Working as RN before going on to grad school?

[nursingstudentwannabe]

Hi everyone (particularly those in the process of getting their MSN or those with MSN degrees!)

I'm a rising senior and will hopefully graduate with my BSN in Spring 2021. I am debating whether or not to gain some experience as an RN before going back to school to get my master's. One of the nursing faculty at my school is in the process of getting her degree as a nurse practitioner, and she told us that she would recommend working as an RN before going back to grad school.

On the flip side, I've had multiple people telling me the opposite: to go to NP school right after graduating with my BSN. Obviously, it is easier to continue with school rather than to take a year or two off to work, as one may not be as motivated to return to the grind of classes and studying after taking a gap period.

My question(s) is: do you think it would be wiser to get some experience before applying for grad school or do you think it is better to "take the plunge" and work on getting a MSN right after graduating with a BSN? What did you all do? Any tips would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance for any advice! ?

[Lipoma, BSN, RN]

This is honestly a personal choice and should be based on your abilities to excel and be safe in whatever role you pursue.

I for one will have 3 years of ER experience by the time I enroll into my DNP FNP/ENP program (the program itself requires 2 years of experience).

I have 2 friends who went straight into their MSN FNP program after graduating from their ABSN program (I went to school with 1 of them). One got hired before passing her boards and is making 125k/year. The other is still on the job hunt.

I could have done it but I wanted some knowledge base first before I pursue being an NP. Dig deep and ask your self can you do this with minimal experience and still be a safe NP? If yes, then go for it. If no, get some experience.

[nursingstudentwannabe, BSN, RN]

Quote

Can you do both? I did an ABSN program, graduated Dec 2018. I will start MSN program in January, so at that point I’ll have two years experience. But I plan to continue working part time as I attend school part time. By the time I graduate with my MSN and PMHNP, I’ll have closer to 5 years experience as an RN.

I can do both: if I did, by the time I graduate with my MSN, I'll have three years of experience under my belt. I just wasn't sure how stressful it would be navigating both at the same time. I'm up for the challenge, but also weighing the pros and cons. Hence, why I started the forum!

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

On 8/19/2020 at 12:58 PM, nursingstudentwannabe said:

for grad school or do you think it is better to "take the plunge" and work on getting a MSN right after graduating with a BSN? What did you all do? Any tips would be appreciated.

Why did you want to become a nurse, were you inspired by the bedside nurse -the true backbone of nursing?or something else?Working and applying what you may or may not have learned in school is priceless and makes you a more valuable team member no matter what you decide to do.Experience,experience,experience.

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

In my opinion, you owe it to your future patients to have some work experience as an RN first. You may think you want to work in one area, and find out that you don't like it at all. I worked for 6 years before starting graduate school, and just now graduated and started working as an NP, with 9 years of RN experience.

The majority of my experience is ICU and IR, and that experience is how I met the surgeon I now work for as an NP. He worked with me and learned that I was a competent RN who knew how to care for his patients, and asked me to come and do clinical with him, and then to be his NP. My RN experience has directly impacted my NP knowledge base and I don't know where I would be without it. 

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I had 5 years of experience when I graduated with my MSN in nursing education. For my particular specialty, I feel in hindsight that I scraped the bare minimum of actual nursing experience one should have before having the burden and responsibility of teaching it.