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Discussion

to MSN or not MSN

i have a BSN right now and am thinking about a career as a nursing professor. i have contacted a few nursing schools on their MSN program, but would like to hear from someone who's actually done it.

what kind of advise would you give someone who's considering going back to school:?

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    • Moderator

    Moved to the post-graduate forum, instead of the GN forum, to encourage responses.

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    Have you thught about just going for your PhD? Nursing education is in desperate need of PhD prepared nurse educators, and you would have an infinitely easier time finding a university job. You can get your PhD in four years starting from your BSN (with the fourth year spent writing your thesis)...

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    • Experts
    Have you thught about just going for your PhD? Nursing education is in desperate need of PhD prepared nurse educators, and you would have an infinitely easier time finding a university job. You can get your PhD in four years starting from your BSN (with the fourth year spent writing your thesis)...

    Yes, if you want to focus on a career in teaching, you would be much better off with a doctorate (of some kind). Your options in academia will be fairly limited with "just" an MSN; you will have a much wider range of possibilities with a PhD or other nursing doctorate.

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    Going straight for the PhD is definitely an option, if you're sure you want to be a nursing professor.

    But are you focused more on the teaching aspect or the research? PhDs focus heavily on research.

    With an MSN you could teach at the university level (but you couldn't become faculty, just an instructor). And if you're not sure how you feel about research and academia that might be a good way to get your feet wet.

    I got my MSN and we covered a variety of topics that you probably wouldn't cover in a BSN program, like ethics, health care policy, community assessment, and research methods.

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    With an MSN you could teach at the university level (but you couldn't become faculty, just an instructor).

    Actually, some schools do make MSN-prepared people assistant or associate professors, but, then, other schools don't hire MSN-prepared faculty at all. You can teach at the university level with an MSN, but you have a narrower choice of schools than a doctorally-prepared person would -- some schools just won't be an option.

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    • Author

    thanks for all the replies. i have never thought of doing PhD but now i guess it can be an option.

    i do want to teach, but thought it might be later in life (i'm 28). i am not that passionate about research, but i am very passionate about teaching, mainly because there were a couple of professors in school who changed my life. i'd like to do the same.

    is it true MSN won't allow me to be faculty? exactly what is the difference? i want to say some of my professors were MSN, there were a couple of PhDs

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    • Experts

    You can teach in community college programs with an MSN, and in many university undergrad programs. However, some university programs use MSN-prepared faculty and some don't -- it's up to the individual school. You would have a wider range of employment possibilities with a doctoral degree, but you don't have to have one to teach.

    You would need to have (at least) several years of solid clinical experience, though, in any case.

    You say that you have a BSN, but didn't say anything about how much experience you have now. If you are a fairly new grad, I would encourage you to spend some time practicing at the generalist level to figure out what your long-term interests in nursing are before you go into a graduate program.

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