I want my MSN, but...

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Specializes in Urology, ENT.

When I was getting my BSN, I thought that was as high as I wanted to go, and I had no interest in becoming an NP. I still have no interest in becoming an NP, but I want my MSN. My question to myself now is what am I going to get my MSN in? I have zero desire to pursue being an NP, and I actually liked bedside. I toy with getting it in education, but I'm not totally feeling the itch to go teach at a nursing school.

Besides going into administration or becoming a nurse practitioner, what can you do with your master's that's still bedside?

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Specializes in Cardiac Stepdown, PCU.

I was just considering making a topic on this as well! I feel the exact same as you. I saw the forum on Clinical Nurse Specialist, but it looks like it's an almost dead field that was absorbed into NP... but I have no interest in NP or administration. I want to do bedside. Definitely watching this for thoughts.

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Specializes in Urology, ENT.
I was just considering making a topic on this as well! I feel the exact same as you. I saw the forum on Clinical Nurse Specialist, but it looks like it's an almost dead field that was absorbed into NP... but I have no interest in NP or administration. I want to do bedside. Definitely watching this for thoughts.

I was looking at the same concentration, but when I saw the university close to where I live no longer offers it, I thought, "...well there goes the one thing I wanted to do."

I could pursue the whole DNP route for that, but I don't know. I think I would hate being in administration more than being an NP. I drew the line there when the house supervisor at my last facility had to figure out where to put one of the bodies in the morgue after there wasn't room anymore. As comical as I found that, I really don't want to have to decide who stays outside for an hour :X

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Specializes in EDUCATION;HOMECARE;MATERNAL-CHILD; PSYCH.

Masters will open many doors for lucrative job opportunities such as:

Staff Development specialist

Adjunct Clinical Instructor/Professor

Research Nurse

Consultant

Healthcare administrative positions - Directors, Managers

Midwives

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Specializes in Urology, ENT.
Masters will open many doors for lucrative job opportunities such as:

Staff Development specialist

Adjunct Clinical Instructor/Professor

Research Nurse

Consultant

Healthcare administrative positions - Directors, Managers

Midwives

When you say consultant, you mean the legal nurse consultant, right?

I guess I wouldn't mind too much being an adjunct clinical instructor, but then again, I'd be waking up at the butt crack of dawn again, and I hated doing that, unless there was a group that wanted to do nights.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Consultant can be more than legal nurse consultant. I'm the psychiatric consultant at a clinic...

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I looked at the classes for each track in the masters, and considered which ones sounded the most interesting. Many of the basic required courses are the same for all of them. I decided on the education track because I also like to teach. I have stayed at the bedside (well, cart side in the ER, lol), and also do adjunct for the local CC. Quite a few of my coworkers have or are close to masters in different areas.

There are many areas for nursing education than just schools; in house education, staff development, etc.

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Specializes in Urology, ENT.

Can you explain how that works? If a pt exhibits signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder or has a history of schizophrenia, do they ask you to come and see the pt before the doctor? I didn't know that required a master's.

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I think school's fa fools ;)! [video=youtube;vz-6-MfpsJo]

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Specializes in Urology, ENT.
I looked at the classes for each track in the masters, and considered which ones sounded the most interesting. Many of the basic required courses are the same for all of them. I decided on the education track because I also like to teach. I have stayed at the bedside (well, cart side in the ER, lol), and also do adjunct for the local CC. Quite a few of my coworkers have or are close to masters in different areas.

There are many areas for nursing education than just schools; in house education, staff development, etc.

Do you also do staff development with your master's? I know my position could very well change in 5 years, but staying bedside (and preferably at night) is my current goal. As you can tell by my original post, I'm completely ignorant of what can be done with an MSN outside of anesthesia, midwives, administration, NPs and PhDs.

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Specializes in Urology, ENT.
I think school's fa fools ;)! [video=youtube;vz-6-MfpsJo]

BAHAHAHAHA.

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Specializes in EDUCATION;HOMECARE;MATERNAL-CHILD; PSYCH.
Do you also do staff development with your master's? I know my position could very well change in 5 years, but staying bedside (and preferably at night) is my current goal. As you can tell by my original post, I'm completely ignorant of what can be done with an MSN outside of anesthesia, midwives, administration, NPs and PhDs.

Yes, you need Masters for Staff Development. For consultant, I hire myself out to hospitals and schools to do projects such as Pain Management, Baby-Friendly Initiatives, Home Care intake, Securing clinical sites, etc. You definitely need your Masters to these roles.

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