Career Advice - Please Help!

[struggling_student]

I am currently a PN nursing student in Washington DC. I will be taking the boards in December 2006. I am looking into getting my master's in Healthcare Administration (I have a BS in biology). I've talked to a couple of people and they are RN first before they got the master's in HCA. I would like to know if anyone has any advice as to which to do first. My goal is to be a Director/coordinator of a facility, hospital, nursing home. I wanted to know if I need to get the RN or would I be ok with the LPN and Master's? Any advice would be appreciated.

[LuvMyGamecocks]

I'm still a student myself, but I'm nearly 100% positive that you have to have the BSN (beyond just the RN) before you can apply for Post Graduate Studies. I do know this is the case at USC (the real USC).

I don't see how it's possible or logical to admit a student to postgraduate studies without a degree of some sort. The PN program at my school doesn't grant a degree, they grant a certificate/diploma...the RN program grants a 2 year, Associates Degree in Nursing.

Good luck and welcome to allnurses.com!!!

[Halinja, BSN, RN]

Its interesting how many people with biology degrees end up in nursing. There are three people in my program with biology degrees. But that isn't what you were asking about!

If it were me, I would want the RN first. But then, I'm an RN student, so I may be biased. I know that there are LPN/LVN's in positions of authority that do a fantastic job. I think that the ones I know of had considerable experience before they took those positions, however.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I'd suggest that your career options in nursing administration would be limited by not having an RN. In some places I've lived, you would not be qualified to be a nurse manager even with graduate education.

If you went more into the business angle of health care administration, you'd probably be ok.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I'd suggest that your career options in nursing administration would be limited by not having an RN. In some places I've lived, you would not be qualified to be a nurse manager even with graduate education.

If you went more into the business angle of health care administration, you'd probably be ok.

I agree. If you are going to stick within the field of Hospital Administration, then a nursing degree of any kind is not required. However, if you want to go into Nursing Administration, then a BSN (and/or MSN) is generally required. The two fields are different. Hospital administrators focus on the business side of health care, budgets, supplies, contracts, reimbursements, human resources, etc. Nursing administrators focus on managing the nursing services provided (plus a few other things to which they get assigned).

Which career path are you most interested in? That is the question.