Is it only hard for Asn and Bsn nurses to get hired?

[UpstateNyDollCna]

I was interested to know if it is only Asn and Bsn nurses who have a hard time getting hired or do Msn nurses have a hard time also?

I know I am getting a little ahead of myself but next year I have to decide if I want to go to a C.C. for the pre requisites for a BSN program or a PT program.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

It depends on where you live. I'm Canadian, and MSNs get paid more. I'm surprised they don't where you are. Honestly, then, what's the incentive to take out more loans and study for a longer period of time? MSNs up here typically make 10 to 15 thousand more...a reason why employers want experience.

[werkinit]

The whole concept behind a Masters is that you should merge real world experience with your education.

I know plenty of Master's & PhD prepared folks who studied completely different fields from their "real world experience." (Often they went to grad school to escape their current jobs & change careers completely) I know plenty of RN's who studied totally different specialty areas in grad school too (like an Onc RN who became an FNP - she even told me very few of her bedside skills transferred to her FNP curriculum). Doctor's and Lawyers both get their graduate level degrees w/out previous experience working as doctors or lawyers (I know an art teacher who's currently in med school). Likewise, I know plenty of people who go into field's completely different from their graduate degrees.

There are so many motivators and different reasons for pursuing graduate level education. I, for one, worked super hard to get my Bachelor's degree and didn't see any benefit to getting another one (especially since you don't qualify for loans on a second Bachelor's) when I could get a Master's instead. At the end of the day, it's really just an academic piece of paper showing that you worked your tail off studying a whole bunch of stuff that the institutions deem important & relevant for the course of study....

I don't know about your region, but in the N. California area where I'm living, our new grad master's are hired as new grads -- no extra money, but a lot to add to the mix -- and they're definitely seen as competitive candidates. Our program grads are getting hired very quickly in a highly competitive market.

[Streamline2010]

Totally disagree with the advice to get a ADN. In my area ADNs are not being hired, hospitals want the BSN. You should really wait to get an MSN until you know if you like nursing and which area you want to specialize in.

I think RNs of any flavor should get used to the idea that they might not get to work in a hospital. Hospitals are shortening patient stays and downsizing staff and are closing units and consolidating services. Skilled care, LTC, surgi-centers, etc. are taking over functions that used to be done in hospitals. So, don't set your heart on a hospital job.

In PA, an RN license supercedes the CNA license and the LPN license and you are allowed to work as a LPN or CNA with a RN license. That might be another route to get a job in a tough job market. Then, as one or more posters said, you have an income and the employer pays for the BSN completer.

It may not be your ideal solution or dream job, but you are working in your field. You just might have to lower your expectations, particularly if you are in an area with a glut of nursing schools and your are not willing to relocate for a hospital RN job.

[HealthyNurse]

Usually those with an MSN do not work at the bedside as RNs. They work in different roles as advanced practice nurses, nurse executives, or administrative roles. If you are talking about getting an MSN before having any nursing experience and then hoping to get a bedside job and be competitive, my feeling is that it is not a great idea. Certainly, no education is ever wasted, but I would go for the BSN instead because the pay will not be any different. However, if your goal is to be an advanced practice nurse or work in a role outside of staff nursing, that is a different story. I still think that you do need some degree of basic nursing practice though.

I have a master's degree, not in nursing, but in a closely related field of health care administration. I've recently gone through a major job change and I've not had any real trouble in finding a job. I had numerous job offers and I consider myself blessed to have so many opportunities available to me. None of these are staff nursing positions though, because that's not why I'm applying for. I went back to school to have different opportunities outside of direct patient care available to me.

[werkinit]

I think a lot depends on where you are - research the programs in your area, and find out who's hiring what. The graduates from my school & program are really highly regarded by the hospitals in the area. Yes, we are direct-entry MSNs w/ no previous nursing experience, and yes we're all being hired as new-grad RNs at the bedside in hospitals. I can attest that the last cohort of students from my program ALL went this route, so it's very feasible where we are.

Sounds like there are other areas where there's more resistance to direct-entry MSNs, or there's an idea that they are more expensive or less clinically prepared than ASN or BSN new grads. Lots of variability w/in those perceptions.

If you don't have an undergrad degree, I would say try for the BSN if you can. There's a lot of opportunity there.

Good luck!

[KeepItRealRN, BSN, RN]

Absolutely right. I don't think any of the students in my program, or the professors, have any misconceptions about how much we don't know. We're baby RNs through & through...the profs tell us to expect to work at the bedside at least 5 years to really feel a level of mastery over our clinical skills.

While completing the required RN competencies for entry into practice, we are also Master's prepared in the academic sense. I feel very confident in my ability to thoroughly review and critique current academic research & statistical evidence seeking out best practice nursing interventions--I got that one down. That's a useful skill at any level. ...but putting in an IV still feels nerve-wracking...

Someday, it will all blend together and I hope to be a really great nurse! At the end of the day, that's the most important thing right?

There is more to bedside nursing than putting in IV's, changing dressings, giving meds, suctioning etc. What is gained with experience is seeing certain senarious and disease processes play out over time in front of your eyes. Not something a clinician sees. A doctor or nurse practitioner does not spend hours with a patient observing how things progress. The experience gained from these observations and experiences gives one the insight to anticipate what is going to happen before it does, and gives the opportunity to intervene before the patient deteiorates.

A great nurse is not the one that saves the patient from crashing, A great nurse is the one who PREVENTS the patient from crashing.