which MSN is more recommeded?

elkpark · Feb 7, 2013

My opinion (since you asked :)) is that you should get some real experience in nursing and then decide which career path interests you more. It doesn't really matter how great a "future" a particular degree promises if you don't enjoy doing what the degree prepares you to do. Unlike "basic" nursing school, an MSN pretty much locks you into a specific professional role and path. Any MSN is going to cost you a lot of time, effort, and $$$ -- you might as well at least put in the time and effort "up front" to make sure you're getting a degree and career path you're really going to want.

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 7, 2013

I strongly agree with elkpark on this one. Do not invest in any MSN until you have gotten some experience in the field covered by that MSN. Too many people pick a graduate program and invest tons of money in it only to discover that they don't really like that type of work.

Both nursing informatics and nursing administration are specialties with promising futures. We need people with expertise in both areas. Choose the career path that will give you work you enjoy the most.

If you already have experience as a nurse ... then you should be able to find some opportunities in your current job to sample some of each type of work (through working on some projects for your current employer, etc.). Take advantage of those opportunities to figure out which career path suits you best.

You can also browse the nursing journals that focus on those specialties and see which specialty's articles interest you more. Are the topics discussed in the journals really interesting to you?

Finally, you can go to some continuing education offerings in each of those fields -- again, to see which one focuses on topics that you would want to spend the rest of our life working on.