Direct entry Master of Science in Nursing programs

tamadrummer · Apr 25, 2011

As far as I am aware, it does not work that way. In my class we had a woman with her masters in business admin, and another with a bachelors in architecture and 2 with a BS in gerontology. None of them are in anything but an ADN program.

I believe you either have to have your BS or AS in Nursing. In the MSN program you will probably be pushed so hard that it would be next to near impossible to make it.

mindlor · Apr 25, 2011

Nope, I have A BS in Management and was accepted into the direct entry BSN/MSN program at Columbia University. I was there for a week and withdrew after a week after being diagnosed with cancer....1 year later and cancer free so far I am back in a local ADN program.

At Columbia, the first year would have been focused on getting my lic as an RN and a simultaneous BSN. The second year would have been the MSN program.

There would have been very little focus on bedside nursing skills......

Personally, I do not think the direct entry MSN is the way to go.......you can get your ARNP sure enough but then you flounder? I dont see how a school can bestow an MSN on a nurse with no experience......just my two bits....

Jules A, MSN · Apr 25, 2011

I have worked with quite a few of them and am not impressed with their level of competence upon graduation with their masters. They seem to have very little clinical experience but plenty of "nurse leader" type skills which ruffles feathers on the unit where they are no different than any other new grad. Give me a BSN or ADN new grad over a CNL any day but that is jmo.

Jules A, MSN · Apr 25, 2011

There would have been very little focus on bedside nursing skills......
.

One of my biggest problems with this whole concept is that the ones I have known were not interested in bedside nursing and frankly we have enough managers with no practical experience '"leading us" already. :down:

BABYJADE06 · Apr 25, 2011

Thanks for the info everyone!

mfrancisco · Apr 25, 2011

Again, this solidifies why I chose to go the ADN route. I already have a BA, and the ADN made much more sense to me. In my second semester, and loving it so far. Not to mention, I won't be in debt when I graduate. I also work as a Unit Clerk 16 hours a week, and probably would not have been able to do that in an MSN program due to the extra classes and classes being year round. I know where you are coming from. i was really torn at first, but got good advice from nurse friends. Good luck to you!

Malefocker, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2011

I am going to chime in and give my 2 cents for the other side... I personally did a ton of research as I too have a BA and am looking to get into nursing... I chose to do a direct entry masters NP program for a couple of reasons.... right now I think I want to be a NP. The whole program is around 40K and since I know that I eventually want a MSN to pay for a BSN and then pay to get a MSN is crazy... and would cost me twice as much money. Getting an ASN does not work for me because the programs in my area are all wait listed and I do not want to wait 2 or 3 years to start nursing school when I could start in the fall. After the BSN portion I am able to take a year off and come back and start my MSN/NP portion... if I work that year and then through the 18 months while getting my NP, even if that is part time that is around 2 and 1/2 years of bedside nursing experience... The last reason for choosing this route is because I want as many options as possible. The economy is crazy right now so maybe in 14 months when I get my BSN I may not be able to find a job. If this is the case, then I will not take a year off and will continue on and get my NP. Maybe I will get my BSN and become a bedside nurse and absolutely love it... Then I would chose not to return back for my NP. I have read hours and hours of threads on this very subject and this is what I think....The people who make the connections in hospitals whether that be personal connections or work connections are going to get the jobs It doesn't matter whether they have an ASN, BSN, or MSN... Doing a direct entry MSN does not make you more marketable and if anything may even make you less marketable as a bedside RN because it makes sense that employers don't want to hire a Nurse who is going to put there year in and move on to an APRN role. Some hospitals however will hire you because you have an MSN and they want to train you in leadership roles. That being said every person is different and the reason why this is such a debated topic is because for some people the direct entry masters is the way to go and for others an ASN is the way to go and for others a BSN. There isn't a right answer so when you ask is this is a good idea? The answer is yes and no!! You have to sit down and evaluate what your future goals are as a nurse? What is your financial situation like? Family situation like? Where do you live? What types of nursing schools are in your area? Are you willing to relocate? And a whole bunch of other stuff. I personally know a woman who went through a direct entry NP program was in real estate sales before absolutely no health care experience didn't work a day as a bedside nurse and now works at Kaiser as a FNP and makes a great salary and is well respected amongst her colleagues. If you ask her the direct entry route was the best decision she ever made. Just my 2 cents!

Music in My Heart · Apr 25, 2011

I'll chime in, too... as a graduate from a DEMSN program.

1) Clinical experience: Ours was only a wee bit less than that of the local ADN program (~30 hours). We were generally very well accepted on the floors where we did our studies and received very positive feedback from the staff nurses, including comments like, "You guys are 1st-semester nursing students? Really?"

Having finished a year on med-surg and moving into my 5th month in the ER I can say that my clinical experience in school appears to have been sufficient. Could it have been better? By all means. It was, however, adequate.

Interestingly, while our clinical hours were a bit less, it seems that our experiences were actually broader and more comprehensive than those of some of my coworkers out of an ADN program.

2) Few of the folks with whom I attended nursing school have any ambitions toward management. That said, a couple of them have leveraged their previous experience and skill sets and moved into managerial positions immediately upon graduation... and, with one exception, seem to be having success.

3) Nursing is not by any means the only field in which one can earn an MA/MS without a lower degree or professional experience.

4) The generalist MSN provides education in valuable topics beside just basic bedside nursing as well some advanced nursing classes. For example, we took an assessment class normally offered to the FNP students at our university.

In short, the DEMSN can provide excellent preparation for becoming a bedside nurse. Be aware, however, that the bias expressed here appears to be somewhat common in nursing (the only field that I've found in which less education is deemed superior, i.e. Diploma > ADN > BSN > MSN).

hannahmaepunk · Apr 25, 2011

Just think of it this way. How can you Master the Science of Nursing if you're not a Nurse yourself? Hehehe lol. I don't know the details of the prerequisites for MSN degrees, but i know that you should have a nursing education or degree program before you start grad school. Master of Science in Nursing covers mostly theoretical aspects of specific aspects of nursing so i guess this is why schools allow nurses with no practical experience to enroll in their master's program. But, then again, i don't know the details

noregrets · Apr 25, 2011

I did hire 2 graduates from a zero to MSN program. Disaster! Not enough clinical time. Not a realistic attitude.

PMFB-RN, RN · Apr 25, 2011

I serve as an instructor and preceptor in my hospital's Critical Care Nurse Residency Program. At first there was quite a bot of excitement over direct entry masters grads among management. It was thought they would less prone to run off to CRNA school and would be more mature, better grounded individuals.

After experience with 7 direct entry grads excitement had gone very cold.

Admittedly our experience has been with only a few grads and all of them were from two programs. Too little clinical skills, too much entitlement attitude.