Why be a CNL?

Thanks for your reply!!!!!!! Now, Im confused as to what the benfits are of a CNL vs. ABSN???

Because nursing academics want to see more highly-educated nurses in the field as a way to remove the "pink collar" / "working class" image that nursing has? Because for someone who has already invested at least 4 years of their life on a bachelor's degree, to go back to school for yet another bachelor's or - even worse! -an associate's degree can feel like a step backwards and that may steer them away from nursing and into other fields. But who will sign up for a master's degree that simply prepares you to be an RN, like an associates or bachelor's program? Well, maybe you create a new title beyond RN for which your master's program will uniquely prepare the grads for...hmmm.. If the entry-level MSN graduate is successful as a practicing clinical RN, then they'll be all set to move right along into a leadership position without having to go back to school to get the proper credentials and further leadership training. Then they'd be a clinical nurse leader! That's it! CNL! Sign up today!

For all of my cynicism, it can be a good practical decision to just go ahead and get that masters degree right off. No matter where one graduates from, most newbies feel overwhelmed and underprepared their first year practicing as a nurse. You might (are likely to?) get more razzing that first year for having an MSN from lower-degreed nurses who want to prove the pointlessness of such "lofty" nursing degrees. And depending on your program and your experience, you may have a larger clinical gap to bridge between student and practicing nurse than other nursing grads. However, if you can prove yourself as a nurse and not get hung up on what kind of degree you or others have, then the nursing world can open up to you, and the additional degree can be an asset for expanding one's career beyond direct, hands-on nursing care.