Why be a CNL?

[misssrblake]

I was recently accepted into a BSN nursing program and a MSN CNL program. What are the benefits of selecting the CNL program? Are there any CNLs who can give me adivce about the work envrionment, employment availability and salary?? Since the CNL role is new, its dificult for me to obtain this information and would value first hand experiences. Any and all comments are welcome since I must make a choice this week, thanks!

[elkpark]

There are a bunch of older, existing threads here with discussion about the CNL role and career prospects. I'm sure you could find them with the "search" button if you wanted to review what's already been discussed.

I follow the job postings for my region pretty closely, and I've only seen, so far, one job posting for a CNL position (that's one positions, total, over the last several years). It doesn't seem like they're catching on in a big way, apart from the medical centers attached to universities that have CNL programs ...

(Of course, I wasn't aware there was any demand or desire for a Master's-prepared bedside nurse to begin with, before schools started offering these programs.)

[misssrblake]

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

[elkpark]

So are a lot of the rest of us ... :)

[jjjoy, LPN]

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.