MS in Health Informatics to MSN/ DNP Family Nurse Practioner?

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Hello I currently have a MS in Health Informatics and a BSN, RN. I wanted to know if there are any bridge programs out there where I can skip some coursework because of my masters and dive into the MSN, DNP for family nurse practitioner or obtain a certificate in nursing for that?

I am hoping to go the nurse practitioner route and I wanted to figure out the most cost effective way to do so in the shortest amount of time....Any help is appreciated!!!

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

Since you already have your BSN & MSN, you can either elect to do a post-master's certificate or DNP adding new specialty. The post-master's certificate is the shorter route, however, it is typically not covered by federal financial aid. The DNP would be covered (provided you didn't max out your $108K in grad loans), but will be the longer route. As far as having your existing MSN courses count towards your certificate/degree, it depends upon the curriculum at your school and what level the courses were. Each school has different requirements on what they will/will not accept.

Is there a particular school you're interested in attending? Specific area of the country?

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I don't have an MSN but a masters degree. Are there any programs geared towards that? Or would I have to start over again and get another masters? I want to practice in the south eastern part of the US.

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SopranoKris said:
Since you already have your BSN & MSN, you can either elect to do a post-master's certificate or DNP adding new specialty. The post-master's certificate is the shorter route, however, it is typically not covered by federal financial aid. The DNP would be covered (provided you didn't max out your $108K in grad loans), but will be the longer route. As far as having your existing MSN courses count towards your certificate/degree, it depends upon the curriculum at your school and what level the courses were. Each school has different requirements on what they will/will not accept.

Is there a particular school you're interested in attending? Specific area of the country?

The OP didn't say s/he has an MSN, s/he said s/he has an MS in Health Informatics. Entirely different field. Unless I'm misunderstanding, OP??

If you have a master's that isn't in nursing (MSN), there isn't any "bridge." You have to take the full component of MSN core classes. There might be some individual courses, like graduate levels stats or research methods, something like that, that might transfer, but even that is not particularly likely.

Best wishes for your journey!

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Actually Health Informatics is related more to Nursing Informatics..Health IT not medical records-- thats MS in Health Administration

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.

OK, so what is it you're looking to do? Remain in the informatics field? Or become a nurse practitioner? They are completely different careers. In my former life, I was in the informatics field (finance, not health care). As long as you already have the Masters in Health Informatics and you already have your BSN, why go back? The DNP isn't really going to make or break your salary.

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I am afraid that I might be limited with my masters program, it is a hard field to tap into...It is also very competitive

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

Since you don't have an MSN, it's unlikely you'll find a school that will let you bridge. Part of certification is having an MSN or DNP. From my experience, school tend to limit the number of credits you can transfer to about 9-15 hours although I question how many MSN courses you've actually covered. Even if you bridge, you'd still have to take all of the nursing courses you haven't already.

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There's no bridges for non-nursing master's degrees. Most schools have a policy on transfer credit for specific courses if there is a very close match or if your degree includes elective credits. Although, most FNP programs won't have much overlap with a non-nursing informatics degree not do they usually include electives. So chances are you will be starting fresh. Your best bet would be to ask the schools you're interested in directly but it would be safe to assume little or no course exemptions.

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