Will I regret not going for Doctorate?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi there,

I am hoping to start an advanced degree next fall and leaning towards a Leadership/Management masters with a focus on education. My end goal is to educate new nurses, be a manager, or educate patient's with complicated diagnoses. My only concern is that I may eventually like to teach at the University level, but I know that the master's degree is often not enough. Could I still teach at community college? Will I have to go back to school if I decide I want to teach at a university?

Thanks!

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

For now and in the mid-term future, an MSN is sufficient for the types of jobs you describe. An MSN should give you lots of opportunities for several years to come -- maybe for the rest of your life, depending on how old you are. Just understand (as you seem to do) that an MSN doesn't qualify you for every job out there -- and make your choices.

Upper level faculty positions at major universities currently require doctorates, so those jobs will not be available to you even now. In the future, there will probably be a few more limits on your options -- but I suspect some options will continue to be available. I doubt that all managers, patient educators, staff development staff, etc. will have doctorates in your lifetime. But no one can predict exactly what the future will bring. We can only speculate based on the trends.

I wound strongly recommend getting a doctorate.

If you find a BSN-DNP program close to you and is affordable, then go for that. Otherwise try for a MSN first.

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