Would like to do advance up nursing ladder; need MSN?

[Summers3]

Hi everyone.

When I start out as a new grad and over the years, I know I want to be at the bedside for a while.

But I want to move away from the bedside as I grow older perhaps into administration (or maybe management, not really as an educator). But I would like to please ask..... how often is it required to have a MSN for such positions?

I have seen plenty of older experienced RN go back to school to get their MSN to move up the ladder and into leadership positions. I understand that leadership requires a higher degree but would it be possibly to move away from the bedside into more admin nursing role with only a BSN and long years of experience?

I am talking about moving into a more admin role when I am in my mid to late 40s. So by then I should have 10-15+ years of experience.

This is because I see it hard for myself to go back to school for another few years for MSN when I get older due to family situations.

Thank you for your input!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

You need a masters of something. My sister has a MBA

[klone, MSN, RN]

At a SNF or LTC facility or a smaller company, sure. But if you want to work for a hospital network or some type of corporate-owned company, you will need a graduate degree.

My husband is second in command of a large home health company, with just an ADN and many years of great experience. But he was recently turned down for a position with a hospital network for which he had the exact skillset required, but no BSN.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I feel that it depnds a lot on the market. If your area is lacking MSN nurses then they must choose from whomever is available

[elkpark]

I feel that it depnds a lot on the market. If your area is lacking MSN nurses then they must choose from whomever is available

"Whomever is available" may well include a number of graduate-prepared nurses willing to relocate from another area for a desirable job. Over the years, I've seen lots of people assume that they will always be able to do what they want in nursing and grow their careers with the basic education and credentials, significant experience, and good connections -- and then find out that they are stuck in the job they've got now, with little prospect of advancement. That used to be possible (in fact, long ago, it was the standard career trajectory) but that time is fading rapidly (and is already long gone in a lot of areas of the country).

I would advise anyone with an idea that s/he would like to move into management/administration at some point in the future to plan on getting a graduate degree (MSN and/or MBA).

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

When I got my BSN, something like 20% of all nurses in the US had BSNs-- ASN programs were comparatively new and most nurses graduated with diplomas from hospital schools of nursing. I could get a teaching job in many nursing schools with a BSN. Seven years later when I got my master's, only 5% of nurses in the US had MN degrees, and less than 5 years later many state colleges began to require MNs for clinical instructors.

Nowadays more and more jobs require a BSN as a minimum. 50-55% of RNs in the US now hold a bachelor's degree. The number of MNs and doctorally-educated RNs is increasing too.

Much more information and many more graphs and tables at

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/nursingworkforce/nursingworkforcefullreport.pdf

The handwriting is on the wall, folks.

degrees for NCLEx takers copy.pdf

MN, doctoral grads copy.pdf