Hi folks. I know that this question is a bit strange and long-winded, so please bear with me.
I've read through all of the CNS forums, and I realize that the CNS role is having and identity crisis. I know that some people believe that it is being phased out, and that many of you who have CNS degrees don't recommend the career path. That said, I'm still considering getting my CNS.
My area of specialty is in neonatal care. Neonatal advanced practice nursing programs on the whole are being phased out at a lot of nursing schools; from what I keep hearing, they're simply too expensive to operate. Neonatal CNS programs are being phased out even faster: according to the most prominent neonatal professional organization, there are only five neonatal CNS programs left in the country (vs. the 40+ NNP programs).
Even though the CNS role may be on it's way out, they're still definitely utilized in my region (and have been in every hospital I've ever worked in from coast to coast). In fact, my local hospitals are trying to hire neonatal CNSs, but they're having trouble filling vacancies because there are so few programs and hence very few graduates.
So, here's my dilemma. I'm still relatively new in my nursing career (< 5 years), and I'm not ready to leave the bedside for an advanced practice role. However, I worry that if/when I am ready, the programs may not even exist.
Most of the remaining programs are prohibitively expensive, and I have no desire to go into debt over a degree that I may not use. However, there is a program that I could effectively complete for free (maybe a couple thousand dollars out of pocket total, which I can easily afford). Even if I stay at the bedside and never end up working in the CNS role, I think that the education and MSN I'd gain would be beneficial for several reasons (long story). If I don't start the program soon, I worry that they'll close it down (like so many other schools have done), and then my only option will be a $100,000 CNS program (which, again, I have no interest in doing).
So, as I said in the beginning, I'm thinking about getting my CNS. However, my biggest concern relates to maintaining my CNS credentials/license if I don't work in the CNS role right away. I said before that I'm not at a point in my career where I'm ready to step away from bedside nursing. If I were to get my CNS degree now but continue to work at the bedside, is there a realistic way to maintain it? To maintain the neonatal CNS certification, the AACN requires 1,000 hours of practice over the course of 5 years; it's a tiny amount of time, but I'm wondering if there's a way to get that experience without working full-time with the job title "CNS." Is there any other appropriate way to get the hours? Basically, if I'm perfectly content in a bedside RN job, I'd hate to have to quit and start a CNS job just for the sake of getting 6 months of experience in order to maintain my CNS certification every five years. Are there part-time and/or CNS-related opportunities that would fulfill the requirements?
In a perfect world, the CNS role would continue to exist, there'd be tons of neonatal CNS programs to choose from, and I'd get the degree several years from now when I'm ready to move directly into the CNS role. However, like I said, I worry that the program I'm interested in may not be around five years from now, let alone ten or fifteen.
Does anybody have any words of wisdom? I know that my proposition has a lot of flaws, but I'm trying to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. Any and all advice is appreciated.
