Job opportunities BSN vs. MSN new grads

[mhphilotimo7]

Hello,

I'm trying to help my daughter figure out whether to go to pharmacy school or nursing school. Her dad and I are pharmacists and have seen a dramatic downward shift in pharmacist salaries and job opportunities. She'd love to learn about medicines and we loved learning about pharmacy but with all the stories about new grads not finding jobs and having a mountain of college debt, we are encouraging her to go into nursing instead.

However, I'm starting to read on here and other nursing forums how hard it is for new grads to find jobs. How bad is it for nursing grads these days?

Is it better to get an MSN straight through rather than a BSN?

She thinks she might like being a nurse practitioner (my sister-in-law's best friend is one). She wants to learn about medicines, help people, and make enough money to afford having a horse :-) She loves horses.

At this point, she's thinking of going to a state school here in PA, if she can't get a scholarship at a private college, and at least get her BSN. However, considering pharmacy is a six-year degree, I thought she may as well go straight through for her MSN. Or does she work as an RN with her BSN and go back to school for CRNP?

I really appreciate any help you can offer. I keep wanting to find reasons for her to be a pharmacist but the job market is so bleak right now and the tuition so sky-high, nursing seems more promising and may fill her desire for medical knowledge and helping people, AND finding a good job. Thanks!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

As a health care professional, you have a much better understanding of our industry and what is on the horizon. The "nursing shortage" that was predicted (based on demographic-driven demands) just didn't happen because of: 1) the effect of reimbursement on available jobs and 2)the huge increase in supply as schools ramped up their programs in anticipation of the 'shortage'. . . it's a mess. There are some parts of the country where nurses are in high demand, but those are the exceptions. Most urban areas have a surplus... especially for new grads. As if that wasn't bad enough, hospitals are focused on implementing the IOM recommendations - so they are only hiring BSN grads.

There is an extremely limited market for pre-licensure (entry level) MSN grads. It would be better to begin as a BSN grad & gain some experience before committing to a graduate specialty MSN.

Have you looked into other health professions - PT, OT, etc? They are still in demand; working environment is much more pleasant & they don't experience the serious salary compression issues that are found in nursing where salaries maxx out in ~ 5 years.