What are the advantages of getting my MSN if I already have a MPH degree?

caliotter3 · Apr 1, 2010

I can't understand why a school advisor won't be straight with you, except maybe they are beyond their level of knowledge with this question. I will say I'm not qualified to give you advice on this, but from my viewpoint, I would say you should already be set for most positions. Unless you get a specific position in mind that would require an MSN, or you find an MSN program that has all the bells and whistles and is all that to boot, I don't see going further with your education. Attempt to get good positions with what you have and see what results. Or, call various persons in executive positions, and ask them for their professional opinion. People in these positions should be in the best situation to give you useful advice. Good luck and I must say that I am impressed with the educational credentials you already possess!

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Apr 1, 2010

Why did you get a bsn? Do you plan to work as a nurse? If so where in what capacity? Weren't you able to get a job with the degrees you already had?

I would get a job first and get some work experience and I would be surprised if you needed an MSN for an admin job as it sounds like you already have a lot of practical and relevant education with your prior degrees. Frankly I think an MSN for an executive job would be redundant and expensive and not necessary, unless you would become a nurse practioner which is another avenue entirely.

cookderosa · Apr 1, 2010

OK.. this is my first post, so bare with me please!
I will graduate from an accelerated BSN program in July. We are being encouraged to continue on to the MSN program this fall. My long-term goal is to be in an administrative position. With that being said... I already have a BS in Finance, and a Masters in Public Health Policy and Administration (MPH). I can't get a school advisor to be straight with me regarding whether or not seeking the MSN degree in Executive Nursing would be worth the time and money. I am fully aware and look forward to working from the ground up, but I want to get all the "schooling" out of the way now, while my brain is still functioning!
So I guess my question is what are the expectations or qualifications sought (education and experience) in a person seeking a position in administration and/or quality management?

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Please understand the role of an admissions rep and an advisor are to enroll you and guide you through that specific program PERIOD. You absolutely will not get generic career advice that you can trust, not to say there won't be advisors who are not willing to give it :) The people advising you have backgrounds in sales and marketing. You can draw your own conclusions.

That said, I think you are doing the right thing by asking those in the know- (which doesn't include me lol) but there are multiple health admin forums, once upon a time I considered that path, so I'd suggest poking around and seeing if you can find a forum that targets administrators.

I seem to recall there being a few main certification-type organizations that were considered to be the heavy hitters among hospital administration credentials, but they are not on the tip of my tongue.

You'll want a little nursing work so you can say you've "been there done that" but I wouldn't spend too much time in lateral positions. Onward and upward as they say.

All the best to you!!

delawaremalenurse · Apr 1, 2010

I was in the same boat as you...

I had a B.S. degree in Enviromental Health and a M.S. in Healthcare Admin before I went to an accelerated nursing program and got my BSN. I did return to school and get a dual MSN in Education and Leadership because the question/situation I kept running into prior to the MSN was " you've got an MS degree...great! What's your MSN in??"

I chose to get degrees in Leadership and Education to complement my MS degree in order to attain my career goal(s)...the other poster's are right that it would be redundant to get your MSN in the same field as your current Master's degree.

My "advice"...it would be worthwhile to get your MSN IF it complemented your existing degree and integrated well with your existing career plan.

misplaced1 · Apr 1, 2010

I am from a pharmaceutics background. The pharm industry is changing but the medical industry overall is still in pretty good shape. You could look into pharm companies, bio companies all kinds of med equipment companies. They like people with backgrounds in both medical and finance as there are not a lot of people with backgrounds like that. People are usually ether or. I think if you want to be a hospital or nursing home administrator it may help to get MSN but if you go work for a compnay that does research and or marketing of medical products, and there are TONS of them, you would get a job probably without too much nursing experience even. I know a couple people with business backgrounds that went right from nursing school to jobs like that when i lived in the dc area. In my area, which is rural there are not compnanies like that around cause if there were that is what i would be trying to do

llg, PhD, RN · Apr 1, 2010

An MSN would open up career possibilitis outside of the administrative realm. If you are 100% sure that you are only interested in an administrative career, then I don't think the MSN would add much at the moment -- though you never know when and if people will start prefering MSN's for ALL leadership roles, including administrative ones. The argument is, that if you want a nursing leadership position, you should have more than just an entry-level degree in nursing -- and a BSN is basically, an entry-level degree.

My opinion of the bottom line: If you are only interested in admin. jobs, your current education is sufficient for most positions. However, if you decide not to get the MSN, understand that they may be a few admin. jobs that you might not get -- and there will be many other leadership roles in nursing that you will be less competitive for -- jobs that require expertise in the nursing care of patients. You will have a beginner-level credential in nursing plus advanced credentials in your other disciplines.