jessfern

Yeah, that confused me about the MSN. I went to an open house for a direct-entry MSN program recently and when I asked what the difference was between that and an accelerated BSN, they told me that it was the leadership skills the program would teach, which seemed a little bit like baloney to me. If I went the nursing route, I would want to move beyond RN to either a NP or CRNA. I was looking at U of M Flints program and for the NP programs, having a MSN cut off a year or two for the program. The MSN didn't make a difference in the amount of time required for the CRNA. I'm not sure that it common for other DPN programs, or only U of M Flint.

Can anyone shed some light on the general salary levels for an entry-level vs experience RN and NP? I am considering a career switch to nursing and I want to get a better idea of what the typical salary ranges are for both paths. Thanks.

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Can I ask what school you went to?

Hi Everyone, I am interested in a career shift to nursing with the ultimate goal of becoming a CRNA or NP (still early in the research process). I am in my early 30s and have a non-nursing master's degree and career path to date. I have a few questions regarding Direct Entry MSN Programs that I am hoping to receive some insight on. First, is there a comprehensive list anywhere of all the direct entry MSN or similar programs that exist? I found the AACN webpage with various programs and their location, and I believe it only named 10 programs in the country. Is that all of them? I think part of the problem is there may be direct- entry MSN equivalents by a different name, such as CNL (although I could be wrong about that). I am from Michigan originally and would love to move back while pursuing this education, however it does not look like the any school in the state of Michigan has a direct-entry MSN program. Second, what education path would you recommend for someone in my shoes? I've also looked into accelerated BSN programs, but it seemed that getting the MSN would cut down on the length of time required for a DNP ( 6 years for BSN, 3-4 years for MSN-- at least for U of Michigan Flint's program). Is that true is most cases? Is a direct entry MSN competitive for CRNA school?