Can I work with one year finished of a direct-entry Masters prgram?

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Hi all,

I'm currently half-way through my first year in a direct-entry Masters program (a total of three years, 1 pre-specialty year and 2 specialty years) and I was wondering if I can work as a nurse following my first/pre-specialty year...I know my particular program doesn't offer a BSN upon completion of this first year, but we do get a certificate of Nursing that allows us to sit for the NCLEX which we are required to take (and pass) before we can move into our specialty years. Does this mean if I leave my program after the first year I would still be able to work as an RN after passing the NCLEX? For personal reasons I most likely will have to stop the program after the completion of this first year (it's not a given yet, but it's a very, very great possibility that I will not be able to remain where I'm living and going to school) but I don't want to lose all this hard work and I still want to work as a nurse...do any of you think this is possible? Or probable? Or even worth considering? I haven't broached this thought with my program yet as I think it might send some ringing red flags flying off in all directions and I want to avoid that for as long as I can. Thanks for any input you might have.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

If you pass the NCLEX-RN, you will be able to work as an RN.

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If they don't grant a BSN, then you'll need to be in a state that will license a non-degreed RN. I know CA does it, and I think there might be a few more (not sure, though).

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You can work as an RN if you pass the NCLEX-RN. If this is a second career type program, then you have at least a Bachelor's degree in a different field. Many hospitals accept the BA/BS if it's in a related field, but some won't. I work in a University hospital with a Nursing school and they offer a BS, not a BSN because a BS is a higher degree than a BSN.

At least finish the part of your program that makes you eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. Once you get a license in one state, you can always apply for a license in another state (just check the states' requirement). Good luck to you.

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This is a second career type program and I do have a Bachelor's degree already, just not in nursing. Will having a BA and being an RN be enough to work in California specifically? I still want to pursue the Masters degree in my specialty (perhaps not right away, but sometime in the near future) but I just don't think I will be able to do so with the program I am currently enrolled in-it's simply too far away from where I physically need to be.

Thank you for all your advice and help so far!

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I am in a similar program here in Oregon. My cohort consists of students with previous non-nursing bachelors degrees. My school has a specific agreement with the states of Oregon and Washington to allow us to work as RN's after the first year of our program without an actual nursing degree (though we must pass the NCLEX of course). We are required to work full time as RN's after the first year while we go to school for an additional two years to complete our masters. I know that the job market is so tough here that some students are having a hard time, many hospitals have made it policy to hire nothing but BSNs so we sort of fall into a funny category. You should talk to your advisors about your issues, you are a paying student and they won't want to loose you, you might be surprised by what they can help you out with...

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AFAIK, students in direct-entry programs are all eligible for licensure in the state in which their program is located once they have completed the basic nursing education portion of their MSN program -- however, there have been some threads here in the past regarding folks who have left direct-entry programs early, gotten licensed in their original state (the state in which they went to school), and then, when they wanted to get licensed in another state later on, ran into trouble because they hadn't completed an approved nursing program (these were people in direct-entry programs that don't award a BSN, just an MSN at the end of the program -- which sounds like how the OP's program works).

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You can work as an RN if you pass the NCLEX-RN. If this is a second career type program, then you have at least a Bachelor's degree in a different field. Many hospitals accept the BA/BS if it's in a related field, but some won't. I work in a University hospital with a Nursing school and they offer a BS, not a BSN because a BS is a higher degree than a BSN.

At least finish the part of your program that makes you eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN. Once you get a license in one state, you can always apply for a license in another state (just check the states' requirement). Good luck to

you.

I have never heard that a BS is a higher degree than a BSN. I thought a Masters was higher than any Bachelor degree. I was under the understanding that BS, BA, BSN were all 4-year degrees and equal (although a different program of study)....hmmm.. thoughts to ponder.....

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I have never heard that a BS is a higher degree than a BSN. I thought a Masters was higher than any Bachelor degree. I was under the understanding that BS, BA, BSN were all 4-year degrees and equal (although a different program of study)....hmmm.. thoughts to ponder.....

That's the way I have always understand it as well. Any Bachelor degree is an undergraduate degree and they are all equal (in terms of educational equivalent) regardless of the focus (major). Even if it takes one person three years and another five, the awarded degree is still the basic four year undergrad degree. Not all programs are equal of course, but a Bachelor's in underwater basket weaving is on the same educational level as a Bachelor's in nursing (or rocket science for that matter).

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A Masters degree is a higher degree than any Bachelor's degree. That being said, there are differences in the program of study between a BA/BS degree. Both are equal in terms of having a degree and the types of jobs you can obtain from them. The difference is the content/detail.

A BS in biology emphasizes more science content and is designed for those who want to continue to advanced degrees (Masters, PhD, etc) while a BA in biology does not go into the same detail. Most who want to teach (high school) in the subject usually opt for a BA. This was how it was explained to me by a counselor while I was an undergraduate. The bottom line: how detailed do you want to know DNA replication, Kreb's cycle, etc. Both can still apply for graduate schools. So really the debate is only in academia.

I never understood the BS being a higher degree than a BSN. It's just what the nursing students that come through our unit are told.

To the OP: You don't need a Bachelor's degree to work in the nursing field (although it's beneficial to have) in CA. I work with several wonderful nurses who have an ADN. The Bachelor's degree is "preferred" and needed if you want to climb the clinical ladder or go into management.

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this is exactly the information i'm looking for! it's not that i do not want to continue onto a master's degree in nursing, it's that i won't be able to continue on to an advanced degree in my current program. that being said i still want to work as a nurse while i'm figuring all this out. i just wasn't sure if having a BA and having gone through my first year of my direct-entry program/taking/passing the NCLEX would be enough to get me working as an RN in california. i do plan on returning to school as quickly as possible, but it's nice to know i can work, earn a living and get experience in the meantime.

thanks for all your help!!

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Isn't a BS in nursing....a BSN?

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