Entry level Master in Nursing

[khangl1]

I have my BS in Biology and want to go back to school for nursing. So far the only school I found that has an ELMSN is Metropolitan State University in Minnesota. Has anyone been there before? Is it competitive? What's the difference between ELMSN and a regular MSN? Is having a ELMSN a bad idea?

[AccelCNL, MSN, RN]

There are quite a few programs that are entry level. Here is the list

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/research-data/GENMAS.pdf

[Hmarie12]

Hey there! I also have a non-nursing bachelor's degree (although yours is much more related than my business degree haha) and will be starting an ELMSN program this June. I chose this route because I wanted to earn my masters in an accelerated time frame and start working right away. I don't know anything about Minnesota's ELMSN program, but if you check under U.S., Minnesota Nursing (up top) you will probably find a thread. Most ELMSN programs are very competitive and focus on grades, GRE scores, and health care experience. The difference between an ELMSN and MSN is that, for an ELMSN you are not required to already have a degree in nursing, whereas traditional MSN programs are for RN's looking to advance their education. I think an ELMSN or accelerated BSN are all good options since you have a bachelors degree. I would advise you to think about what you want to do in nursing though. Traditional bedside nurses do not need to have masters degrees, but if you think you may ever want to do management or become a nurse educator, then you will need your MSN. There are several different MSN degrees though, and you may not know which one you will need right now. For example, if you want to become a nurse practitioner you will need a masters that includes an NP program (there are a few entry-level MSN-NP programs out there, I don't know if Minnesota's is one).

Just some things to think about. I don't think ELMSN programs are bad ideas, however some people argue that a nurse should have more bedside experience before holding a masters degree. You might want to check out how many clinical hours that program offers and see if it looks like a good fit. Everyone is different :)