Educational fork in the road; advice, please.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Hello, all. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.

I have been a nurse for nine years (LVN 2006, RN 2010). I presently work as a house supervisor at a small specialty hospital and will be totally finished with a BSN degree completion program by the end of next month. I have certification in my current specialty and am not opposed to earning more certifications.

My plans for the immediate future entail enrolling in a graduate degree program by this fall. I am debating between the MSN program with a specialization in nursing education or the MS program with a major in human resource development. Sometimes I think the MSN/MBA dual program will be a good idea. If I opt for the MSN/MBA program, human resource development would be the MBA track's specialty area.

Perhaps I should mention my career plans. I absolutely want to leave the bedside. I do not want to be a unit manager or nurse manager of any type. I am interested in becoming a hospital recruiter, director of human resources for a healthcare facility, unit educator, utilization management nurse, case manager, or human resources manager at the corporate level.

Please advise me or inform me of any educational tracks that might not have come to my mind. Thanks again.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

We can't tempt you into advanced practice?

Sent from my iPhone.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Personally, I have always liked the idea of MSN/MBA combo programs. I've know too many people who got graduate degrees in business or health services administration, etc. ... who then end up in some sort of Nursing Admin role without having any advanced nursing education. I've met a few of those folks who are clueless about anything related to nursing beyond what they learned with their entry-level nursing educations and entry-level staff nurse jobs.

But that's just my opinion from having worked with people in hospital management, HR, etc. for several years in several different places. In my opinion, the best ones have advanced education in nursing as well as education in their business-related field. (Both ... not just one or the other.)

[featherzRN, MSN]

I'm doing a healthcare MBA - I *may* do an MSN later, but all the MSN types I know tell me to get an MBA. Plus, the subject material interests me more. I think a dual MSN/MBA would be the way to go - that's what I'd pick, but the schools that offer it are above my price range for the moment.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

We can't tempt you into advanced practice?

I would like to greatly reduce the amount of face-time I receive from patients and family members. I am an introvert with a reserved personality and prefer to take my career in a direction that is conducive to my personal traits.

Thanks for the suggestions I have gotten so far. Feel free to keep the advice rolling in.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I like the MSN/MBA. My daughter was enrolled in such a program (did not complete for other reasons) - but the grads of this program are HIGHLY marketable.

[BirkieGirl]

If you are planning on entering recruiting type work or anything in the business end, I would think that the MSN/MBA would be a good choice. I am stuck deciding between two degrees right now too, so I have little to offer but wanted to wish you luck!

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

You do not need an MSN to do case management. The CCM certification is desirable, though. I see the MSN in job postings only for advanced case management with home visits using the Naylor model=lots of face time.