelor’s degree, or both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s, your future holds immense and fulfilling opportunities.

Most registered nurses obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) and a license to allow to practice as a nurse in their state. For nurses who want to master complex topics of the human body, improve their nursing skills, and acquire more management skills, then a Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) would be the next step.

Having a graduate degree will open so many doors in your career. Most nurses with a MSN are able to directly treat patients without the supervision of a physician. They conduct research on their own to find groundbreaking innovation in the world of medical technology. Nurses with a graduate degree have an impact on public health policy and communicate with pharmaceutical companies to procure the best medicine. A Master’s degree will only benefit you, and provide your more opportunities in your future.

Moreover, receiving an MSN will significantly raise your salary, amounting to about $100,000 per year. While all of these benefits might sound attractive, it is important to seek guidance on how to acquire a graduate degree, and weigh out all your options.

Thankfully your long years of schooling are still a thing of the past. To obtain an MSN, you only need two years of schooling compared to the four years you already completed while obtaining a Bachelor’s degree. Nurses with a BSN typically conduct various tasks and have a variety of responsibilities. However, add a Master’s degree into the mix, and you will be able to hone your talents in any specific field that you desire.

TodaysNurse recommends that while looking into graduate schools, you must consider what it is you desire to learn while receiving your higher education. There is a multitude of different specialties to choose from, so your options are definitely not limited.

What are Your Options?

  1. Acute Care Nursing
    Acute care nurses may work in a hospital, and are responsible for providing immediate treatment to restore health to individuals who have become medically unstable.
  2. Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
    A CNS is an expert in a specialized area of nursing, providing direct patient care and expert consultations within their specialty. They are part of the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) family.
  3. Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
    An FNP is an APRN with a graduate degree.
  4. Innovation and Entrepreneurship
    For registered nurses who wish to become innovators in advanced practice nursing, this area trains nurses to develop innovations and inventions for the nursing profession in a variety of roles.
  5. Nurse Administration
    This specialization prepare nurses to serve in a variety of executive, management, and leadership positions within the healthcare industry.
  6. Nurse Practitioner (NP)
    An NP provides health promotion and maintenance through diagnosis and treatment of chronic conditions. They are part of the APRN family.
  7. Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
    These nurses treat patients with mood and personality disorders, including dementia and schizophrenia.

What You Should Know

It is important to keep in mind that different universities will provide different concentrations. It is clear that nowadays most concentrations and majors are not always going to be based on medical and technical knowledge. Concentrations are also geared towards management and leadership, which are essential and beneficial qualities for all nurses. This is something that a graduate degree affords nurses – the ability to climb up the corporate ladder and potentially make decisions that influence health policies. If this is something for you, then an MSN is your one-way ticket to an established career in nursing.

Since you are already a registered nurse, odds are that you already have a BSN degree and an RN license. What you now need is to secure a very good GRE score to get admitted into a school of your choice. Moreover, you will also need years of experience, again varying depending on the requirements of the school. Make a short list of the universities and programs you are targeting and see what needs to be done to fulfil their selection criteria. This is your goal that you need to reach – ticking every checkbox on that criteria list.

Besides satisfying the technical and academic requirements, you must look deep within yourself and ask, “Is this really for me?” You need to be self-motivated when pursuing an MSN degree that is very rigorous and difficult. If you are up for the challenge and want to reinvigorate your nursing and leadership skills, then a graduate nursing degree will guide you to your destination. Do not forget to check your finances to see if you can actually afford the tuition, since a Master’s degree can be costly. If you are willing to invest in an MSN, then you will certainly reap the benefits, professionally and financially.

 

What degree is right for you? Share your thoughts here!


By the TodaysNurse

TodaysNurse was founded on the idea that professional achievement is deserving of recognition, exposure and reward. As a meeting place for the top minds in nursing, INA offers unlimited opportunities to further your success and embrace your role as a vital member of the medical community.

7 comments on How to Prepare for your Graduate Degree in Nursing

  1. Thanks for pointing out that most nurses with an MSN are able to directly treat patients without the supervision of a physician. My sister has an ADN in nursing already, but she is thinking about going back to school to get an MSN because she thinks it would be better for her career. I think she would like it because it would allow her to be more independent in her job.

  2. Preparation is key to success for a nursing student. These are helpful tips!

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How to Prepare for your Graduate Degree in Nursing

The International Nurses Association recommends that while looking into graduate schools, you must consider what it is you desire to learn while receiving your higher education.

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