How long have you been a nurse?

[OsceanSN2018]

HI everyone!

I will be starting nursing in the fall and whenever I tell people that I will be a nurse (such as my non-nursing professors and counselor) they always ask me do I plan on going to grad school. I always tell them maybe 10 years down the line after I graduate and become an RN, but I still don't understand why it is assumed that nurses are always planning on going to grad school asap? I even have a nurse friend who has been an RN for 1.5 years and is already in school to be a nurse practitioner.

I want to work as a bedside nurse for years to come as I see enjoyment in that but maybe I'm just naive...

So my real question is: do nurses go to grad school to make more money afterwards or because they just dislike the profession of a RN? How long have you've been a nurse and why did you choose to go to grad school or do you plan on going?

[AJJKRN]

I have been a nurse for six years now. I did my ASN, then BSN, and am about to finish my MSN in leadership up in the next few months. I may decide to do a post-masters NP in the next ten years but who knows.

I do know that I want to stay at bedside as long as my body allows, I will not leave unless an opportunity comes around that is pretty darn awesome (and pays fairly equal to what I make now, even though money isn't everything but it does pay bills), and I went back for a MSN for me and only me. I didn't hurt to get tuition assistance though.

I can say since my facility became Magnet years ago (and it is a really good place to work at) I have watched a few managers, with years of management experience and close to retirement, have to step down because their degree's did not match what Magnet wants, which is honestly sad. This is a position I do not ever want to be in myself. I do not ever want to lose out...or get forced out of...an opportunity because of degree inflation.