HELP! MSN or BSN-DNP???

[AshleyPCA]

I am in a serious pickle (or two):

I am about to graduate with my BSN in August 2014 in Minnesota and I have had the ultimate goal of becoming an NP. I already have a previous bachelor's degree in health sciences so this will be my 2nd bachelor's degree. Therefore, I have already spent a TON of money on school, but I understand that in order to become an NP I will need to spend more. But, I am unsure of whether I want to go the MSN route or the BSN-DNP route. I am concerned that if I do the MSN, I will not be able to practice as an NP due to the possible new requirements for having a DNP soon. I am considering several specialties (public health, pediatrics, or if it's possible...pediatric public health!). Most of all, I enjoy working with children and their families while promoting healthy lifestyle choices and especially prevention. I am just not exactly sure how I would combine these two (does this type of nursing job exist?!) Does this require me to be an NP? I would love to say that I am an NP and providing primary care, but not exactly sure if this is where I'd like to end up forever. If this is the graduate route I choose, then is there any preference I should have regarding whether to go for my MSN first then get my DNP later, or go directly for the BSN-DNP bridge program?? Both will obviously require more time and money, however, both seem to take about the same length of time (about 3-4 years full time). Again, I am also nervous about the MSN route and not being able to practice as an NP just because I only have a master's. Or is this not going to be an issue?

Pickle number 2: Since I am considering both public health and pediatric primary care, I am stuck when it comes to graduate programs. Throughout nursing school I discovered I am passionate about both but I truly love the feeling of teaching patients about prevention, doing community outreach programs, and providing preventative services. If I could be a primary care provider (an NP) AND do this for children and young adults I would be very happy in my nursing career. I am concerned though, with the rigor of graduate programs, especially on the track to becoming a practitioner. Advanced pharm, advanced anatomy and physiology, and other difficult classes may cause me to regret my decision to enter a PNP program. But with public health, it would be a little less stressful regarding classes, but I wouldn't be able to be a primary care provider. Or would I? The only other thing that concerns me is if I decide to go a public health route instead of becoming an NP, the money just isn't there to help pay off all my loans, start a family, etc...or is it?

Side note: I will be graduating with honors and feel rather confident in applying to both types of programs. But experience is an issue when it comes to applying to either type of program as well, and that is very limited since I will just be graduating soon. BSN-DNP programs here require a minimum of 2 yrs experience (so I could get done with DNP around 2020), but some MSN programs don't necessarily require too much nursing experience (so I could get done earlier, possibly).

I hope this is not too confusing or frustrating, I am just trying to figure out which school and career option will be best for my interests :)