Entry-Level MSN (NP specialties)

[dani888]

Hi, everyone!

I am currently finishing a Bachelor's Degree in Biology (with a Health Professions concentration) and have decided that I would like to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I know that there are several entry-level MSN programs but some of them do not have a Pediatric NP specialty or even a NP post-grad certification program (CNS or something similar). I am wondering, can I choose any entry-level MSN program and then get post-grad certification somewhere that offers my speciality? Thank you so much!

[elkpark]

You can, but why would you put the time, effort, and $$$ into getting an MSN in a concentration you don't want and then put the time, effort, and $$$ into doing most of another MSN in the concentration you do want?? That's an awful lot of extra work and expense. Why not just go to a PNP program in the first place?

[NAURN]

I agree. You will have to do an accelerated BSN as a second degree since you have a bachelors in something other than nursing, than you can transition into the MSN program, in which you HAVE to choose a specialty, whether it be NP, Education, or Leadership and the NP has even more options as far as specialty you HAVE to choose from, such as adult, family, pediatric. So you might as well find a college that offers an Accelerated BSN-MSN program with a track in PNP...it will be the quickest, and in the long run, probably the cheapest options. Post master's certificated in NP are not easy to get, as you have to take a lot of the courses in the program itself, and it can be lengthy and expensive