Is CNS masters program a bad idea for regular RN on hospital floor?

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I come from a non nursing background and i just want to become an RN in a hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area as soon as possible. The cheapest option in my area may be an Clinical Nurse Specialist MSN degree at SF State. But will this degree actually prevent me from getting a regular RN job, say in L&D? They offer a women's health specialty.

I am also planning to apply to an ABSN program and a CNL masters program. I just want to be a nurse and want to do it as quickly and cost efficiently as possible. The CNL MSN at USF takes LESS time than completing a BSN as a transfer student (2 years instead of 3 years), and the SF State CNS MSN costs less than the Samuel Merritt ABSN, and you get both a BSN and an MSN.

I don't want to be an advanced practitioner at this time, I just want to be a regular RN on the hospital floor. Given that, is a CNS Masters program a bad idea? Will i not be able to get a regular RN job with this degree?? any insight is welcome. Thanks!

Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
Natalie513 said:
Thank you, Boomer! Yes, I have a BA and a JD. Nursing is a second career for me. I have already wasted so much time and money on law school, that I just want to get on with my new career as quickly as possible and as cost efficiently as possible. I would REALLY like to be working as soon as I can be. Overall, I want to do what will give me the BEST chance of securing a job as a floor nurse at a hospital in san francisco. I was attracted to the SF State program because it offered a BSN and an MSN in only two years, for less than the cost of the ABSN at samuel merritt. but I do not want to be a CNS. SJSU is too far away with my kids' schedules, and Dominican is so expensive I would rather just do the samuel merritt and get it over with in a year. I feel like I am going around in circles and I wish I could figure out what is best! the USF program looks great, but I also do not want to work as a CNL, and I am wary about spending so much money AND time on one program. I wish I could just apply to all three and weigh my options if and when I get in, but I would hear back from the MSN programs long before samuel merritt, so I feel like I need to decide what my first choice is before I waste time applying to the MSNs. I really appreciate people's insight on this topic!!

Natalie,

You are well educated and well rounded. Congratulations. I think that you might have an advantage being accepted to programs with your previous degrees. I don't know for sure as I have never sat on an admissions or interview committee. If you graduate from a CNL program, you do not have to function in a CNL role. (Still not sure what a "CNL" does.) So no worries there. Anecdotally I know someone who was in the BSN program at USF, decided to switch to the direct entry CNL program at USF, graduated and has worked for several years at UCSF in L&D as a staff nurse. I did look at the link for the two year direct CNS program at SFSU. For the life of me, I cannot comprehend how thier graduates could function as CNSs. UCSF has some direct entry CNS programs, but they are three years, not two. I can see how you are attracted to a program that awards a BSN and a master's, but again, the CNS part throws me at SFSU. You may not care b/c all you want to do is work as a staff nurse starting out, which I applaud. Does SFSU still have a CNL direct entry program? If so, that would be better b/c those programs are basically undergrad programs with some graduate level courses thrown in. At least that is what I determined when I looked at some CNL curriculum. Perhaps SFSU has abandoned the CNL programs for the reasons that the CNL role has not flourished, and new grads were not getting jobs as CNLs. I know in my area no one did (Direct entry CNL program at Sonoma State which is now abandoned) b/c hospitals did not have any jobs listed as such for the CNL. Those CNL grads entered the work force as new grads, just like any other new grad.

I'm voting for Samuel Merrit's ABSN for you. Ha! Easy for me to say. It's only a year, with both pros and cons. You are not wasting money investing in the good programs that you are considering. There is no nursing shortage at the moment, but I believe that is going to continue to change. New grads are getting jobs, even if it takes a while. The older nurses, many who put off retirement or went back to work when the economy tanked, have got to retire sometime! I am not sure there is an answer to what program will give you the "BEST chance of securing a job as a floor nurse in SF".

I wish you the very best. Something will work out for you; I am sure of that.

Boomer

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Thank you! I so appreciate you taking the time to weigh in on my dilemma :). Unfortunately, SF State does not have a CNL option. They do have a BSN that takes 2 years, which I could apply to as a transfer from my community college where I am doing my pre recs, but honestly I doubt I have a chance of getting into any State program. They are so competitive!

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Specializes in ICU.

I looked at that SF State site out of curiosity after the comments - and I have got to agree there's no way you could be a true CNS with that degree. You'd have the title, but not the knowledge to back it up.

That being said, holy cow the timelines are amazing. It sounds way too good to be true. In two years, you'd have both a BSN and a MSN? And then that part about the certificate option for your FNP if you change your mind and decide to go back to school later is just unbelievable. Five courses and you'd be able to become a NP? I just can't even imagine that you could really get the necessary knowledge to move from nurse to NP in five classes, but that's what they are promising.

I would ask around locally about the reputation of graduates from that program. It sounds way too good to be true, but if local hospitals look positively at graduates from that program, it would be worth a shot.

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You really owe it to yourself to just practice for a while as a nurse. You may find a CNS program to be quite a handful without any background experience in the real world of nursing. You surely can get a job in L & D without a Masters!

The problem with schools today is that they push students to go for an advanced degree BEFORE THEY EVEN HAVE REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE!!!!! How can you make decision, patient assessments without just doing it every day? Just be a simple good RN first!

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Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
suetje said:
You really owe it to yourself to just practice for a while as a nurse. You may find a CNS program to be quite a handful without any background experience in the real world of nursing. You surely can get a job in L & D without a Masters!

The problem with schools today is that they push students to go for an advanced degree BEFORE THEY EVEN HAVE REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE!!! How can you make decision, patient assessments without just doing it every day? Just be a simple good RN first!

Some wise words here. I applaud anyone wanting to get more education, but I don't think you have to practice in an Advanced Practice role just because you have a master's degree in nursing. I did it for myself b/c I always wanted a master's; I wanted the knowledge. Bedside nursing can benefit from anyone with more education. That may not be a popular stance in this day and age. Getting the basics before tackling an Advanced Practice role is absolutely essential, as above OP has said. Just an aside, my older daughter got a BSN, did five years full time + on nights at a Level I trauma center ED, went to the # 1 rated grad program in the US for ACNP and still felt inadequately prepared for her role as an ANCP. Experience has helped her growth in her new role.

I feel like cheering for the original OP and hope she finds her way. If it is true that schools are pushing students too early to get a master's before "real world experience", I find that very sad and inappropriate.

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I don't want to be an advanced practitioner. I don't want to be in management. I want to

be a good old fashioned RN as quickly and as cost efficiently as possibly. Sadly a MSN may be the fastest route and the most cost effective route bc you can't get federal loans for a second bachelors. My question is will this damn masters degree HURT me in trying to get a job as a floor nurse. I do NOT want to be a CNS at any point. But the CNS masters program costs LESS than the accelerated bachelors and I would get a BSN and an MSN in two years. So that's why in applying. I repeat, I do not want to be a CNS!!

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Natalie513 said:
I don't want to be an advanced practitioner. I don't want to be in management. I want to

be a good old fashioned RN as quickly and as cost efficiently as possibly. Sadly a MSN may be the fastest route and the most cost effective route bc you can't get federal loans for a second bachelors. My question is will this damn masters degree HURT me in trying to get a job as a floor nurse. I do NOT want to be a CNS at any point. But the CNS masters program costs LESS than the accelerated bachelors and I would get a BSN and an MSN in two years. So that's why in applying. I repeat, I do not want to be a CNS!!

I don't think it will hurt you in the least. With so many hospitals being Magnet accredited or seeking Magnet accreditation, the more master's degree-prepared nurses, the better it looks for the hospital. Just my two cents...

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Thanks! Has anyone heard anything about having JUST an MSN and not a BSN? I have a BA in political science, useless! One of the entry level masters programs around here just gives you an MSN, no BSN. I'm concerned about hospitals who are saying BSN required. Does just an MSN count for these hospitals?

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Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
Natalie513 said:
Thanks! Has anyone heard anything about having JUST an MSN and not a BSN? I have a BA in political science, useless! One of the entry level masters programs around here just gives you an MSN, no BSN. I'm concerned about hospitals who are saying BSN required. Does just an MSN count for these hospitals?

A MSN is an advanced degree, one step above a BSN. A MSN more than satisfies the "BSN requirement."

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
calivianya said:

That being said, holy cow the timelines are amazing. It sounds way too good to be true. Five courses and you'd be able to become a NP? I just can't even imagine that you could really get the necessary knowledge to move from nurse to NP in five classes, .

I just looked at the postmasters FNP. It's five semesters a total of 31 credits. It does include the advanced pharmacology, advanced assessment, pathophysiology ,roles/theory +3 separate practicums so I don't think it's just five classes. Be aware that the CNL there are some states that nobody knows what the heck that is and so you may not be able to find a job if you should move out of your area ever. Also for CNS not all states recognize them as advanced practice nurses.

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I know it is higher, I had just read on another thread on there that some hospitals require specifically a BSN and having a higher degree doesn't suffice. It's hard to know what to believe, and I feel like it's always changing!

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I would never put CNS or CNL on my resume because that's not what I want to do. I want to work on the floor as an RN, maybe in L&D, or ED, or even as an RN in the OR at some point. But I would never try to get a job as a CNL or a CNS, so i would only include the BSN and/or MSN on my resume.

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