Master's Entry vs. Accelerated Bachelor's

Ohm108, MSN, NP, CNM · Feb 25, 2019

6 hours ago, is JulieAllison said:
I am in the same boat. I've been accepted to an entry-level msn advanced generalist program and an accelerated bsn program. I am leaning strongly toward the master's, since the cost ($72k vs $60k) and program length (27 months vs 15 months) aren't very different.
One thing I'm not sure of, though, is how helpful a master's degree actually is. Does it really open more doors? Does it often mean higher pay? Or is it mainly just a helpful gateway into pursuing specialties down the road (like CNM)?

From what I have read and seen, if you do not have prior nursing experience you will be treated the same as any other newly graduated nurse whether you have a BSN or MSN so there will be no difference in pay. If you decide to pursue a specialty then you will still need to take a post masters to specialize but you will get to skip the nursing 3Ps and classes like introduction to nursing practice. That usually means you can skip the first year of program and go straight into the two year specialty training years but I also caveat this by saying that different programs have different time lines for their APRN programs and it also depends if you decide to study full time or part time.

Other people can chime in but once you have gained some experience you might be given more responsibility with regards to metrics and projects which is one way I can see having a masters will be different then individuals that have a bachelors in terms of responsibilities but that that will come with time and experience. In the beginning everyone starts out the same.

dirtyrice · Feb 25, 2019

21 hours ago, is JulieAllison said:
I am in the same boat. I've been accepted to an entry-level msn advanced generalist program and an accelerated bsn program. I am leaning strongly toward the master's, since the cost ($72k vs $60k) and program length (27 months vs 15 months) aren't very different.
One thing I'm not sure of, though, is how helpful a master's degree actually is. Does it really open more doors? Does it often mean higher pay? Or is it mainly just a helpful gateway into pursuing specialties down the road (like CNM)?

I am not a nurse but rather a daily lurker of AN.com and have spent a lot of time looking into this for my own sake... I believe the consensus is that initially, one cannot expect a difference in their marketability for jobs, pay, etc. With your entry level MSN, you are ultimately just as fresh an RN as someone who just graduated with their ABSN or even typical BSN. Down the road, since the master's is required for a lot of different forms of advancement in the field, you may see an advantage. You are set up well to go for any of the many different post masters certificates, become an APRN, go into management, etc. I've also read places that your pay may increase a bit quicker due to your masters over time, but it goes without saying that you'd have to be a great nurse for that in either case lol. Overall: it may put you one stepping-stone further along the journey to more advanced nursing roles as you will be a tad more educated in leadership and management, but you should expect minute differences (if any) in your first steps into your career relative to ABSN/BSN graduates. Again - just what I've gathered over a year or two of reading all kinds of threads from nurses and students about this. Hope that is helpful and that I'm not spewing BS!

Edit: "...With your entry level MSN, *assuming you pass the NCLEX*, you are ultimately just as fresh an RN as someone who just graduated with their ABSN or even typical BSN *who also passed the NCLEX*..."

FutureDrNurse, MSN, RN · Feb 25, 2019

Thank you, @Ohm108 and @dirtyrice. That's what I suspected, and it is great to have it confirmed!