AA or MSN degree? Does experience matter more?

[showdancer]

Hi, my name is Ann Marie and I am in need of major advice from all you wonderful RNs out there! It is a matter of experience vs. education. I recently graduated from UCLA with a degree in World Arts and Cultures and Political Science. After a pretty bad car accident and hospitalization, I realized that the health profession is where I should be. Anyways...

I am currently taking prereq classes at a community college, but am wondering if it would be better for me to start an Associates Degree program right away (spring 2007), or wait until I complete all the prereqs necessary to get into a Masters Level Entry Program. The new one at UCLA requires four classes extra I would need to take!

I guess my question is, in the real nursing world, does a higher degree necessarily get you a foot in the door? I've talked to a few ppl who think that getting experience at a "hands-on" hospital would better. Any advice you guys could give would be sooo great!

Thanks a ton!

Ann Marie

[llg, PhD, RN]

In the world of nursing, you can "get your foot in the door" with any of the entry level degrees ... but your career advancement is severely limited without a higher level degree.

For some people, it makes sense to start with an Associate's Degree because it takes significantly less time and money to get. They then work towards the higher level degrees over a period of years receiving financial assistance from their employers.

However, in your case, you only need 4 more courses to qualify for entry in a Master's Degree program. A Master's Degree opens up so many other possibilitites for your career that I think it would be a shame for you to bypass the opportunity to move up the career ladder faster. While it is probably more expensive on the front end ... in 5 years you will have both the advanced education and the job experience to qualify for many wonderful jobs.

If you choose the ADN first, it will still take you at least 2 years to complete it -- maybe a little more. Then you'll be slowly working your way slowly through a BSN ... and then working your way slowly through and MSN before you qualify for those same jobs.

As for the experience vs education question ... BOTH are important and it doesn't matter which you get first. The one advantage to getting the ADN first is that you might find that you hate nursing once you actually get into it and it might be cheaper to find that out in an ADN program than in an MSN program. But you might be able to find that out for free either way by doing some volunteer work in a hospital to see how you like working in a health care envronment.

I've been in nursing for over 25 years and I would definitely recommend starting with the MSN option if it is a reasonable choice for you financially, etc. It will give you so many more career opportunities more quickly. You can always get the experience later. Opportunities to get experience will always be there.

Good luck,

llg

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

I agree with llg - she said it well.

[showdancer]

Thank you so much for your advice! I really appreciate you taking the time to help me....

Ann Marie

[oldnurse newnurse]

Will I get any career advancements? I have a Bachelor's in Science of Nursing I have not went back for the Master's degree yet but I will next year? But if I don't get it will it still happen for me?

[llg, PhD, RN]

Will I get any career advancements? I have a Bachelor's in Science of Nursing I have not went back for the Master's degree yet but I will next year? But if I don't get it will it still happen for me?

That depends on what type of advancement you are looking for ... how good you are at your current job ... what type of impression you have made on your employer ... and what type of impression you make on prospective employers.

llg