Nurse Practitioner?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Can you go straight from the bachelors program into a masters program for nursing? Someone told me that you have to get experience first and then return for your masters. Does having a masters degree make you a nurse practitioner? Not that I have a choice...my parents insist that all of their able children obtain masters degrees. But I'm curious as to how it works. My brother has gone straight into his masters program (in electrical engineering NERD! NERD!). I'm trying to catch up with him. :)

0 Votes

Yes, you can go straight into the Master's program. Actually some programs even combine the Bachelor's and Master's degree into one program. In nursing, students have several options with the Master's degree:

1. Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

2. MSN combined with a Master of Business Administration (MBA)

3. Hospital Administration

4. Nurse Practioner (NP) - either Family Nurse Practioner, or a specialty such as Acute Care NP, Neonatal NP, Pediatric NP, Women's Health NP, Gerontological NP, Psychiatric NP, etc

5. Clinical Nurse Specialist - in many of the same specialties as listed above for NPs

6. Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)

7. Certified Registered Nurse Anestetist (CRNA)

Not every school offers all of these options, but they are all Master's degrees in nursing. Hope this helps!

0 Votes

You could go straight to the MSN program if you choose.

At times I wish I had gone from AD to BSN to MSN, but I wasn't ready to do that. I was also very stubborn and NEVER wanted to enter another classroom once I finished with the AD program

(I didn't even want to go to my kids' back to school night....classroom anxiety...:-)......)

But I am half way through the masters program and boy oh boy, I wish I had done this sooner. But I firmly believe that things happen for a reason.

Most of the masters programs have the same core courses for the first 9-10 courses, then you go on to administration, NP or clin spec.

I personally feel that is takes a few years to figure out which direction you want to go in, unless you are one of those rare people that have no doubt which way to go. And thats OK too.

So, especially if your family is supportive, go for it.....get some experience while you take 1-2 courses at a time.

This gives you an opportunity to get valuable experience as you put what you are learning to practice as well as see how things that you work with daily, could be done better. (boy what a long sentence...did that make sense)

Also, in the process, you age a few years.......One thing I hate to see, is a 23 years old with an advanced degree who does not get the respect that they desreve because they are young. It is horrible, but it happens alot in health care........Is it jealousy? Maybe......What ever......

Good luck to you it will be a great adventure no matter which way you go.

Kat

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment