Amount of RN experience prior to starting MSN program

Spacklehead, MSN, NP · May 27, 2008

It really depends on what type of MSN concentration you are focusing on and how you, as an individual, feel about continuing your education at the master's level. Are you considering becoming an advanced practice nurse, administrator or educator, etc.?

I am currently in my last year of grad school with the focus of becoming a FNP. I, personally, did not feel ready enough to return to school until I had about 8 years of RN experience under my belt - but that may not be how others feel. Many feel ready earlier or much later.

I will be completely honest, though. I am in the boat that favors at least a year of clinical experience before pursuing an advanced practice MSN. Some will disagree with me, but I feel having a solid year of experience will only help. There is no way that when I graduated with my BSN that I felt anywhere close to being ready to go on and attain my MSN to become a FNP. I felt barely ready to practice nursing, let alone advanced practice nursing; plus, I truly learned so much in that first year post-graduation regarding critical thinking skills, time management skills, people-skills, etc. Those skills will also be essential as an APRN. I also have seen from my NP clinicals how my years of RN experience have helped me with my assessments and diagnoses - especially since most of the stuff I have seen in clinicals as a student NP I have already dealt with as an ER nurse. I also needed the time to figure out exactly which NP route I would take - I couldn't imagine knowing what type of nursing (e.g. cardiac, ER, L&D, peds, etc.) suited me most when I first graduated, never mind as an NP!

If this is truly your goal and you feel that you are absolutely ready to go on, then by all means go for it! Just be forwarned - some schools may require at least a year of RN experience before you apply. Best wishes and good luck with your decision. :)

llg, PhD, RN · May 27, 2008

I too, in am the camp of believing that a year of nursing practice experience is important before pursuing graduate studies. Just look at the many threads on this website that focus on the difficult transition from nursing student to competent professional nurse!

It's not a political matter of "paying dues," it is a matter of developing professional competence -- and enough working familiarity with the profession to make good judgments about your graduate education and professional practice in general. Students who have never actually practiced nursing do not have the level of competnece/expertise to make many of those decisions. I believe they should give themselves the best chance of long term success by become competent nurses before stepping into the world of advanced practice and/or leadership.

There are some programs out there that are designed as Master's level entry -- and I am OK with that as those programs are geared for the special needs of those students. However, the average graduate program has not been designed to meet the needs of the new graduate with no experience. The programs are designed to "fit" the needs of nurses with at least a little professional nursing experience.

mom and nurse · Jun 1, 2008

I had a year of hospital experience before I started my Masters program to be an NP. I am very grateful for that year as I would have been even more confused (especially about the labs and the meds) if I had not previously dealt out meds and read labs as a floor nurse. I continued to work part time as an RN while in graduate school. (I graduated in 2004 with a BSN).

I'd recommend at least a year... others may disagree. Others also may recommend more and now that I've graduated as an Adult NP and am now certified, I'd say get as much clinical experience as you can.... it will help you not only in graduate school but also afterwards when you are looking for employment as a Masters prepared nurse.....:typing

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Jun 2, 2008

I had to wait 2 years before starting my NNP. It's now a requirement for most schools. I am a firm believer in getting 2+ years of solid clinical experience to stand on before starting a graduate degree.

HealthyRN · Jun 4, 2008

Could you tell us more about your career goals? Do you want to specialize in a clinically focused area (FNP, CNM, CNS, etc.) or do you want to pursue a career in administration or education?

I got a year of clinical practice before I began my master's program. Am I glad that I waited? Yes and no. The year off allowed me to focus on work and building my skills as a nurse. The first year in nursing is very stressful and I know that it would have been more so if I was in school. On the other hand, I turned down a full-ride scholarship to get that year of experience.

I know others disagree with me, but I don't think that the year of experience is always necessary unless you are choosing a specialty or program in which the experience is required (NNP, CNM). I think it depends on the individual and how motivated he or she is. If you do decide to go straight into a program, I would recommend doing it part-time or even taking only 1 course at a time (and starting with the non-clinical courses like theory or research). You will have at least 3 years of nursing experience behind you by the time that you graduate. I do think that it is absolutely necessary that you do work as a nurse while in the program.

The only thing I want to caution you about is that you should have a really strong desire to pursue whatever area you are going into. I recommend doing a lot of shadowing. As a new nurse, it is sometimes hard to tell if you are going to enjoy something. I thought that I wanted to be an FNP. It's one of the main reasons that I even became a nurse. Too bad there was just a little problem with that- I don't like clinical practice. I really realized it during my first year as a nurse, but I still entered the FNP program because it was so hard to let go of that. After my first semester, I decided to transfer into a program with a non-clinical focus. I'm much happier now, but my career goals have changed yet again. I'm going to finish my master's and then pursue my childhood dream, which will require 4-5 more years of schooling. My point is that career goals can change, but I don't know if waiting a year will really make all that much of a difference or enlighten you as to what you should really be doing. If fact, it was being in this program that made me realize that I need pursue my dreams and quit putting it off and making excuses as to why I can't do it.

Let us know what you decide.

elkpark · Jun 4, 2008

I, too, have known a number of people who rushed into graduate programs in nursing (or did direct-entry MSN programs to get into nursing) and then figured out after the fact that they didn't really enjoy doing (or want to continue doing) what they had just put all that time, $$$, and effort into getting educated and qualified to do. I always strongly encourage people to spend enough time and get enough experience in nursing to be sure that they know where they want to go next.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 4, 2008

I've also known people who spent a small fortune on graduate school only to realize when they were half-way through or later to realize that they should have gone in a different direction. I am also one of those people. Half-way through my graduate program, I switched my major. I only had 2 years of experience, and while I was intellectually ready for graduate studies, I didn't have enough actual experience with different aspects of nursing to make the right decision as to the best "fit" for me.

I was lucky in that I was in a program in which I could switch my major without too much trouble. But not everyone is so lucky.

grad*student · Jun 4, 2008

The advice I've received by practicing NP's is to obtain as much hospital bedside experience as possible. This has been STRONGLY emphasized to me, so in taking their advice, I'm returning to the bedside to work 24hrs/wk throughout school.

My experience: I had two years in med-surg & a year in ICU prior to moving into research. I worked as a research nurse for 2 years, but it pulled me from the bedside. I'm returning in order to regain those skills & learn all I can about patients with diseases relevant to my future field -- in order to understand what they go through, how they're diagnosed & treated, etc... I'm returning w/ a different perspective than I had immediately out of nursing school.

I've worked w/ NP's who needed to take RN positions first prior to being competitive for NP jobs. The NP's I currently work w/ have told me that they won't hire an NP who doesn't have RN experience. Also, I've met actual NP's who cannot find positions, and have had to first work as RN's to gain the skills and become competitive for NP jobs. In other words, many employers want to see that NPs are also strong clinically (evidenced by prior work as an RN).

I should probably add that the NPs I work w/ are cardiology hospitalists. The needs for a strong clinical experience are probably very different if you want a teaching/educational or managerial position. Then again, I personally would hate to have an instructor, manager, or other resource who doesn't have real-world experience as a nurse. You can really tell who has and hasn't worked with pts at the bedside. Just my opinion.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Jun 4, 2008

Then again, I personally would hate to have an instructor, manager, or other resource who doesn't have real-world experience as a nurse. You can really tell who has and hasn't worked with pts at the bedside. Just my opinion.

You hit the nail right on the head IMHO......

Trauma Columnist · Jun 4, 2008

Another issue to consider is how tight your job market is. When I graduated in 2006, the market for APNs was TIGHT. I only got interviews because of my 12 years of RN experience and most especially, the 10 years of level one trauma center expereince.

Went on an interview last week for a part-time position and the only reason they considered me was due to my ER experience - they liked the idea that I could handle emergencies (its in occ health at a large foundry).

Personally, as a new nurse, I wouldn't have had a clue what I wanted to do. That said, I still got a nonclinical MSN and then went back for the CNS portion. Am still considering doing a PNP on top of this to be more marketable.

ICRN2008, BSN, RN · Jun 7, 2008

I think that the biggest difficulty in going to grad school right out of undergrad is that it is hard to pick a concentration. I felt pretty certain at the end of undergrad that I wanted to do NP, and I was immediately accepted into a FNP program. Now that I've been out of school for a while and gained experience, I see that my strength is in areas where I have more time to think, be creative, work with employees (in employee health capacity), etc. However, the parts of my job such as working with the managers, making budgets, preparing QA reports, etc are challenging. I am strongly considering starting an administrative MSN program this fall. However, I will continue to work full-time because the work experience is what is really teaching me the most at this juncture

I used to think that nursing experience wasn't necessary, but when I look back at how much I've learned in the past 1.5 years (specific clinical information as well as big-picture stuff), I see the value of experience.