What can MSNs do that BSNs can't do?

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Jul 19, 2004

Well, anyone care to comment on what nurses with more education can do?

They can be undercompensated for their additional education to an even greater extent.

smk1, LPN · Jul 19, 2004

specialize in education, become a CNS, NP, CRNA, and go straight for a phd. (oh and i agree about being underpaid ecspecially for CNS, educators and family practice NP's)

Q. · Jul 19, 2004

They can be undercompensated for their additional education to an even greater extent.

:chuckle Yup. Pretty much.

I'm an MSN candidate currently in a position that requires an MSN. I'm a Nurse Educator.

Other jobs that I see for Master's prepared nurses are the following:

All Faculty positions

Educators (staff ed, patient ed)

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Nurse Practitioners, Midwives and other Advanced Practice nurses

Certain public health positions

Director-level positions (Director of Education, Director of Patient Care, etc. One RN here has her MBA and is VP of the hospital foundation)

Flexibility and marketability for other professions

And one really sweet job I saw about 2 years ago: writing and reviewing NCLEX questions. A total telecommunting job to boot.

Starting salary for most faculty positions are $30,000. It's pathetic. Which is why when I graduate I'm going to stay in the hospital setting.

Trauma Columnist · Jul 19, 2004

I'm in school for an MSN in leadership and management and I'm looking at a unit-based educator position in the hospital where I currently work. As more hospitals go for Magnet status - more MSN's will be required, since you can't move past a staff nurse position without a bachelor's degree.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 19, 2004

I have an MSN and a PhD and work for a hospital. Yes, I earn less than one would think appropriate for my education and 27 years of nursing experience. However, my job does have benefits/perks that I fully appreciate.

Today, I strolled into my office at 0930 and have spent the last hour and a half responding to the e-mail and phone messages that came in over the weekend. Some of it was work-related, one e-mail was from my sister. (I wrote her a long response.)

Now, I am checking out what's happening the world and the allnurses discussion groups because keeping up on the scuttlebut in nursing is part of my job. I'm paid to always have my finger on the pulse of the profession and this is one way I do that.

Later today, I will meet with one of my friends -- a colleague with an MSN -- to put the finishing touches on a presentation we will be making in 2 weeks on the other side of the country. Our boss is paying for the trip, of course. Oops! I almost forgot. I need to pick up the check that will pay for my meals and other incidentals on the trip.

Let's see ... what other work will I do today? Well, I have 2 other classes coming up within the next couple of weeks and I would like to make some progress on those. One is on career planning for the participants in the nursing student extern program that I established a couple of years ago and now coordinate. The other class is on educational evaluation for members of the hospital's nursing leadership team. If I don't get to them today, I can always work on them later in the week.

I will definitely try to review (and copy) the submissions for the nursing scholarship program I am initiating this year. While I wish I had more money to give away, I am grateful for the amount that I have been able to scrape together for this first year and optimistic that our fundraising efforts will be successful in the long run and that the available funds to distribute will grow over the next few years. Yes, there have been (and will continue to be) some frustrations getting this program off the ground, but that's par for the course. It's satisfying to see if finally get underway and to be able to help some of my fellow employees go to nursing school -- either for the initial nursing degree or for a higher-level degree.

There is a pile of paperwork on my desk that needs to be handled -- but I seem to have a real talent for procrastinating when it comes to that. UGH!

When will I go home today? ... When I feel like it. It really doesn't matter what time I come and go each day ... as long as I work 40 hours per week and I am generally here during the height of the work day, my boss doesn't care what the exact hours are or whether some days are longer/shorter than others.

I am allowed to work some on the weekends, nights, and/or holidays if I want to ... but I don't have to if I don't want to.

For me, the additional education has led to only a little more money ... but it has made a HUGE improvement in the quality of my life. I get nice working hours, a lot of freedom and flexibility in my work, and the opportunity to work on projects that have the potential to really help nurses and that mean a lot to me. I have a "good life" as a nurse and don't for a minute regret all the time, effort, and money I spent on graduate school. For me, it was well worth it.

llg

zenman · Jul 19, 2004

Go ahead...rub it in!!!!!

Q. · Jul 19, 2004

For me, the additional education has led to only a little more money ... but it has made a HUGE improvement in the quality of my life. I get nice working hours, a lot of freedom and flexibility in my work, and the opportunity to work on projects that have the potential to really help nurses and that mean a lot to me. I have a "good life" as a nurse and don't for a minute regret all the time, effort, and money I spent on graduate school. For me, it was well worth it.
llg

:chuckle Probably when I'm done with school I'll have a better attitude about it. Right now taking summer session classes makes me feel like it's NOT worth it!

But I do enjoy most aspects of my current job - the flexibility is a big plus.

ksfrn66 · Jul 19, 2004

My MSN got me a sweet job as nursing faculty. Very low stress, Tuesdays off for "planning" and 18 weeks paid vacation. I'm only making 33K but it has its perks. No holidays, no w/e....If I lecture I start at 0900, if not, then I stroll in around 0930. Clinicals are Th/Fr from 8-2p. Not a bad job. Could I make more in a hospital? Oh yeah, but I have paid my dues for all of that garbage that comes with it. I still, however, do work perdiem as a staff nurse in ICU/CCU about 3-4 times a month to keep my skills up.

trees · Jul 19, 2004

Maybe this should be a separate thread, but since there are people on this thread who might have the answers to this I'll try posting it here.

Do any of you have any advice for someone who is just starting Nursing school in January and hopes to go on to get an MSN?

I realize I need the two years work experience, but can anyone give me any tips to increase my chances of being accepted into a Masters program?

Thank you very much!

Pat Edu Specialist · Jul 19, 2004

I agree about the flexibility available in jobs that require the MSN. I was a nurse practitioner (certificate prepared) for 25 years. I got my MSN (U of Phoenix Online) and found that there were several areas that I would like to explore. Last summer I was laid off from my NP job and now I am an education specialist in a hospital, with better hours, better benefits, more money, and a great opportunity to be "creative" as a nurse.

One thing that I never forget is that I am a nurse first. Everything that I do still affects patient care even if it is indirectly.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 19, 2004

One thing that I never forget is that I am a nurse first. Everything that I do still affects patient care even if it is indirectly.

I love that sentence. I even wrote a paper based on that idea once, saying that we are all "real nurses" even though we don't all do direct patient care. Some people seem to think that if you are not doing direct patient care, you are not a "real nurse" anymore. I never stopped being a nurse and neither have the other educators, administrators, etc. that I have worked with. We just don't all do the same job in nursing.

It's nice to "meet" other nurses, such as yourself, who feel the same way.

llg