What to do after a BSN?

[JJRN10]

I've been a bedside nurse for 9 years (30 years old with two young children). Last year I completed my BSN and actually enjoyed the learning process and I'm anxious to go on for a masters. I'm just not sure what I want to study.

Prior or to nursing I did administration work for a few years and loved that. Although I like bedside nursing, I can't imagine doing it for another 35 years. I get tired of the dirty work, holiday/weekends, and essentially the lack of promotion-ability.

A lot of my coworkers are pursuing their FNP but I'm not certain that that's something i'd want to do or have the commitment for with the clinical hour requirements.

I guess it all boils down to the fact that I don't know what I want to be when I "grow up". How do you decide what's the best area of education to pursue past an undergrad degree? I'm also hesitant to invest much $$ into an education (being an adult learner who is also worrying about retirement savings and my young children's future education) if there isn't a fiscal payoff at the end.

How do you decide what's right?

[RunBabyRN]

What about doing your CNL? You could get into management and do less (if any) hands-on patient care. The other option is to take classes at a local community college that interest you simply for the sake of learning, without pursuing a degree. Study a language, learn about Russian history, whatever floats your boat.

I'm pursuing my CNM in a couple of years (just finished my BSN, and waiting to take my NCLEX). Nursing was basically a step for me toward my goal.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

1. CNL/CNS

2. Case management

3. Education

4. Utilization Review

5. Quality improvement

6. Infection control

7. Instructor of a nursing aide training program

8. Instructor of a practical nursing program

9. Public health nursing

10. Radiology suites / intake

[klone, MSN, RN]

If you enjoyed administration, you could consider getting your MSN in leadership/management. Alternatively, you might consider a master's in healthcare administration or an MBA that has a healthcare focus.

[elkpark]

What do you want to do with your career? Unlike a generalist nursing degree, a graduate degree in nursing pretty much locks you into a specific role and career path. I've known several people who entered nursing through a direct-entry MSN, or rushed into a graduate program right after nursing school, only to find, after they completed their degree, that they didn't like doing what the degree had prepared them to do. Then, they were stuck with a degree and career path they didn't want (plus the student loans they took out to pay for it), trying to figure out what degree they need to do something they do want to do and how they're going to pay for it. Not a happy place to be.

Any graduate degree in nursing is going to cost you a lot of "blood, sweat, and tears" (not to mention $$$) -- I encourage you to put some effort in "up front" to figure out what you want to do, where you want to go in nursing, and then figure out what degree (or certification, or experience, or whatever -- not every attractive option in nursing requires an advanced degree :)) you need to get you there.

Best wishes for your journey!

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

What about nursing education?

[TiffyRN, BSN, PhD]

As I completed my BSN program, I got the opportunity to delve lightly into many of the non-clinical areas one could pursue in graduate school.

Nursing Informatics; no interest.

Nursing Management; dear G-d spare me from ever going near that again.

Nursing education; not so bad, kinda liked it.

Research; oh my, I think I'm in love!

So when (like you) I found myself done with my BSN, I was relieved, happy, for a few weeks, then I missed school. So I applied and was accepted to an MSN education program. Had no more read the acceptance letter for that program when my husband showed me a BSN to PhD program which would prepare the student to participate and conduct research and one could also focus in either education or leadership. Hard call on that one right.? Had to take the GRE for that one but I got it done , got accepted and I guess I'll be doing that for the next few years!

Point being, what area appeals to you? Explore that.

[suztaylor]

JJRN10, good for you that you want to continue learning. It will be something you will never regret. I agree with all the post responses you received to your inquiry. Good comments filled with lots of wisdom. I have many nurse friends who have pursued the MSN in Education or Administration and either of those two can open up various doors of advancement. I did the MSN/Education track because i love education. The main point in finalizing your selection is do something that excites you; something that you have passion for. This way, it will make the school work that much more enjoyable and valuable to you. I'm currently in a Doctor of Education program and I would like to share with you how I decided on which specialty to focus on (I selected Adult Education). I knew I wanted an online program so I visited a lot of schools' websites and thoroughly took a virtual tour and look at every school that offered an EdD degree. The websites of each school are very fully developed and I could look at actual class curriculum for each class required for the degree. When I was torn between a couple of schools and programs, I looked deeply into the course descriptions and found out that I really didn't want to study some of the courses described. Then I found a school with the Adult Education track and looked at all the courses required and found that I was excited about all of them and could see myself enjoying it and learning a lot. I've just completed my 2nd year and have one more to go and, as it turns out, I made a very good decision. By looking at the course material, you can save yourself many headaches by knowing in advance each of the courses and you'll know if that is what you want to spend your time studying on.

Best wishes for your educational journey - do some solid research and you will be amazed as to what you can find out from your computer. Lots of information out there to help you make an educated decision.