MSN-does it really matter which track you pick?

[Marie32]

Hi everyone! I am debating getting my MSN because I do not particularly like bedside nursing and can see how having a MSN can help advance my career. However, I do not know what exactly I want to do with it. I do not really want to teach, but I do not want to "lead" as well...so having said that, does it matter what track you pick? If I picked leadership and then wanted to teach, does it matter, and vice versa?

[llg, PhD, RN]

It is starting to matter a lot more than it used to. Back in the days when almost no nurse had a Master's Degree, the ones who did had a wide range of opportunities to choose from. But as more and more nurses are getting MSN's, employers are able to fill their open postions with people who have both the experience and relevant education to excel in their positions. Some states are beefing up their requirements for nursing faculty (requiring that they actually know something about education) ... and employers want to know that managers know something about personnel management and the buisiness side of things.

Do yourself a favor and figure out what type of work you want to do before you spend a lot of time, energy, and money on a graduate program. I've seen too many people invest a lot in graduate work only to discover that they don't really want to do the jobs that their graduate education prepared them for.

If you are looking for a good MSN foundation ... that would qualify you for lot of different types of jobs (perhaps with the addition of just a couple of courses added in) ... you might take a look at CNL programs. Just a thought.