Nursing Masters Program Advice: How will specific programs correlate with my BScN degree?

[mardiel]

Hello,

I am an RN currently working on a general medicine unit in Ontario. I graduated in June of 2014 and am looking to apply for my masters this fall. I am interested in the areas of public health, mental health and would one day also like to teach. I have been looking into applying to programs with a distance studies option so I am able to work while I am completing my courses. I came across a program that is offered through Lakehead University called 'Masters of Public Health, Specializing in Nursing'. This program seems to be along the lines of what I would be interested in, however my is concern is that it would not benefit me as much as a program that is actually considered to be a 'Masters of Nursing' degree itself.

I am hoping to get involved with leadership roles when it comes to health promotion, public education and new mental health initiatives in the school systems. Down the road, as previously mentioned, I would also like to get into teaching nursing courses at colleges or universities. So I want to ensure that this program will correlate with my BScN; further qualifying me in the profession, rather than solely educating me in the area of public health. I am hoping it will be a good stepping stone towards advancing me in all areas, but am hesitant as I do not know of anyone who has taken this course before. In addition to this Masters Degree, I also plan to eventually take a Mental Health certificate course to further educate and qualify myself in the area of mental health as well, in hopes that I can narrow in on health promotion/disease prevention as it relates to mental health in particular. Otherwise, I have also considered applying to a Masters of Nursing, Specializing in Education; thinking it would give me the 'Masters' title directly related to my profession, and possibly increase my chances of becoming a professor in the future.

Any thoughts, tips or personal experiences related to my concerns and these Masters programs/career goals would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time everyone!

Megan

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Depends what you're interests are. Many nurses have an MBA or an MPH. The MN is not the only route. In fact, most employers asking for a graduate degree don't care what the specialization was, only that you have a Masters degree.

The only caveat to this is if you hope to teach at a University, and then you'll need a PhD anyway.

I'm in an MPH program and I know of other nurses who have either the MPH or an MBA. If I had to study pure nursing theory again for four years, I wouldn't survive the program.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Mental health in Ontario school systems is being addressed by a lot more organizations than public health, if you look at the TDSB 'Children and youth Mental Health and Well Being Strategy' you will see that the TDSB partners with CCAC mental health and addictions nurses, as well as 40 other mental health organizations such as Jack org, kids help phone, teen mental health org. etc. I don't know if you are aware but there there are mental health first aid courses available to the public that include a course specifically for adults who work with youth.

I don't think a masters in public health and your nursing experience working on a general medicine unit will make you a competitive applicant for future jobs in mental health. Consider gaining knowledge about the role of the CCAC nurses who work with TDSB and taking a MH first aid course as well as volunteering or working with a mental health organization before taking a masters degree.