RN to MSN: A Good Idea?
Many registered nurses ask the question of whether or not it is a good idea to continue their education after the RN degree to obtain a Master of Science in Nursing. This choice is an individual choice that everyone must make depending upon his or her own personal preferences and lifestyle.
The role of a registered nurse is varied and there are many specializations that a registered nurse can choose. This could be an extremely important issue to think about. However it is important to keep in mind that RN nursing jobs could pay as low as $15,000 a year. On this kind of salary it is difficult enough to live day to day. With more education and a master's degree, the potential for a higher salary is reachable. According to payscale.com the average salary of an MSN is approximately $60,000 a year. Imagine how that would help to budget the much-needed money for your household needs and launch you into a rewarding career at the very same time.
Students who are still in school and interrupt their studies to work for a few years could find that the salary of an RN cannot help them to make ends meet. They may have no choice but to return to school full or part time to get their MSN degree. For these students who choose to go back to school to get their graduate degree they bring with them a wealth of knowledge obtained through practical experience. Whether or not a nurse chooses the hectic world of the emergency room or operating room, the world of the staff nurse doing his or her rounds, or the public health nurse combating different diseases, there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained. Having this knowledge and experience behind you before entering an MSN program is a valuable asset on its own. It is also an asset that assures success in graduate studies. No one has to settle for an "either/or" arrangement as many nurses go back to school part time to get that coveted MSN degree.
On the other hand, students in school who are really sure that an MSN is the nursing education they want may wish to continue their studies uninterrupted. This option may be important for a younger and older student for different reasons. Older students may calculate that they have a limited amount of years left to work before retirement and they must get the education they need to follow the career in nursing that they want as quickly as they can. While young single nursing students may want to get their education completed before marrying and having children.
We all are aware that there is a critical shortage of nurses in America at this time. Most people look at registered nurses holding a bachelor's degree, but do not realize that the shortage also applies to nurses with an MSN degree. The average age of a nurse today is 50 years old, and with the aging American population, there aren't enough recruits to fill the projected need in the next decade. The information released by the Nursing Management Aging Workforce Survey concludes that most of the nurses in the survey indicated that they are going to retire between 2011 and 2020 are nurse managers. Furthermore, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing indicates that there is a current shortage of faculty across America to teach young nursing students. Now more than ever is a great time for nurses to return to university to get their MSN and meet this demand.
For those wishing to pursue an MSN there are various programs to choose from. For example, the MSN – Health Care Education is a wonderful degree for registered nurses who have a passion for teaching and wish to pass on their skills and expertise to young hopeful students. This degree is also helpful for a mature registered nurse who can no longer take the harsh workload and long hours on the hospital floor.
Furthermore, there is the RN to MSN program, which will give you a jumpstart to getting your master's degree even faster than completing a baccalaureate first and then an MSN. This degree is ideal for the person whose knows from the beginning that an MSN is the route to take.
The criteria for this degree is that candidates for the program must have at least two years of experience as an RN with an associate degree. The beauty of the program is that an RN can skip the baccalaureate and go directly to the master's degree and that is all because of the working experience already obtained. This experience will replace many of regular baccalaureate courses that regular baccalaureate students will take to obtain their degree.
You do not replace all baccalaureate courses with this degree; you still have to take a certain amount of baccalaureate credits. Students who do well and can maintain a 3.0 GPA can then apply for the MSN directly. However, if students do have a 2.5 cumulative GPA they can continue with the full baccalaureate degree and then go on to MSN.
The RN to MSN degree requires 21 baccalaureate credits and 36 graduate credits, and will accelerate the time it takes to earn a MSN in advance practice in Nursing Management, Organizational Leadership, Case Management, Nursing Education, or Nursing Informatics.
RN or MSN, which is the right path to choose? Only you can make that decision, only you will know where your passion leads you and why you will make the choices that you do. However, if you are already an RN with an associate degree and two years of experience, and you want to go onto a graduate degree, you can accelerate the process. You earned it with your hard work and dedication in the field already therefore, you can combine a BA and an MSN program and shave years off your studies.
Published: 2009-09-15
