make this easy. which msn is best for np?

ixchel · Apr 28, 2012

First, decide which degree you want to get for your undergrad. RN-ADN (or ASN) is going to get you working faster but could add more time to the number of semesters you'll be in school total. You ultimately need a BSN to get an MSN. As for NP, when you complete your choice of MSN program, you will become an NP. Every day I hear of a new specialty of NP that I hadn't heard of before, so really, you need to research to decide on you specialty. The specialty you want will narrow down your choice of schools. Or, you may have a narrowed list of schools and that may determine your specialty choice.

For instance......

When I first started back to school, I was going to go ADN, then ADN-BSN, then CNM. I ended up deciding that for my situation, it made more sense to just get the BSN from the get-go. Then more recently I've been evaluating my choices for CNM and as narrow as the school choices are for that, I realized at this point in my life, knowing I'll be working and caring for my children, CNM just isn't possible. So, looking at what options are more readily available to me, the school I'm attending has a FNP program, and that feels like a great plan B for me.

It sounds like you are at the very beginning of your research. Look at the schools local to you. Determine the requirements they have for entering their programs and look at the cost of attendance. Many people find their choices are made for them just by researching that alone. Worry about graduate school when you've figured out under graduate school. In the meantime, learn about the specialties out there for APN, so that when you do decide to look at graduate programs, you'll have an idea of what the schools are offering.

ixchel · Apr 28, 2012

P.S. don't pick your specialty based on pay alone. Your area may pay PNPs better than anything else, but if you hate kids, you'll be miserable.