Careers as as a master degree nurse?

mahaandai · May 25, 2009

hi, strawberrygirl,

I am also a student at MSN program in New Jersey. I had a meeting with the

school counsellor, they suggested that there are limited opportunities for MSNs in hospitals and nursing homes.

But being a MSN graduate opens up venue in Pharmaceutical industries- Clinical Managers, Research scientists and in Teaching- well, I heard that is going to change very soon since for teaching they prefer Ph.D. degree. Fresh MSN probably make same salary as RN with few years of experience, but have more respect than RN.

Be_Moore · May 25, 2009

An MSN can do everything a BSN can do, and more. Depending on the degree you get, MSN's are looked at for management, nurse educators, authors of hospital-wide or department specific care plans. MSN's can also be teachers, nurse practitioners in hospitals or private practice, nurse anesthetists in hospitals or private practice pain management.

The key is deciding which route you want to take, because at the MSN level the degrees get quite specific.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · May 25, 2009

it is all about work experience not degree! msn new grads get the same respect as any other registered nurse new grad because they do not have any work experience. in fact in some states msn new grads cannot work outside of direct patient care for many years because no one will hire them until they have gained 3-5 years of direct patient care experience. employers can be picky these days... msns with work experience earned the respect they get and work in positions outside of direct patient care if they choose because they earned that as well. :twocents:

mahaandai · May 25, 2009

it is all about work experience not degree! msn new grads get the same respect as any other registered nurse new grad because they do not have any work experience. in fact in some states msn new grads cannot work outside of direct patient care for many years because no one will hire them until they have gained 3-5 years of direct patient care experience. employers can be picky these days... msns with work experience earned the respect they get and work in positions outside of direct patient care if they choose because they earned that as well.

i do agree with this as i have met highly experienced rns on floor during my clinicals at umdnj/st. peters.

however, i do think rn program should begin only after having four years of college degree. this will ensure that us nurses are at par with foreign nurses in meeting minimum educational requirements. nursing as a career has changed significantly involving people from diverse and respectable professions including mbas, it managers, engineers, doctors, etc.

Spacklehead, MSN, NP · May 25, 2009

I haven't looked into this much, so I am just curious what sort of careers are available to master degree nurses and what sort of salary do they typically make?

It all depends on the focus of the MSN. Some nurses obtain their MSN to go on and become advanced practice nurses such as nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. Others obtain an MSN to become an educator or clinical nurse leader. Then there are some MSN degrees which are general in nature where you would be a bedside nurse with a Master's.

As far as salary for a nurse with an MSN, that also depends on the focus of the MSN. Advanced practice nurses, depending upon their location and specialty, can make over $100K/year. Bedside MSN RNs would typically make as much as any other bedside RN. It all depends on the focus of the degree.

melmarie23, MSN, RN · May 25, 2009

Everyone above pretty much summed it up. As far as what I plan to do with my MSN, I would like to go on and obtain my NP certification. My program will prep me to be a generalist, a CNL (clinical nurse leader) so I will also take that exam and obtain those credentials...but NP is my ultimate goal. Probably in Women's Health.