MSN in edu or FNP?

MikeyJ, RN · Feb 6, 2008

Those are two totally different fields. You are really the only one who can answer that question. Do you want to teach or do you want to be a clinician?

Trauma Columnist · Feb 6, 2008

You can teach with an FNP/MSN. You might not be able to teach if you have a masters in education. In IL. the state BON states that you must have an MSN in order to teach nursing.

MikeyJ, RN · Feb 6, 2008

You can teach with an FNP/MSN. You might not be able to teach if you have a masters in education. In IL. the state BON states that you must have an MSN in order to teach nursing.

:confused:

You might NOT be able to teach with an MSN in Education? I thought that was the intent of an MSN in education?

Although most of the professors at my university are Ph.D.'s, those lecturers that are masters prepared are almost all advanced practitioners. However, there is one or two lecturers that have a general MSN.

elkpark · Feb 7, 2008

I think there's some confusion about whether the OP is talking about getting an MEd (Master's in education) or an MSN with a concentration in education.

Of course you can teach nursing with an MSN in nursing education.

Trauma Columnist · Feb 7, 2008

Thanks Elkpark - yes, that is what I was trying to say: you can certainly teach with an MSN with a concentration in education. However, at least in IL, you can not teach nursing with an MS in education.

Thanks for the clarification.

imenid37 · Feb 7, 2008

You will be able to teach w/ the MSN w/ a concentration in Nursing Education. You may find more trouble if you have a MSEd., though a lot of hospitals will hire you. Some universities and college BSN programs want the MS to be in the specialty you are teaching rather than just nursing education. Most people do a concentration in their clinical area of interest these days. For exampe, I thought of attending York College of PA for Nurse Educator BUT they told me to teach in their BSN program, they want a concentration in the specialty you teach, like PEDS or Geriatrics. So.. they would not hire their own MSN grads to teach in their own program. They told me I could do staff development (I already do) or teach at the local community college. I chose an online program instead w/ an MSN and a concentration of Perinatal education. So far, so good. Best of luck to you. If you have the time, you might want to go for the DNP, so when you are done, you can really be done.

multitalented · Feb 7, 2008

go with the FNP. due to the fact that you have a broader scope in which to look at when deciding your field. also, with a fnp you can treat the whole family and not just be limited to one area.

imenid37 · Feb 7, 2008

Ha.. Trauma types faster than I do!

hisblueskies · Feb 7, 2008

It depends on what kind of education you want to teach. I am going for a Master's in Health Science utlizing the educator track. The reason I am doing this is because I want to be an educator on the hospital level - not the classroom. I am interested in patient education and staff education. A MSN in education is heavily geared for teaching on the university level. I am not interested in FNP or CNS because the emphasis is on the clinicial aspect. Good luck with whatever you decide.

amy0123, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2008

It depends on what kind of education you want to teach. I am going for a Master's in Health Science utlizing the educator track. The reason I am doing this is because I want to be an educator on the hospital level - not the classroom. I am interested in patient education and staff education. A MSN in education is heavily geared for teaching on the university level. I am not interested in FNP or CNS because the emphasis is on the clinicial aspect. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I am interested in the Master of Science in Nursing - Nursing/Health Care Education from University of Phoenix (online courses). I really enjoy teaching my patients and answering their questions about meds and procedures. At the same time, I like the idea of FNP, because it would expand my knowledge base in the clinical area.

Here is the description of the program:

http://www.onlinehealthprofessions.com/Overview_online_nursing_degrees.asp

"The MSN/ED is designed for nursing and health care professionals interested in pursuing or advancing in careers as faculty in higher educational settings. Those with no background in higher education receive a strong foundation for the many dimensions of the faculty role. Current educators can update or expand their knowledge in curriculum development, assessment and evaluation, and instructional strategies."

It seems that I could teach in both the hospital setting and the college setting.

amberfnp · Feb 7, 2008

amy0123,

You sound like I did a few months ago...I will be starting the FNP distance ed program at the University of South AL this May. It is 2.5 years over 8 semesters (summers incl). **There are 2 other PT distance options over 6 & 7 semesters.

I think I ultimately want to teach (in the long run) so I began with the intention of an MSN/Nurse Educator option. However, I was concerned that if I didn't like teaching or needed a higher income, there may not be too many other options with a degree limited to nursing education.

With an FNP, there are options in clinical practice, teaching and possibly administration. Plus, my primary nursing experience is in the outpatient surgery setting and prn in the ED...I don't have any med/surg experience or consistent thorough 'head to toe' assessment in my practice. So...with that I decided to go with an FNP option. I figured that would give me a better knowledge base for my practice as well as teaching. For clinical practice, I think I'd like to try an NP role in the ED. We have one in our "fast-track" where I work.

You can also do a teaching certificate program after your MSN-FNP if you want in a lot less time than it would take to do an NP after a nurse educator program.

Good luck to you and keep us posted.