RN-BSN vs RN-MSN?

[chanie911]

I'm finishing my ADN next month, and have a previous BA and masters in another field. I know I need at least a BSN now to be competitive job-wise....and I have hopes of someday maybe working in NICU, so I thought I'd just bridge to my MSN (because if credits were $$ I wouldn't need loans! What do I need with 2 of every degree?)

But...after hearing some classmates discussing their choices, I'm wondering....do you "need" an MSN for critical care, or "just" experience?

And while I'm at it, how important is it that a BSN program be accredited? (My school just started a BSN, they don't have accreditation for it yet--many people aren't staying for that reason.)

I have never felt SO confused. Help?

[elkpark]

You don't need an MSN to work in NICU unless you want to be a neonatal NP in an NICU. Unless you know specifically and definitely what you want to do with an MSN (what specialty concentration you want), I wouldn't recommend jumping into an MSN program. Because lots of people start out in nursing sure that they know what they want to specialize in, and then find out, once they get more exposure to all the different possibilities available in nursing that people outside of nursing don't even know about, that they're more interested in something else entirely different, I suggest you finish the BSN (if you choose to) and work a while in nursing before deciding on your next step.

As for ACEN/CCNE accreditation, it's v. important. However, every new nursing program starts out without accreditation. The school has to be operating and graduate a few classes (who write the NCLEX) in order for the school to be eligible for accreditation (the accrediting body needs to be able to see the program's outcomes). However, if your school has a current ADN program that is accredited and well-respected, there's little reason to be concerned that the BSN program will not (eventually) get accreditation. Because seeing how graduates do on the NCLEX is part of the accreditation process, if no one was willing to take a chance on new (unaccredited) programs, there would never be any more nursing programs than there are right now (that might be a good thing, but that's a whole different conversation).

In your case (you would be attending a BSN completion program), whether or not the BSN program is accredited is not that big a deal if your current ADN program is ACEN accredited (which I hope it is :)).