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Discussion

Continuing school....What now ??

I am curious about what my next step in my education should be. I want advice from people have done it. Is it better to get your bachelors before getting a masters as a stepping stone? Or if getting your masters is the over all goal, just jump right in and go for my masters? any one have good advice for making the choice? thank you

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    Many masters programs will require you to have the BSN or take the majority of the courses required for your BSN. If you can find a program that will let you take your AD RN and go straight through to MS in nursing then go for it, but I think most require you take the BSN classes anyways even if you were a hard science major before becoming a nurse.

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    A lot depends on what you want to specialize in. Graduate school is for people ready to specialize ... and the best past for you depends on what your chosen specialty is and where you want to end up in the long run.

    For example, if you want to be an advanced practice nurse (NP, CNS, Midwife, Anesthetist) ... you might want to skip the MSN entirely. The DNP degree has grown in popularity for those roles and if you are just starting out in your career, you might as well go for the DNP rather than get an MSN and find that in 20 years, you have a lower level of education than most of your peers. If that is your long term goal, I would recommend the BSN, then the DNP.

    However, if you are going to be focusing on nursing education in an academic setting ... then I would recommend you skip the BSN and go right for an MSN in Nursing Education. The MSN will get you a job in education and if you want to climb the educational hierarchy and/or teach at a university, you'll probably be able to get a PhD or other doctorate in the long run on a part time basis while working as a nurse educator. The same might be true for an MSN in Nursing Leadership or Nursing Administration.

    So ... step 1 is deciding on your focus area for graduate work. What type of work do you want to do for the rest of your life? Which career path do you want to follow? Your answer to that basic question will influence the specific steps you should take next.

    Most people say the like nursing because there are so many choices -- and so many different possible paths, different specialties, etc. There are a lot of options. To choose the specific steps to take, you need to know where you want to go. What is your destination?

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    Entry level MSNs are very unlikely be hired into any non-academic education or leadership role. These positions require experience & step-wise career progression to higher levels, with the first stage at a first-line (department) role. So, it may just boil down to which direction you wish to pursue. Keep in mind that salaries for non-academic educators & leaders generally exceed those of their peers in academia, but there is much less job security.

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