More school after school?

Nurses Career Support

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Hello everyone, I'm currently in my last semester of nursing and have been questioning what to do after I'm done. I know I want to further my education but have recently heard of fast track to msn. Should I just stick to bsn or go on msn? What are the advantages of both and what are your thoughts about fast track?

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

It really depends on your personal goals. If you want to be a floor nurse, no need to worry about an MSN right now. You can do that later if you want to move into management or teach. If you want to move to advanced practice eventually, it might be worth the time and $$ to go right for your MSN. That's what I did, because I went into nursing to become a CNM. Passed the NCLEX in Jan 2012, got my BSN that year and moved right to my MSN, which I finished in 2013. Now I am getting a post-MSN cert in nurse midwifery. I would have gone RN-MSN, but originally I planned to do my MSN with my CNM. I changed my plan when I saw how much cheaper it would be to get my master's at .

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My long term goal is life flight. I know i will be working on the floor for a couple years just to get experience, then hopefully move to ER. Continuing education is always a good thing i just didnt know how fast i should get it done and if there were other advantages besides saving money. I feel like i might miss something if i go straight for MSN. Just like skipping over LPN and going straight to RN, i felt like it put me at somewhat of a disadvantage. It does seem to be a time saver! Thanks for the advice and comment cayenne06!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

You have a very lofty goal (pun very intended). These positions are highly competitive and filled with highly expert ED nurses who have tons of qualifications & all the requisite certs. BSN is required, but MSN is not going to add value unless it is specifically focused on ED. If you want in, you need to follow the same sort of career trajectory. Focus on moving into ED first, then start gobbling up all the experience opportunities that are available. It may take several years just to move yourself into a Level I trauma facility job.

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