Is RN-MSN recognized for Magnet hospitals for floor nursing?

[frequentFLyER]

I've asked several managers and professors and keep getting mixed answers. I have a B.S. in Health Science and want to bridge to my MSN once I'm done with my current ADN program. I want MSN in nurse education so I can teach but I want to work as a nurse first for many years so I'll know my stiff obviously! BUT many places are wanting a BSN so I planned to enroll in the MSN program as soon as I graduate (from ADN). I figured if I'm going for two more years I might as well come out with a Masters instead of another Bachelors.

Since I want to keep working bedside with the MSN, will the hospital see me as a "BSN prepared" nurse and still hire me and do that pay or would they prefer the BSN (even though MSN) is higher?

I know it seems obvious you'd want MSN over BSN if someone is going that route and staying bedside but it's been a struggle to get an answer.

My instructor who is very involved and current on things said they would absolutely hire and pay for MSN at the bedside and be seen as meeting the magnet status the hospitals want but a manager in the ED when I interviewed recently for nurse tech said I should really consider my BSN even though I explained I'm going to MSN.

Can anyone help!?

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes, it is considered acceptable for Magnet status.

The wording from the ANCC is "minimum requirement" - they have a "minimum requirement" of a BSN - obviously an MSN would be ABOVE minimum requirement, as it's a higher degree.

You just need to go to the ANCC website and look for "educational eligibility requirements"

[klone, MSN, RN]

And it's also worth mentioning that Magnet status does NOT have a requirement for their staff nurses with regards to what degree they hold. Their requirement is for nurse managers (ALL must have at least a BSN) and CNO, which must have at least a Master's degree.

The IOM Initiative recommends that facilities should try to have a minimum of 80% BSN rate, but that has nothing to do with ANCC and Magnet.

[frequentFLyER]

I looked that up at the site you mentioned and that's exactly what I found! Couldn't find anything on staff nurses, only on managers and CNO. That's great to know! So what is the 80% BSN recommendation from, the idea that BSN prepared nurses have better outcomes and such?

Thanks for the info!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

The 80% BSN is recommendation #4 from the IOM - The Future of Nursing. It is not based upon conjecture, opinion or to create business for nursing schools..... it is based upon hard data. There is overwhelming evidence that this makes a significant difference in acute care patient outcomes.

For nursing, grad school is where we specialize, so a generalist is pretty meaningless in terms of career potential. It's not uncommon for hospitals to have plenty of MSN-prepared staff nurses these days. In some larger cities, we are starting to see "MSN preferred/required" for some staff nurse jobs.

FWIW, if your desired pathway is education, you'll need at least an MSN-Edu as well as concrete experience in education. Most of us begin with unit-based stuff as well as CPR/ACLS instructor, etc. I'm glad you're thinking of joining my tribe (educators) we need talented newbies!

[frequentFLyER]

HouTx, thanks for your answer! That link is very helpful. I'm going to be on that site a while. :) When I go for the MSN, it will definitely be specialized toward education. That's why I was wondering if hospitals would still be ok with it since it's a little more specific.

Thanks! I have so much to learn but that'll be a happy day when I join the education club!