Experience and education are two essential things when it comes to achieving success with a career in nursing. Whether you are already working as a registered nurse or want to get into a future career in nursing, you’re probably already aware of the fact that working in nursing provides you with many different options for taking your career to the next level.
When it comes to moving up the ranks or working in various specialty areas in healthcare, nurses have countless opportunities to choose from to be an Allied Med Tech Jobs nurses. In this career, there are many opportunities for moving up the career ladder, and one of the best ways to achieve this is by getting an advanced degree in nursing. This tends to be one of the main requirements for nurses who wish to move into working in an advanced or specialist position.
There are various types of advanced nursing degrees available including general master’s degrees in nursing that can be followed by postgraduate certificates and other advanced qualifications that are designed to prepare nurses for more specific career paths.
If you’re considering a career in nursing for the future or are already a registered nurse and want to take your education and career to the next level, here are some opportunities that you might want to consider once you have gained a master’s degree in nursing.
Nurse Practitioner
With a BSN to MSN degree, you’re in a good position to pursue a career as a nurse practitioner. In general, you will be required to undergo further education such as a postgraduate nurse practitioner certificate to prepare for this role.
There are several roles available for nurse practitioners including working with the general public as a family nurse practitioner, and specialist roles as an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, neonatal nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse practitioner, oncology nurse practitioner, retail health nurse practitioner, and more.
Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses, and this role is enjoying higher demand than ever before in the healthcare industry right now. With a shortage of primary care physicians, more hospitals and other healthcare providers are stepping up their hiring of nurse practitioners who can take over and continue offering patients the high level of primary care that they expect. In twenty US states, full practice authority is afforded to nurse practitioners, permitting them to practice independently under the supervision of a primary care physician.
Working in this role with full practice authority gives nurse practitioners the opportunity to diagnose and treat patients, as well as prescribing medications. The role is a popular one as along with the additional autonomy and high demand, there are also generous and competitive salaries on offer.
Specialty Nursing Roles
As a registered nurse, there are lots of opportunities to get into advanced specialty nursing roles where you can focus on providing care to certain patient demographics or patients who are suffering from certain health issues. To get into a specialty nursing role, you will need to consider the advanced training, education, and professional certifications that you might need.
A master’s degree in nursing might be required by many roles to prepare you for specializing in various more advanced areas in the role including operating room nursing, neonatal nursing, acute care, trauma nursing, midwifery, and other specialisms where higher-level training is required due to the standard of care that patients will need. You can find nursing master’s degree programs available today that have popular specialty areas in mind and provide you with an education option where you can get a qualification that allows you to focus your learning on preparing for the role that you are interested in working in.
Nurse Leadership and Management
With a master’s degree in nursing, another advanced career option that you might want to consider is leadership and management in nursing. Nurses often transfer easily into a leadership or management role in the healthcare industry since they tend to be people who are able to lead with compassion and empathy for both their colleagues and the patients whose care they are in charge of.
In healthcare, it is important for managers and leaders in all departments to be dedicated, experienced, and knowledgeable when it comes to not only overseeing patient care but also managing teams. If you are the type of person who enjoys leading a team, want to take on more responsibility in your role as a nurse, and feel that you could inspire the people that you work with to drive better patient care standards, then this advanced nursing career could be an ideal choice for you. Nurse managers and leaders need to be people who are responsible for making the right decisions on behalf of their teams while keeping patient outcomes and great standards of patient care at the forefront of everything that they do and each decision that they need to make.
Nurse Educator
There is currently a well-documented shortage of nurses around the world that has been hitting the US quite hard over the past few years. However, the shortage of nurses around the country isn’t just because there are fewer people looking to become nurses. In fact, the opposite is true – thousands of students each year are either turned away or need to find a different pathway into becoming a nurse because there are simply not enough educators available to provide the teaching and education needed to train enough new nurses to make an impact on the shortage. Because of this, as you can imagine the demand for nurse educators is exceptionally high making this an ideal career to consider if you are thinking about getting an advanced degree in nursing.
A master’s degree in nursing is usually the minimum requirement to get into a role as a nurse educator, along with professional certification and licensing. If you are interested in teaching nurses at a more advanced level to help them prepare to become nurse practitioners and work in other advanced roles, then you may be required to get a doctorate degree in nursing. You will also need to be highly experienced as a nurse.
Choosing The Best Advanced Nursing Program for You – What to Consider
If you want to take your nursing career to the next level and get into advanced nursing roles that allow you more responsibility and autonomy, then you will usually be required to get an advanced nursing qualification such as a master of science in nursing. Before you choose the right program for you, it’s important to take several crucial factors into consideration that will help you find the right fit. Some of the most important things to keep in mind before you find and apply for a master’s degree in nursing are:
How to Study
These days, not all degree programs are going to require you to attend classes on-campus. There are lots of options for studying online and you can even find hybrid study options that include a combination of both online and on-campus study, which can ultimately make your education easier to manage, especially if you are continuing in a role as a registered nurse while focusing on your education at the same time. Because of this, one of the first things to think about before you choose the right advanced nursing degree for you is how you are going to study for it.
If you want as much freedom and flexibility as possible, then a completely online degree that allows you to choose the best schedule for you is likely to be an ideal option. On the other hand, you may want to consider a campus-based or hybrid degree program if you feel that you will benefit from the social aspect of attending in-person classes.
Your Career Goals
Before choosing the right master’s degree program for you, it’s crucial to think about your main career goal and what kind of work you want to do once you have graduated with your master’s degree. For example, if you have a specialty nursing role in mind that you want to do such as working in neo-natal nursing or working as a family nurse practitioner then you may want to consider a degree program that focuses more heavily on the type of work that you want to do in the future in order to better prepare you for the role.
Further Study
Along with your career goals, it’s also worthwhile considering any further study goals that you might have for yourself as a nurse. For example, if you want to get into a career as a nurse educator and are interested in teaching higher-level students, then you might be required to get a doctorate degree in nursing to work in this role. Similarly, those who are interested in nurse leadership and management positions might be required to get further education in the future to take their career even higher. If this is the case, then it’s a good idea to think about any qualifications that you might be required to get in the future and make sure that the degree program you are choosing to study now at the master’s level will meet any entry requirements.
Degree Cost
Another big factor that you will probably have in mind when it comes to getting your advanced nursing degree is the cost of the program. This is unlikely to be something that you’re going to be able to avoid if you want to get the qualifications that you need to take your career further. While getting a master’s degree in any subject can be expensive, there are several things that you can do to try and save money on getting your qualification including studying online, taking advantage of any scholarships and other types of financial aid that you might be eligible for, and speaking to your employer regarding any tuition forgiveness programs that they might offer. Start early when it comes to researching your financial options including student loans, grants, and scholarships to be in with the best chance of getting as much financial support as possible.
Program Flexibility
If you are going to be fitting your master’s degree around working full-time as a registered nurse, then you will need to consider how flexible the program is and how you are going to be able to make these two commitments work together. For many registered nurses, online master’s degree programs in nursing are an ideal choice since they are often much more flexible compared to attending classes on-campus. If you go for a campus-based degree program, then you will likely need to have a conversation with your employer about your studies and request that your working hours are adjusted to fit. On the other hand, if you study online with a completely flexible degree program, then you may be able to put together a schedule for studying at home that is worked around your work and other commitments instead.
Employer Support
Advanced nurses are enjoying growing demand in the healthcare industry, so if you are already working as a registered nurse, there’s a high chance that you’re going to get some support from your employer, who will likely also benefit from you getting an advanced qualification.
Before you choose the right master’s degree program for you, it is worth spending time having a conversation about your plans with your employer to get their perspective. You may find that your employer feels a certain degree program that you have not considered is the best choice for you based on the work that you want to do in the future and what positions may be available for you to take in your current workplace once you have graduated. Along with this, employers can also offer more support in other areas including changes to working hours so that you can fit your degree program around your work more easily and help with covering the cost of getting your nursing master’s degree.
Advanced nursing qualifications are becoming more popular as the demand for higher-level nurses increases. If you’re planning a future nursing career or are already working as a registered nurse, there are several high-demand, fast-paced, and interesting roles to consider.
