Shoudl I finsh grad school?

[sunshineyday]

Hi,

I graduated with my BSN in 2008 and immediately started work on my MSN with emphasis in health care systems management. I almost have two years ED/CVICU/Post Interventional Cardiac unit experience and recently made a big move across a few states for a job. I have a lot of bills and want to work as much as possible and with the move and life I'm finding it hard to balance everything and I am really REALLY burnt out on school.

What bums me out even more is that when I signed up for the MSN program I was under the impression I could sit for the Certified Nurse Executive after graduation. However, I found out that you need an MSN PLUS executive experience. So, I can't sit for that after all.

I am planning on getting my CCRN here in the next few months.

Salary wise what is going to get me the most money? My hospital pays a bonus for CCRN, but I don't think I get paid more per hour for having a MSN. And I won't be eligible for a mangement position for a few years?

I know this sounds horrible but I have $140K in student loans.

I have two semesters left (four classes) before I can graduate with my MSN.

So does anyone know:

MSN, CCRN or MSN, BSN salary differences? Thoughts? Thank you so much for your time!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

OUCH! $140k in student loans???

Seems like you are really stressing & need to increase your income quickly. I would recommend pursuing the specialty certification route. Specialty nurses can earn a lot more $ than managers - especially with premium pay, add-ins and OT; none of which are available to managers.

You are correct - climbing up the management ranks takes time. Qualifications for Nurse Exec positions generally includes at least a decade of gradually increasing management experience. You can always pick back up on your grad degree when you are in a better position to do so in the future.

Best of luck to you.