If you are an aspiring nurse or an RN, and you are considering whether you should earn an MSN degree or not, this article is for you. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that nurses play the biggest role in a patient’s recovery. Nurses must have extensive knowledge, higher qualifications, and a versatile skill set to be more credible.
Nurses can ensure they are providing the best care possible to their patients by attaining advanced education and developing relevant in-demand skills. And you can achieve all this if you earn a master’s of science in nursing.
Let’s look at six reasons why earning your MSN will be the best decision for you.
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Many Specialization Options:
A master’s degree is an advanced level of education that enables you to specialize in any specific area of nursing you prefer. This perk is unavailable to nurses with only a bachelor of science in nursing. So if you earn an MSN, you will be able to specialize in that area of medicine that you are truly passionate about. Some specialization options are adult-gerontology primary care, psychiatry, family care, pediatrics, adult-gerontology acute care, neonatal care, etc.
And the best news is that nowadays, due to the availability of online nursing programs, you can earn your MSN while working as an RN full-time. Many reputable institutions like Lamar University offer RN to MSN programs online that you can enroll in to move up in your educational hierarchy and not compromise on your work or schedule at the same time.
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Maximize Your Pay:
In almost every profession, the more advanced your education, the higher your potential salary. The same is the case in the nursing field. According to research reports, your pay also increases with a higher level of nursing degree. With a bachelor’s of science in nursing, you will make $73,000 on average, but if you earn a master’s of science in nursing, your pay will become $90,000 approximately, and this figure can be even bigger depending on your area of specialization. Different specializations offer different pay depending on several circumstances.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners earn an average of up to $117,670 yearly. These figures show what a vast difference you can make in your pay by earning an MSN. Not only will you maximize your earning potential, but many nurses also enjoy reimbursements to help with the financial strain of getting a higher education. Approximately 39% of registered nurses receive some type of reimbursement.
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Work In Leadership Role:
If you are passionate about helping people and becoming a nurse, but at the same time, you also want to work in some roles other than conventional nursing roles, then attaining a master’s of science in nursing will allow you to fulfill both desires. With an MSN degree, you also become eligible to work in leadership roles. MSN graduates are the top priority for nursing leadership roles, compared to their RNs and bachelor graduates counterparts.
MSN equips a nurse to take on managerial or leadership roles in nursing with extensive knowledge and up-to-date and in-demand skills. In a nursing leadership role, you will lead and manage a group of nurses in a healthcare setting, like a hospital or clinic. You can also teach other nurses so that they can enhance their skills and provide the best possible care to their patients.
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Better Job Prospects:
The future is bright for advanced nursing jobs. As the baby boomer population is growing old, thus increasing the number of senior populations with chronic illnesses and the prevalence of health issues, it is no surprise that the US is facing a surge in demand for nurses who are more capable and have advanced education. And since there is a high demand for nurses and at the same time there is a shortage of nurses, nurses’ salaries will only see a rising trend.
Not only is there a shortage of nurses, but according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, there will also be a shortage of physicians by 2023. This means more certified, advanced qualification-holding nurses will be needed to bridge all these gaps. BLS reports that advanced nursing jobs like nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, etc. will experience a job growth rate of 40% by 2030. BLS also states that 29,400 jobs will be added in these advanced nursing areas.
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Increased Autonomy and Stability in Career:
Since MSN is a higher-level degree, it enables you to gain autonomy in your workplace. A nurse with a master’s of science in nursing is looked up to with more respect as they are more knowledgeable and up-to-date on medical advancements. Thus, you not only gain additional knowledge and skills with an MSN but also gain your peers’ confidence and approval and get to improve your skills to an even greater extent.
Some states are even providing advanced nurse practitioners to take full practice authority. Thus, you get to work under minimal to no supervision. All this leads to developing a stable career over a long period. With a specialized skill set, you and your abilities become much more valuable to the healthcare organization you work for. This means you don’t have to face difficulty in securing a long-term role in an organization.
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Satisfaction and Sense of Accomplishment:
Not everything is always about money and hustling. Sometimes you need to know that what you are doing is beneficial for society and humanity and that you are making a change in people’s lives. A career in nursing is very fulfilling and satisfying when it comes to this point. When you get a master’s degree in nursing, you improve your abilities and provide better patient care. This gives you personal satisfaction and a sense of achievement that all your hard work in getting a higher education degree was indeed worth it.
Advanced degrees and extra credentials make you a more reliable and preferred healthcare provider, and you get to help more patients and help them recover and gain their health back. All this professional satisfaction makes it worth investing time in acquiring an MSN.
Conclusion:
The nursing field is ever-growing and ever-changing. To ensure that you are providing top-quality services, you need to have higher education, an advanced skill set, and in-depth knowledge about all the current and developing medical practices. As an RN, you can advance your career and improve the quality of care you provide to your patients by earning a master’s in nursing. An MSN degree will open up different specializations doors for you, allowing you to enjoy a higher salary while taking on managerial roles in nursing. This article points out six reasons why you should earn your MSN to have a successful and stable career.