Benifits of a Masters in Nursing?

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Hello! I am currently working towards my BSN and I had initially planned on getting my masters to do Nurse Anesthetist. I have heard that as of 2015 if you are not already licensed as a nurse anesthetist you will be required to get a doctorate. I am not sure if I still want to do it as it is a lot more schooling. Anyways, my question is what is the benefit of getting a masters in nursing? Does a nurse with a masters work more on a managerial end or paperwork side of things? I really enjoy patient care and hands on things. I am not sure I would want an MSN if it is mainly for managing and things like that. Anyways thanks for any replies. I am just trying to find out if a masters is necessary now that the CRNA requirements are more.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

You are going to have to clarify the question. What type of MSN? If you had an MSN in nursing administration, yes, I assume you would seek a managerial position involving more of the "paperwork side of things." If you obtained a MSN in education you would seek a teaching position, if you are interested in an advanced practice field, you seek a MSN in that specific discipline. They are not interchangeable.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Most nursing leadership positions now require MSN. It is not unusual for Chief Nursing Offices to have doctorates these days. Many nurse leaders have 'clinical' MSNs - which gives them an advantage in that specific area. But MSN in nursing admin is still OK if you have the right clinical experience or specialty certification.

Other non-clinical leadership roles also require Masters... MSN with focus on education or equivalent (e.g., MEd with BSN) is a minimum requirement for organizational Nurse Educators; BSN is OK for unit-based educators. MSN with requisite experience or BSN with Masters in related area is OK in Clinical Support areas (CM, Quality, Patient Safety, Risk Mgmt, etc). Clinical Informatics is a new but increasingly important area - many jobs require MSN in nursing informatics or BSN with MS in Bio- or Healthcare-informatics.

So - yeah, non-clinical MSN jobs are becoming increasingly common in all areas of heath care.

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