How to pick which MSN degree is right for me

[allikatRN]

Hello,

I am a new grad from an associates program. I just passed my boards last week. I have been working an a GN on an acute care floor at a large teaching hospital for 2 months now. I think my calling is womens health, specifically maybe L&D. I have felt this way since before going to school and my rotation there further clarified that. I just wanted to get my year or two of med surg in at the beginning. I know I want to go for my masters. I know I will need some pre-reqs to get there. I want to start those pre-reqs now as if I take a break I may not want to go back so easily. There are so many types of MSN degrees! CNL, CNS, admin/leadership,NP, anesthesia, case mgt, midwife, educator, research. I dont know what the real differences are. I have read about them but I am having a hard time putting these with an actual job. I do not want to wait for a couple of years until I transition to the womens floor to select a program and start. I want to chose a degree that will give me the most options,as right now I want to work in a clinical setting with patient care being a large part of my day, however I want the option to be an educator or manager down the road. I am not sure I want to be an NP because they do not give alot of direct patient care, but do any of the masters degrees? I mean floor nurses do not typically have masters. I am so confused and I feel like I should know this, I also want my cake and to eat it too. In two years I hope to be on my way to having children and married, and by then I wont want to start pre-reqs. Not only are there so may degree areas for masters but there are so many specialties mother-baby, womens, adult, neonatal, peds, adolescent etc. Where can I go to find someone that can tell me the difference in job descriptions so I can chose a program and get started with the pre-reqs?