Is an MSN - CNL a good place to start my nursing career!

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What up!

I have a couple interviews for nursing schools around the corner. Wooohooooo! I have a good shot at getting into either program. One is a MEPN with advanced nursing degrees the other is a Direct entry Masters - CNL program. My dilema is that I don't know what specialty to specialize in because I don't know enough of whats out there in the nursing field or what I particullary like yet. I do know that I don't want to be a bedside nurse my entire career, but understand that being a besdie nurse will provide a solid clinical foundation, which is important to me. Getting an advanced degree is important to me down the line. My fear is that I will get an advanced degree that I don't particularly care for. The other thing is I've heard that a CNL holds no wait in the real world...yet.

Any advice would help! Go Men!

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

I've got a good guess what city you're in. Anyhow, my impression even before I started in my master's entry program was that the CNL is a certification in search of a purpose. If you know now what type of APN you want to be, then go for that. If not, find a program that'll spit you out with your MS, your RN, and maybe even some of your core classes for the APN. You'll retain the flexibility and still get a good chunk of stuff out of the way.

Also - there's more to the bedside than just Med-Surg. ICU and the ED are popular places for nurses to go who want to go on to get some flavor of NP certification - you'll see a lot and you'll end up doing more than being a meds fairy.

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Word! Thanks for the advice. I think our thinking is along the same track. I feel that the CNL is also a place to start and get spit out with a MSN and RN until one figures out the specialty direction they want to go in.

Thanks again.

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What up!

I have a couple interviews for nursing schools around the corner. Wooohooooo! I have a good shot at getting into either program. One is a MEPN with advanced nursing degrees the other is a Direct entry Masters - CNL program. My dilema is that I don't know what specialty to specialize in because I don't know enough of whats out there in the nursing field or what I particullary like yet. I do know that I don't want to be a bedside nurse my entire career, but understand that being a besdie nurse will provide a solid clinical foundation, which is important to me. Getting an advanced degree is important to me down the line. My fear is that I will get an advanced degree that I don't particularly care for. The other thing is I've heard that a CNL holds no wait in the real world...yet.

Any advice would help! Go Men!

I'm female -- I hope that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to respond. :)

There are a bunch of existing threads here about the CNL role -- you may want to use the "search" button to find them and review what's already been discussed. The role is relatively new, and not v. well established or accepted in most areas, from what I can tell.

I think you're v. smart to be concerned about getting a graduate degree you don't care for. If you don't know what specialty you're interested in, recognize that getting a solid, basic clinical foundation is important, and want to get an advanced degree "down the line," why the rush to get one now? Have you looked at other nursing programs, ADN or BSN, in your area? They are often a lot less expensive than the direct-entry programs and could possibly get you licensed and working sooner than a direct-entry program. A direct-entry CNL degree will only qualify you for basic entry-level nursing positions, until you gain some significant nursing experience, the same as an ADN or BSN. If you're applying for direct-entry programs, you must have a BA/BS in something -- have you investigated accelerated BSN programs near you?

Best wishes for your journey. :balloons:

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Females are always welcome to respond!

Thanks for your info. Yeah I have looked into BSN programs, but many of the state schools in my area are not accepting 2nd degree bachelor students because of the ecomony. Most of the ADN programs are wait listed. There is one Accelerated program that I will be applying for in the fall.

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i disagree with the earlier poster about looking into an ADN program. I think that's a big mistake as so many hospitals aren;t even hiring associate's degreed nurses anymore. The era of the community college nurse is hopefully on the tail end.

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
i disagree with the earlier poster about looking into an ADN program. I think that's a big mistake as so many hospitals aren;t even hiring associate's degreed nurses anymore. The era of the community college nurse is hopefully on the tail end.

I also disagree about looking into an ADN program, but for different reasons. While I think that nursing should move to a baccalaureate entrance degree, the simple fact is that there are not enough BSN programs to meet the demand for new nurses (at least, in situations where the job market has at least the illusion of sanity). Depending on where you are, an ADN may be all you need to get started in a good job.

However, since the OP is talking about deciding between two graduate entry programs, I make two assumptions: the OP has a baccalaureate degree already (or will very soon) and the OP is in a major metropolitan area, where there is more likely to be a substantial population of BSN-prepared new nurses. An ADN may be faster, but metropolitan areas are more likely to have hospitals that only hire BSNs. Additionally, as the OP likely holds an undergraduate degree, he should go for a program geared towards his type and caliber of student - either an ABSN or graduate-entry program of some sort. Yeah, people with bachelors and masters go though ADN programs all the time, but at least from my personal experience, I would quickly tire of academically stomping on my classmates while putting up with arbitrarily strict superficial requirements that ADN students end up having to deal with in their didactic and clinical classes.

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To the Squire - I totally agree, not sure if I'd totally stomp on my classmates going into a ADN program, but I feel as if it may be taking a step back. I've always wanted to get a M.S. so here is my chance. It can't hurt, but only help in the long run.

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I dont think it would be a big mistake to get their RN at community college. At least hospitals here in wa state are not brushing aside RN for BSN applicants. It varies vastly across the country for pay, demand, requirements, etc and all these post show a sliver of what is truly available. Happy hunting.

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ADN program is the only program available to me. The only BSN program in the area requires you to more or less have a 3.8 or higher gpa because the competition for a class seat is so fierce. We have 1 local adn program and anotehr adn program an hour of the city. There is another BSN program about 1.5 hours out of the city but it's in a different state so no luck there.

Take whatever is available. We have 4 major hospitals in our area and literally every one of them is understaffed. They don't care if you are a bsn or adn.. they take what they can get.

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