MSN: Advanced Nursing Careers
Greater career opportunities with an advanced education in nursing
Wondering if a Master of Science in Nursing Degree (MSN) is for you?
No industry in the United States today is experiencing as much growth as the nursing industry. While deficiencies are apparent in every field of the health care, no shortages have a more profound impact on the future of nursing than those in administrative and educational roles.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics1, the registered nursing (RN) profession is expected to grow by 22 percent before 2020. That is a surplus of more than 580,000 positions. In the next six years, 99 percent of those jobs will require a post-high school education, while 56 percent will require a bachelor’s degree or higher to pursue. Positions that require an MSN are some of the highest paid medical professions, many in excess of $100,000 annually.
An Associate of Nursing (ADN) prepares nurses for entry-level positions. A bachelor’s in nursing (BSN) gives nurses exposure and further experience in both patient care and related skills, like communication and research. The MSN gives nurses extensive leadership training and advanced health care experience to perform administrative roles in various sectors of medicine.
Nurses with this education typically follow three paths: facilities leadership, advanced practice nursing and nursing education. All of these nursing careers require a master’s education or beyond to pursue.
Leadership roles within nursing include assistant directors, directors, vice presidents and chiefs of nursing. Nurse administrators make pivotal decisions about patient care, budgeting, hiring practices and facility policy.
Many nurses who obtain their MSN become advanced practice nurses, who work independently or with the consultation of a physician. In certain states, advanced practice nurses can also write prescriptions.
There are four types of advanced practice nurses: clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners. Advanced practice nurses are pivotal to the medical profession. They bridge the gap between nurses and physicians, caring for patients and making administrative decisions about overall patient care.
- Clinical nurse specialists treat patients directly and act as expert consultants in their field.
- Nurse anesthetists administer anesthesia and care for patients before and after they receive anesthesia.
- Nurse-midwives provide gynecological services and family planning to women, as well as labor, delivery and initial neonatal care. Nurse practitioners are primary care specialists who provide medical services in several health care fields.
- Nursing educators teach nursing students in post-secondary educational settings.
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing2, nursing faculty is the most pivotal step in solving the nursing shortage. Currently a lack of nursing educators is keeping qualified nursing students from stepping foot in medical school. Those nurses who obtain their MSN and teach as nurse educators not only instill values and nursing education on students, they also contribute in a very real way to fixing the nursing shortage with every class they teach.
Resources:
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, accessed September 1, 2010, http://www.bls.gov/oco/.
2 “Fact Sheet: Nursing Shortage,” American Association of Colleges of Nursing, accessed September 1, 2010, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm.