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Discussion

Master's Options

I'm a freshman in nursing school this year and, although I know I might be a bit ahead of myself, I have been looking into options for master's degrees. I was interested in the nurse practitioner program, but as I thought about it, I am not so certain anymore. What drew me to nursing is the bedside care that a nurse gives a patient. And, from what I think I've learned, practitioners aren't really at the bedside very much. At least, not near the amount a regular RN is.

So, I'm not really sure what other master's options I have. I don't think that I really want to do administrative stuff or teaching...like I said, the bedside care is what made me want to be a nurse. But, I do really want to get a master's. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Thank you so much! :)

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    • Featured Replies

    Clinical nurse specialist is what you want.

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    I was a lot like you in regard to having a lot of plans for my future very early on. I can tell you that in less than 5 years at the bedside, my direction has changed numerous times already.

    Don't completely close your mind to non-bedside positions at this point. With some experience, your interests will likely change a little. I'm looking at grad programs that I never would have dreamed about five years ago.

    It's hard to generalize too much about one particular role, as it varies a lot between specialties and geographic regions. Clinical nurse specialists sometimes do some bedside work, but most of the clin specs I know are even further from the bedside than the NP's, and CNS can involve a LOT of teaching.

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    • Expert

    I would encourage you to get licensed, get some real experience in nursing, and see where your long-term interests lie in nursing before making any decisions (even hypothetical ones :)) about graduate school. Most people entering nursing don't even have any idea of the very wide range of career paths and roles available until they've been in the field for a while. There are so many different possibilities, I believe it's a big mistake to box yourself in (even just in your thinking!) early on.

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    Or you can skip the masters and get a research PhD...

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