Finished BSN not sure where to go from here help please!

[texasbsn]

:jester:Finished BSN not sure where to go from here. pleae advise currenlty work in mental health nursing which I like.considering clinical nurse specialist in mental health wouls this aid myself down the road if decide to teach? would like the option of leaving bedside care.what about healthcare adminstration as a minor

thanks seasons greetings!

[mentalhealthRN]

depends on where and what you want to teach. Some schools hire with MSN of some kind and some a Doctorate. Many CNS in mental health do teaching as a resource person for a mental health unit. So there is that kind of teaching as well--at the clinical setting as oppose to the college/university. I would say you might want to stay where you are and continue to get experience. Meanwhile you could start working a little at a time towards your masters for your CNS in mental health. When done maybe you would have the opportunity to see about a unit resource position. In the meantime you could look into the college setting. The other option is to work towards a mental health NP.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

MHA all the way

[greenfiremajick]

MHA all the way

Why do you say that, guy?

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Because I find administrative duties more appealing and rewarding, and healthcare administration was my long-term healthcare goal upon changing careers.

Edit: Ok, realistically, I may not end up with an MHA since there's only one program offering it in Arkansas, but that spectrum of duties is interesting. Yes, I like the emergency/critical environment from my old paramedic days, but that's not where I want my career to be. That seems like a good starter to get an operational grasp of things.

[greenfiremajick]

Because I find administrative duties more appealing and rewarding, and healthcare administration was my long-term healthcare goal upon changing careers.

Edit: Ok, realistically, I may not end up with an MHA since there's only one program offering it in Arkansas, but that spectrum of duties is interesting. Yes, I like the emergency/critical environment from my old paramedic days, but that's not where I want my career to be. That seems like a good starter to get an operational grasp of things.

You may want to check into wgu.edu for their MHA/MBA program....If you mention my name and student ID# (PM me), you get a free app fee and extra bennies...

TIME mag did a piece on them that was positive, as well. Good school, affordable tuition, etc.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

You may want to check into wgu.edu for their MHA/MBA program....If you mention my name and student ID# (PM me), you get a free app fee and extra bennies...

TIME mag did a piece on them that was positive, as well. Good school, affordable tuition, etc.

I've still got a good way to go in this BSN program (second bachelor's for me), but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

[ocean waves]

Hello. First, congratulations on earning your BSN. I agree with the writer who mentioned that there are different requirements for clinical nursing teaching and for college level nursing teaching. One idea as you explore options for further education is to arrange interviews with nurses in your area who are teaching in clinical settings and in schools of nursing---learn more about their roles, their educational preparations, the requirements for their positions, and the job market situation. This information may help you narrow down which way you want to go with your educational efforts. Best wishes.

[chrisranjana.com]

Mental health nursing is a good stream if you wan to enter into teaching. It also has good demand compared to other streams. But to become a nursing teacher, i feel BSN degree alone wont help, you need to pursue MSN as well.

And you need to go a long way to become a healthcare administrator, and cannot become so if you leave bedside care.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

I wasn't referring to Nursing administration.

[ocean waves]

Hello again. You wrote "...would like the option of leaving bedside care..." and I agree with other writers that some clinical teaching, university teaching, and nursing administration jobs may include some involvement with bedside care. Here are two examples:(1)a friend is the director of nursing at a small facility---if one of her nurses calls in sick, this director of nursing is required to do the bedside care for that shift if she cannot fill the spot with another employee; (2) the mental health nursing instructor at the university where I taught nursing was required to do both classroom lecturing and clinical bedside teaching at local mental health hospitals including administration of psych meds(only possible way out of clinical teaching might have been to ask for part time faculty work in classroom only--then dean would have to employ adjunct faculty to do the clinical bedside teaching part). Best wishes!