Hello,

Do people ever go for a general masters in nursing? I do NOT want an NP degree, but is a general masters worth it? if not, what else would you go for? t.

Sure, folks go for the MSN. You can teach, or go into management if ya wanna. Depends on what your long term goals are.

I'll probably complete my masters part time, that way if I want to teach nursing, i'll be able to! Not to mention a masters is required for several management positions.

hth!

Masters in what though? every one I look at seems to be either NP or CNS...any thoughts on what track to look into? t.

masters in nursing! :)

Many schools have a generic masters in nursing, MSN. You could also get a masters in nursing education or administration if you don't want a clinical degree.

I think most schools have admin., educational, clinical tracks. Depends on what you want to do with it...or not. I was in critical care and did the CNS track in psych just to learn more about that area. I have no interest in working full time in psych but the degree helps in all areas...at least when I'm in a good mood.

I would like to check into getting a 'general' MSN as well, (NOT a CNS or NP) but have searched and searched and been unable to find any school that offers just a general, non-specialized masters in nursing. If anyone could let me know of any schools that offer that, I'd appreciate it.

I doubt you will find a totally general Master's in Nursing anywhere at the moment, but you can find some programs that are more general than others. At the graduate level of education in any field, the student is supposed to start focusing on advanced content -- and to do that, the student must choose "which" advanced content to focus upon. The nurse with a Master's Degree is supposed to be an expert in something -- and you can't be an expert in all fields. Thus, at the graduate level, you have to start focusing your attention on some fields more than others. If you don't yet know which patient population interests you most, then perhaps you might be better off waiting until you do before starting grad school.

You might want to look into some CNS programs. The CNS role is really a "generalized role" with a focus on a specific specialty -- but because the role includes a little clinical practice, a little education, a little management, a little research, etc. they usually have a fairly generalized curriculum of courses that people in all the different clincial areas share. Then they have a few courses in which you focus on your clinical area of interest, such as pediatrics, maternity, adult med-surg, etc. You can sometimes define your focus area fairly broadly.

You might also want to look at some "leadership" tracks or "education" tracks -- though again, you will probably have to choose a clinical area to focus on at some point in the program.

It might be helpful to fully think through what type of job you would like after grad school and choose the degree that will best suit that job. Perhaps you should talk to people who have that type of job and find out what type of degree they have.

If you don't what type of job you want ... or what type of patient population interests you ... etc. etc. etc. then I think you should wait until you are ready to focus a little more before starting school.

llg

Does anyone know of a distance learning option for maternal child nursing? I have thought about education. I know of a perinatal ed program at St. Louis University, but I am a little too short of $$$ for that. It is $700.00/credit. What about U of Phoenix? Can you specialize in any area? It is still a lot of $$$, but a little less than SLU (looks like a great school). My job only gives $2500.00/anually for college courses. If anyone knows, PLMK. I want so badly to go back to school, but I am really strapped for money. I have thought about Mansfield in my own area. It is nursing education and completely distance format. Would it be worthwhile for me to pursue an education MSN, then do a post-masters in my specialty. If I am spending a lot of my time and money, I want to enjoy and get the most out of a program. Any info. greatly appreciated. :)

The most recent job fair I attended recommended persuing an MBA if planning on a track to administration.

I believe most accredited nursing schools require an MSN to teach at the BSN level, rather than an MPH or MBA.

Good luck!

I would like to check into getting a 'general' MSN as well, (NOT a CNS or NP) but have searched and searched and been unable to find any school that offers just a general, non-specialized masters in nursing. If anyone could let me know of any schools that offer that, I'd appreciate it.

Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville Alabama offers the general MSN program and you can even complete it online I think.