I am currently finishing my bachelor's degree in nursing. I have been a registered nurse for three years now. I am wondering what people's opinions are on furthering my nursing career at the master's level. Are there jobs available? Do people find that there are too many schools offering advancement, and not enough jobs available?

Wayne, it totally depends on what you want to get your master's in. I have seen NP's working at the bedside, either because they couldn't find jobs or because their practices closed because of the medical malpractice crap. CRNA's are really in demand but it's very difficult to get accepted into a school. These things all go in cycles, and it just so happens that right now bedside nurses are way more in demand than advanced practice nurses. But that could change ten years down the road, who knows. If I were you I would try to narrow down more specifically what you are interested in and look at the job ads in your local paper for how much those types of jobs are in demand. I'm only a student myself so maybe you should talk to some master's level nurses in your city so you can gauge the demand in your area. Good luck!

Depends on what you want a graduate degree for.

Lots of NPs can't fine jobs in various areas of the US, CRNAs usually can. If you want to teach in a nursing school, you'll usually have to have your doctorate or at least be working on it.

So, when you are clear about what your ultimate goal is, you can more easily explore vocational possibilities in geographical and professional areas that interest you and make an informed decision. Otherwise it is simply guesswork.

Thank you for your replies. I am interested in either a CRNA or Nursing Administration degree. Some of the people I work with are negative about furthering education, they say that it is a waste of time. That is why I posted the question. I wanted to see what some other opinions were.

I certainly don't think that furthering one's education is a waste of time!!! However, I think you seriously need to examine what you want to do and what kinds of opportunities you will have once you graduate. Being a CRNA or a nurse administrator are two very different things. As a CRNA you will still be doing patient care, as an administrator you won't. If you're interested in CRNA school I suggest you lurk in the CRNA forum, you can really gain a lot of insight into the profession this way.

Like others, I agree that it depends on what you want to study. I, too, have seen lots of Nurse Practitioners unable to find good jobs. However, the children's hospital I work for has a 40% vacancy rate in its Clinical Nurse Specialist positions. We are desperate for Master's prepared peds nurses who want a role that emphasizes staff development, bedside teaching/consultation to the staff nurses, policy development, etc. Most PNP's are not prepared for those types of roles, even if they are willing to give them a try.

Similarly, the world needs good managers and administrators. Someone has to run the hospitals and other health care agencies.

Finally, the world needs nurses with graduate degrees to teach in schools of nursing. The pay is terrible (unless you get a PhD, and even then, it takes a while to climb the ladder high enough to get a good deal), but with a little pressure from the nursing shortage, it might improve.

Finally ... educating yourself should not be about just finding a job. The job market changes from year to year and it's a mistake to choose a career path just because it's "hot" at the moment. You may find yourself 10 years from now prepared for a job you hate. I also say, "Go where your heart is."

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Thank you for your replies. It is refreshing to have positive outlooks about furthering my education in nursing. It is going to be nurses like us that are pursuing higher education that will make a world of difference for hte future of nursing.