Is a Master's in Public Health a good return on investment?

phn529 · Mar 10, 2016

I'm far from an expert on this, but I would say try to get a PHN job first just to make sure it's what you really want to do. That being said, I know in some areas of the country it's really difficult to get your foot in the door in PH, so it might be worth talking to people who already work in that setting in your area and seeing what their credentials are and what is expected to become a PHN. If you are in one of those areas of the country I honestly don't know if the MPH will help you though because what they really care about is PH experience. If you want to be a PHN I think there are other things that would help you more than an MPH and won't put you further in debt. Volunteer work that shows public health interest, PRN work with private agency flu shot clinics, getting involved in disaster preparedness in your area, etc all show dedication to public health and would look great on a resume.

I myself am toying with the idea of pursuing my MPH in the near future, but I have been working as a PHN for almost 2 years and would like to move into a leadership role. The bottom line is if your goal is to become a PHN you really don't need an MPH, but it may be helpful if your goal is to move up in the world of public health (Although some people I know will argue that even then it doesn't hold much value). I hope this helps!

SiwanRN · Mar 10, 2016

Nurses can work in public health without an MPH. Most of the nurses that I work with just have their BSNs. It seems to be industry standard for most parts of the country that a BSN degree is required for an entry level position as a public health nurse. The MPH-carrying public health nurses that I work with tend to be in leadership/management roles or doing work around program planning, development, and evaluation. While an MPH is certainly valuable in public health (I'm in the process of completing an online MPH myself!), it is by no means required for entry. I would second PHN921's advice and encourage you to get your foot in the door with your BSN first. There are plenty of other things you can do that don't cost $28,000 dollars that would look good on a resume. Joining your state's public health nurse association is far cheaper, and also provides you with a bonus networking opportunity to meet who is who in the public health arena in your area. If your state doesn't have a public health nurse association, look into your state's chapter of the American Public Health Association. Decide if you like public health first before plunking down for a degree. I intend to keep my career 100% in public health, so an MPH makes sense for me. If I was in your shoes, I'd work on paying down your BSN student loans first before applying for MPH school. Grad school ain't cheap, but it's a lot easier to handle with that being the only student loan debt to worry about at a time.

ForeverDreaming · Mar 11, 2016

Thanks for taking the time to reply PHN921. You make some very valid points about attaining some volunteer and/or work experience in public health nursing before making the time and financial commitment into a career I may not end up enjoying. I'm hoping to put your advice into action and start looking for some volunteer opportunities in the near future. May I ask what you do in the public health nursing realm and if you enjoy your job compared to bedside nursing?

ForeverDreaming · Mar 11, 2016

SiwanRN, thanks to you as well for taking the time to give such good advice. The reigning theme I'm hearing from the two of you is to get experience in some way before starting school. Sound advice from two experienced Public Health RN's. Thank you! Thanks for also suggesting organizations I can contact to get more information about the public health field.

scoope23 · Mar 11, 2016

I did my Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology and then decided to go to nursing school afterwards. I like the RN/MPH combo because I was able to combine clinical skills with my background in public health, which provides for a unique perspective on health-related phenomena. My interests are in applied epidemiology/research, so I am still able to do that with a nursing degree too. Whatever you decide, you'll have plenty of options!

guest464345 · Mar 12, 2016

I work in a county public health department, and none of the nurses in our area have MPHs. Some nursing supervisors and a couple of staff nurses have MSNs....the rest of us are BSNs. The epidemiologists mostly have MPHs, and some other data folks (analysts, admin staff) are in grad school while they're working.

I agree with the others - a master's is not necessary to get you in the door, and it's a better idea to see if you like the work (and if so, to decide what exactly you want to study) before taking on more debt. For non-supervisory staff, I actually think in many instances the BSNs earn a higher salary than the MPHs.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2016

How about considering the US Public Health Service? Perhaps they would cover the cost of schooling.

I don't know much about it other than it is considered one of our nation's uniformed services and I think you would be earning benefits equal to people in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines.

I guess PHN's work for states, counties, and the Fed gov. Maybe for some large cities, too. I worked for a county gov as a PHN and wish I'd gone the USPHS or military route.

It's great that you love your job and that your Dad can help you and that you have a goal and the start of a plan. I wish you all the very best.

persimmonRN · Apr 5, 2016

I third getting a job at a health dept first before pursuing a MPH. Overall, unless you are going into epi or biostats, MPH do NOT typically pay well. To give you an idea, most new grads with a MPH are starting in the low 40K right out of school, IF they can find a job, as a nurse you'd have a leg up on finding a job, but those with pure MPH and no health certification licensure like a RN/RD and no real life work experience struggle more to find a job, even with a MPH. We just hired some new grad MPH, it took both of them 6-9 mo to find a job... and it's a LOW paying job ($17.xx/hr... they have told me that they often wonder if all the student loans are worth it).

To give you an idea, I'm a RN, BSN and I am a bit of an oddball at our county HD. I am the only nurse who is NOT in nursing (nursing depts are: PHN, 2 divisions & public health clnic), I am in Health Promotions & Education doing health systems policy work, but it also includes policy and system work on environmental support too (increase in access to healthy foods & phyical activity, everything my team does is based on community collaboration and partnerships, which is very foreign to a lot of nurses, they just don't, "get" it- this is grant work). The DON had to fight to get my position designated as a RN position, there's never been a RN in HPE before in the history of our HD and compared to other counties who have the same grant as us, they are mostly MPH, but no nurses. I feel that as a nurse, I have a bit of a different POV on things, however I also am an oddball as a nurse, as I have a BS in dietetics as well, have taught nutrition classes on the community level, my community rotation during my BSN was odd, I did healthcare for the homeless, had zero school/occ/homehealth exp and worked much more on a community level in health as a volunteer than most nurses.

I've thought on and off about getting my MPH. I believe it could help me to move into management, but as for helping me to do my job right now, I think that based on my clinical and community health (FYI, I have NEVER been a phn nurse, I'm like a total weirdo when it comes to nurses in public health, the other nurses in the HD do not have any understanding of what I do and have told me that my job sounds very daunting, since it is not routine or concretely defined work). My issue is that public health pays poorly and we are in a somewhat rural location. Yes, I could pursue a job with the state, but I'd have to commute about 1.5 hr each direction. If we lived in a metro area, I'd get my MPH w/o any hesitation, as I am very sure that with my track record, work experience and educational background that I would be a shoe-in for a state level job if I had a MPH behind my name as well. However, the fact that we are stuck in our rural location (due to my husband's job... which pays waaaay more than my job), I go back and forth on this everyday on whether it's worth the time, $, sacrifice to my husband and kids, etc.. The ROI in my situation is much harder due to being geographically, "stuck" in a region where opportunities don't really exist for those in public health.

I would not jump into getting a MPH until you have at least tried a job IN public health. For your typical PHN nurse, a ADN/BSN will serve you just fine for 95% of the positions. You'd need a MSN/MPH, etc. more to move up the ranks into management. I technically could get my MPH and easily be the next person up for consideration for my dept head (my dept head will probably retire within the next 2-3 yrs), but that job somehow also encumbers the daunting tasks of being in charge of the strategic plan AND accredidation on top of managing several grants and a dept... I don't know if I want that or not. I'd never see my kids or husband again. My dept head works late every night and also comes in on weekends. I need some work/life balance.