DNP vs MSN/MPH vs Nursing Administration

[allie_mae]

I'm a new grad in a MICU (6 months in) and I'm trying to sort out my future career plans. My original goal had been to get a few years under my belt, then do the FNP/DNP route with a specialization in public health. Healthcare for the underprivileged has always been important to me, and I'm all about preventing illness rather than treating it. I really wanted to be able to organize free health clinics, etc.

Now that I'm a real live nurse, I'm considering nursing administration or research. It drives me crazy when I see other nurses not follow recommended standards of practice (like rinsing off the chlorhexidine bath they just gave). Or patients being "snowed" on a vent for nurse convenience.

I would like to find some kind of balance between these two interests. I won't be going to grad school for a few years, my boyfriend is in the middle of getting his PhD in molecular biology (which has also given me a love of epidemiology), but I would like to have an idea of what to look into.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Good for you! ... on taking your time and exploring a bit before jumping into a graduate program before you are ready to commit to one pathway and eliminate other possibilities.

My suggestion is for you to just be patient for another few months while you get truly competent in your current role. Then branch out a little bit by trying out a few things to see how you like different aspects of nursing. For example: You could join a unit committee to see how you like the process of conducting a quality improvement project that would involve working with the staff like a manager would, reviewing the existing research, gathering data of your own, etc. You could get involved in precepting or unit education projects to see how you like those sorts of activities. Perhaps you can get involved in some charity work to "try out" community work ... or perhaps take a mission trip to see how you like global health.

As you enrich your professional experience with actual activities of a varied nature, you will be in a better position to make a decision about which direction you would like your career to take. What you learn from those experiences will be much more valuable to you than any other information you can get from others.

Good luck to you.