BSN or MSN

Are you a nurse already?

You have to have your BSN first before applying to MSN school.

I do believe there may be some programs that after you complete your RN (ADN), you can get your BSN while obtaining your MSN.

The benefits of the MSN are that you are Masters Degree prepared and can work in school or clinic settings (if you get your Nurse Practitioner ), or as an educator, etc.

Does that help answer your question?

You might want to earn the BSN first to figure out what specialty you might be interested in. The MSN will usually be geared towards one of these specialties such as OB, Psych, peds and etc. Good luck in whatever you choose.

The MSN program is for people who already have a BA or BS in another area. It does not require applicants to have a BSN.

I was at the crossroads that the OP faces....MSN or BSN? I was a second degree student and needed to get credentialed and working ASAP. I chose an accelerated 2nd degree BSN program. I did so based upon cost and time.

Now, 20 years later, I am still satisfied with that choice. I have ended up getting all the options I wanted in nursing based upon my BSN. In hindsight, if I had been blessed with unlimited funds and time, I'd have loved to have had an MSN. I agree with the upthread comment about specialization...I'm very far from the specialty I started in. I think a nursing career can take time to reveal your preferences.

Good luck whichever you choose!

Call me oldfashioned but I really believe that in order to have a masters in nursing, you should have at least worked as a nurse and got experience under your belt. Nursing isn't about how much you can learn at school. The real learning starts when you start practicing as a nurse and there is NO substitute for experience. So, I actually don't think the MSN should be available to 'non' nurses. However, it is and I can understand the appeal of getting a masters in nursing if you have a prevoius degree. Just if you go the MSN route, understand that you still have alot to learn on the floor. I am not meaning to belittle or patronise you, so please take the comments in the spirit in which they are intended!

I thought it was a little odd myself to offer a MSN to a non-nurse. Since time and money isn't stopping me from doing either I was just wondering what the benefit of getting an MSN would be over a BSN since I don't have any experience anyways. I'm leaning toward the BSN because of the program options offered...

The main benefit of getting an MSN from what I can see, would be that if you have the time and the cash to do it now then you won't need to do it later on when you are working full time/have a family, etc.. and that is definitely appealing. However, as the other posters stated the benefit of doing it later, is that you can specialise in the area that interests you the most and you may get more out of it. I think you are right to look at the programs offered from each course and make your decison based on that. I am sure someone who has taken the route you are thinking of going can be more helpful than I can!

Wishing you luck, which ever route you choose to take.

I finish my ADN program in March and will register for an accelerated MSN program through WSU (Washington State University). 2 semester classes are omitted if you go this way as opposed to RN to BSN to MSN.

Check around, this program may be offered near you.

I am starting a Direct Entry MSN in a couple of weeks. I chose this program for several reasons:

1. First and foremost was timing: It provided the shortest duration from the time I decided to change careers until I'm qualified to sit for the NCLEX.
   
2. Significantly, though, is that I will be granted a master's degree and therefore be academically qualified to compete for instructor positions someday after I've completed many years at the bedside.
   
3. I believe the MSN will be an advantage over the BSN in competing for admission to a doctoral program or to a PA/NP/CRNA program.
   
4. I already have two bachelor's degrees and I am ready for the graduate-level coursework in addition to my core nursing classes.
   
5. As a new graduate nurse, I believe that some hiring managers will consider me more competitive with an MSN than a similar new graduate nurse with a BSN. However, I also think that I may face some biases, as well, so it could prove to be a detriment.
   
6. Pure and simple: I want a master's degree in favor of another bachelor's degree.

Of course, a new graduate in any field needs years of experience to become fully competent in that field irrespective of their education. Still, the ability to earn a master's degree provides one distinguishing data point between one candidate and the next.

A MSN degree prepares you for administration or teaching. Some of the nurse practitioner programs are also Masters' Level. I have a masters and used it for obtaining an administrator's job, which I did not like. Most of the non-clinical jobs, like Case Management or Utilization Review prefer Masters-level jobs, but it has been my experience that hospitals will ADN or BSN nurses in just about any clinical area. It's a matter of experience for some hiring managers.

I have been having this same debate with myself. I have a Bachelors in another field and there are many programs in my area where I can get a BSN or MSN for students with a second degree in another field.

I went to the U of MN and sat in on a meeting for the MSN program. The instructor said that you are just as prepared with the BSN as the MSN, it's just that the MSN program is a shorter more fast paced/intense program and you get the Master's level credentials after your name.

I worried that employers may question a MSN trying to get into entry-level nursing, but she advised that this is a relatively new program in the state and US (one that they have drummed up to try and help the shortage) and that you are basically equivalent (for lack of a better word) as a BSN student.

I think some people have a hard time understanding how you could have a Master's in something you have never worked in before, but it's really more about the "creditials" rather than the "amount" of education, I guess. If you are interested in getting into management down the road or if you are thinking of pursuing a higher degree, I'd do the Master's to save you some time and money. Good luck with whatever you decide.