Masters in Nursing-administration

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Mar 9, 2012

A lot of the curricula for a masters in nursing admin is unique to the profession of nursing. It does include a lot of nursing theory. However, there is simply no way to enter into a nursing leadership position without requisite experience and competency as a nurse. Nurse leaders of specialty units are expected to have certification/expertise in that area.

An MSN is the minimum requirement to become a nurse executive these days. NOTE: the "director" title is normally used for positions responsible for multi-departments or entire service lines.... the top job is referred to as "Chief Nurse Executive". If the position has additional responsibilities, particularly in large health care organizations, it is referred to as "Chief Nursing Officer" which puts it on a par with other members of the "C-suite" like the CFO, CIO, CMO, etc. Many large organizations expect their top nurse executive to have a terminal degree (PhD).

Salaries are all over the board, depending upon the size of the organization and level of responsibility. Nursing leadership is not an easy career field - first line management is probably the hardest job in any hospital. Getting on that career ladder and staying on it will require some real perseverance. The initial transition from bedside to management can be very difficult; you lose the rewards of patient care & any chance of overtime since these positions are salaried. Even though work hours are much longer (no more 3 shifts a week) and include on-call responsibilities, your income may actually be lower for a few years. Middle managers are under the gun from both the top and bottom. It is not unusual for new managers to fail spectacularly and dive back into staff positions within 6 months or so. My organization has a hard time recruiting experienced managers to fulfill vacancies.

Best of luck to you. We will always need well-prepared nurse leaders to help guide us into the future.

crashcart2012 · Mar 30, 2012

I'm actually having the same issues regarding which master's to choose regarding nursing administration/management and what employment opportunities each degree offers. I am currently on the RN-BSN program and would like to start my master's as soon as possible. Hopefully, someone with more experience in this area will read our posting and help... Since this is an important step in our career, would be really nice to have a seasoned nurse to give us some light. Anyways, thank you all for your time. :)

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 30, 2012

If I were planning a career in nursing administration, I'd be planning on double-majoring at the Master's level. I'd get an MSN in Nursing Administration as well as either an MBA or Master's in Health Services Administration. Some schools offer such double majors together, in a single plan of study. The MSN in nursing is important to have the foundation in nursing at an advanced level. People who try to lead nursing divisions who have only an entry level degree in nursing (and the BSN is an entry-level degree) often have trouble establishing nursing credibility with people with advanced degrees in nursing. Never having learned about nursing at the graduate level, they have trouble relating to it. The MBA or Health Services Administration degree gives the foundation (and increased credibility) with those folks whose expertise is on the business side of things. The dual degree option would be my first choice.

As a second choice, I would get the MSN, but plan electives and such that adding on the MBA or MHSA wouldn't involve starting those fields from scratch. I would seek to incorporate that 2nd Master's into a doctoral program, if I could. Once I had my MSN in Nursing Administration, I would work as a Nursing Director while I got the additional education part time -- getting solid nursing administration experience while simultaneously expanding my knowledge by adding the 2nd degree and working my weigh up the Administration ladder.

Either way, I would plan on getting 2 Master's degrees. But if you just want to be a Manager or Director at the unit level ... or maybe go a little higher, but stay in the nursing services division, and MSN is probably going to be sufficient. It's when you try to expand into managing non-nursing departments and whole facilities that the other degress become most important.

crashcart2012 · Mar 31, 2012

Thank you for your input! I really appreciated it!

crashcart2012 · Apr 2, 2012

Actually, I have another question for you.

I have been a nurse for 6 years and would like to move into administration. I have ICU and Home Health experiences. I am currently working on my BSN and intend to start my masters as soon as I get done with the BSN. I have been reading the postings what concerns LTC facilities and such and it seems a rough route to take if you don't have management/supervision experience (which is my case).

Said that, you just get experience if you work in that particular field. So, what would be the best place to start so I can build on administration experience while I work on my masters?

Thank you!

Corrinewilson2012 · May 24, 2012

A nurse administrator mainly deals with administrative and managerial roles of the nursing profession, along with managing HR, finance, and health policies. A nurse anesthesiologist is a different field altogether. It involves preparing and administering anesthesia during surgeries and medical emergencies. To qualify as the director of a hospital, the first step is to get an MS in healthcare administration, which is different from MS in nursing administration. A hospital director is directly involved with the day-to-day running of the medical center, and has to oversee everything from finance, hospital personnel, public relations, and patient services. I would recommend you go through Stevens-Henager student reviews – the college offers an MS in both, nursing administration and healthcare administration. Study the course content so you get a clearer picture of what the programs are all about, and then make your decision.

concientiousdee · Jun 23, 2012

I too have the same decisions to make about nursing management/np.mthe funny thing is that I don't want to do management to be a nurse manager because I don't like that area but I am thinking about this program to get me into something like quality assurance /improvement to include helping develop policies and procedures, evidence based nursing, magnet standards and informatics. There is a program at the university of Colorado called iLEAD that seems to be interesting. Has anyone done this program. Please suggest your opinions thanks.

sarbgill · Feb 5, 2013

you guys seem to know quite a lot about Masters! I am planning to apply for a course based one asap. But I never heard of any course named "capping exercise" in my entire life. what is it? Sounds big.

thanx

wplunkett · Mar 20, 2013

I had a question regarding getting your MSN with a concentration in healthcare administration vs a MHSA. Which one I should do if I just don't want to be a director of a floor.