Any advice?

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Apr 9, 2014

Congratulations on the prospects of graduating as an A+ student and welcome to allnurses.

Your first question seems to revolve around the benefits of RN-BSN vs RN-MSN. Completing your BSN opens doors in many ways. There are nursing positions that require a BSN at a minimum (nurse managers, case managers, etc) and a BSN of course, makes it easy for you to get admitted to all types of graduate programs in nursing not just an MSN but also doctoral programs in some schools (such as BSN to DNP or BSN to PhD).

RN to MSN programs are offered in some schools but not to the same extent as traditional BSN to MSN. Apart from a few generic Master's degrees in nursing (such as CNL that doesn't really give you a specific specialty), once you decide on an MSN, you are pegged into the specialty focus of that MSN whatever it might be. So unless you are ready for a specialty in nursing, you might not want to look into a Master's degree yet.

Your second question is whether being an NP or CRNA is more enjoyable. I am a nurse practitioner and though I must say that I thoroughly enjoy my job and I am very satisfied with my career choice, I can not speak to what will make you happy as an individual. We all have different temperaments, interests, inclinations, and what have you. These basically determine which career will have a better fit to us.

I love the science of human physiology and the satisfaction of patient/family interaction (both are important in CRNA and NP, the latter less so in CRNA). But I also prefer a broader specialty knowledge that does not limit me to a narrowly defined aspect of patient care such as what I would get with CRNA being limited to peri-operative care. However, CRNA's in practice have valid reasons for choosing their field too other than the financial benefits.

BinaryIncision · Apr 9, 2014

Thank you! What all can you tell me about being a NP? Do you specialize in anything? What is your average day like? What do you like most about your job?

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Apr 10, 2014

I finished an MSN with an Adult Acute Care NP specialization. I worked as a Registered Nurse at the bedside for 10 years with experience working with various types of adult patients in Physical Rehabilitation, Neurosurgery, Cardiology-Step Down, ICU and ER prior to starting my MSN. I started working as a nurse practitioner in early 2004.

I currently work in a large urban hospital in Northern California as part of a team of ICU providers which include a group of physicians who specialize in Critical Care Medicine called Intensivists and Adult Acute Care NP's. As a young person, you may not know quite yet what happens inside an ICU apart from what you see on TV. The ICU is where the sickest and most medically unstable patients in the hospital are. We are in charge of these patients' medical care while RN's at the bedside provide important monitoring of their condition among many other important roles that they perform.

As NP's, we can examine patients, order tests, interpret these tests, and order necessary treatments. Because we work in a team-oriented model, we discuss difficult decisions with the physicians who have the ultimate say in such circumstances though we as NP's have the autonomy to implement many routine decisions that ICU patients require on our own. We perform some invasive procedures as well just like the ones physicians perform.

This is an operation that requires 24/7 availability from a provider being that ICU patients can have a change in status at the drop of a hat and someone has to make care decisions to address those changes. Because of that, we staff the ICU with a physician in training (called a resident) or an NP at all times day and night. I work 12-hour shifts 3 days a week and this is a full time position.

I encourage you to visit the NP Forum at Nurse Practitioners (NP) here at allnurses. There is a variety of roles for NP's and mine is just one of them. If you and your family go to a "family doctor" for your health care needs, there is also an NP role similar to that called Family NP's. Some NP's work in specialties along the same path as physicians such as those who work with Cardiologists or Neurologists.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2014

Excuse my snooping into the Men in Nursing Forum.

As nursing is a 94 % female dominated profession, perhaps your query directed to men .. could limit your insights into the field.

I also, started my career as an ADN, 30 years ago.. but as I carry the XX chromosome, I do not qualify to respond.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Apr 10, 2014

Excuse my snooping into the Men in Nursing Forum.
As nursing is a 94 % female dominated profession, perhaps your query directed to men .. could limit your insights into the field.
I also, started my career as an ADN, 30 years ago.. but as I carry the XX chromosome, I do not qualify to respond.

Of course you're qualified to respond! lol

I think the OP, as a young man, may have been seeking male role models in this profession which is acceptable in my book.

BinaryIncision · Apr 19, 2014

I'd be more than happy to hear from you! Any insight would be greatly appreciated!