MSN with best chance of career success.

[Icunurselp]

I am looking into the Masters programs at WGU and am trying to decide between the leadership MSN or the informatics degree. I have heard there is a lot of demand for nursing informatics but am unsure how true this is or how versatile this degree is.

I have about 2 years of experience in the ICU as a staff nurse.

My basic goals are to have job security that pays well and to be away from the bedside doing physical labor as I get older.

I have pretty much decided against the FNP route and feel like I would like an administrative or case management job the most. I have also thought about getting into education but don't want to limit myself completely.

Thanks in advance!

[llg, PhD, RN]

Nursing Informatics is a very specific specialty. It's a good specialty -- I have nothing against it -- but it will prepare you for jobs in nursing informatics only. If what you want is a degree that will support many different career paths, then Nursing Informatics is not it. Your original post suggests you have never worked in the informatics arena. What makes you think you would like it? It would be a shame to invest a lot of time and money into a career path that you don't even know you would like.

If you really think informatics is for you, then get some experience in that type of work before you invest a lot of time and thousands of dollars into a degree in that specialty.

I would make the same recommendation for the other career paths you mentioned. Have you done anything related to management before? What makes you think you would like it? Volunteer for some unit committees, etc. ... become a Charge Nurse ... etc. to see if you like being a leader (and taking on the extra responsibility and problems) those roles involve before investing in that path. It can be a great path for someone who likes that type of work ... but how do you know you are the type of person who likes that type of work?

The same is true for education. If you think you might enjoy that ... then volunteer for some educational activities (staff education? student education?) See how like it before investing.

I have seem far too many young nurses invest big time in grad school without doing their homework first. And I mean "experiential homework," -- not "getting other people's opinions" homework. They go deeply into debt and spend lots of time and energy on a graduate degree without having a clue as to whether or not they will like the type of work they are learning to do.

Graduate education is not like undergrad. Undergrad programs prepare everyone to be entry-level nurses. But graduate programs are specialized and each program is unique. You should figure out what type of work you want to do first ... and then choose a program that will prepare you well for that type of work. Not the other way around. You don't pick a program and then try to figure out what to do with that degree.

So take a little time and figure out what type of work you want to do ... what type you enjoy doing. You'll need to get some experience in different roles to do that. Then you'll know what type of graduate education to get.

Your best chance of career success depends on you choosing the career path that best fits your job preferences and talents.

Good luck to you.