Too soon for MSN?

I personally believe that it's important to have worked long enough to become fairly familiar with the larger world of nursing and where you really want your career to go. Most people aren't even aware of how wide a range of career possibilities there are within nursing until they've been in it for a while. Most MSNs lock you into a specific role and career path, and you don't have the kind of flexibility and options at the Master's level that a generalist (basic licensure) nurse does. I've known a number of people (and I'm sure the few I've known personally aren't the only ones in this situation! :)) who rushed into graduate school because they knew they wanted "a" graduate degree, or entered nursing through an MSN direct entry program, only to find out after the fact that they didn't like doing what their degree had prepared them to do. Now, they're stuck with a degree (and the student loans to pay for it!) and career path they don't want, and are looking at going back to school to prepare to do something else.

Any MSN you take is going to require you to invest a great deal of time, effort, and $$$. I think it's smart to put in the time and effort up front to figure out clearly and in detail where you want your career to go, and then figure out what degree you need to get you there. There's no rush -- better to take the time to do it right. Best wishes!

I agree with the posts above. While it is not too soon to be investigating and maybe taking a few core (general) classes ... it's best to get at least a year or two of experience before committing yourself to specific specialty.

You need to explore all your options first ... AND ... you need to get to know yourself as a nurse before you can make a good decisions. A lot of people think they will like (and be good at) a certain advanced role only to discover later that it is not as good as a fit for them than they thought it was. I was one of those people -- but fortunately, I went to an MSN program (after 2 years as a staff nurse) in which I was able to switch my major half-way through without costing me much. I discovered that my first major was not the right fit for me. Graduate school is a big investment. Yes, do it while you are in a position to do the work and get it done -- but don't rush into a big committment without first doing a lot investigation first.

I also suggest you "try out" a few advanced functions and do some networking before finalizing your choice. Getting some practical experience as a preceptor, charge nurse, unit committee member, etc. will give you a chance to develop some leadership skills that are essential for success in any advanced role. That experience will also put you in contact with nurses who can give you some feedback on your professional strengths and weaknesses -- and who can be resources for information about local programs, career opportunities, job market for various advanced roles, etc. You'll meet people who can help you in all kinds of ways while you develop advanced skills and add to your qualifications. Such activities are a good investment of your time and enegry in this early stage of your career. You'll learn a lot and make useful contacts.

Good luck!

... now working in a Peds ICU since March. I really would like to start looking to go back to school, possibly for a PNP or master's in forensic nursing

After making my previous post, I thought of this question/issue for you to consider... The world of a PICU and the world of a PNP are totally different. One is focused on critical care ... and the other is usually focused on ambulatory care. If your interest as a new grad was more towards critical care, what makes you think you would like ambulatory care? If you like the ICU environment, you might not be sufficiently stimulated doing ambulatory care.

That's an example of an issue that you need to work through before you make a committment. I've known a lot of people to make the mistake of not considering that type of issue before making the big investment in grad school -- and regret it.