Presently, nursing is a highly dynamic profession that accords numerous rewards and opportunities to advance one’s career especially to those who are committed to constant learning and improvement. The nurses of today are normally presented with an increasingly multifaceted body of knowledge and training, and as such, they attain clinical abilities that help them provide life-sustaining and life-saving services efficiently. Completing an entry-level registered nursing (RN) program as a nurse and consequently passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) are significant milestones. Although such milestones are encouraged and highly recommended, they are only the first steps in the preparation to attaining a rewarding nursing profession. Due to the precise and innovative research in nursing and the exponential growth of technology, the nursing career continues to grow and expand its knowledge base. As a result, those in the nursing profession need to up their credentials by developing new skills, practice innovations, and research through attaining an advanced nursing degree or a graduate-level education in nursing.
Consistent education in nursing brings about various opportunities. Many advantages and open doors are bestowed upon nurses with masters and doctoral degrees. The reason for this is that nurses who have achieved graduate education and training can accord unswerving patient care at a level that is more advanced than nurses with an entry-level education. Moreover, post-graduate nurses can work on research, impact policies, teach online and in nursing institutions. Additionally, they can provide leadership in various health systems, act as consultants to corporations, and pioneer in the implementation of solutions that are evidence-based and that can revolutionize health care in general (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). Currently, varieties of practice areas in the nursing profession have come up, and there has been the continual upgrading of earlier practice areas. Such areas as family and adult health, pediatrics, geriatrics, administration, public health, forensics, informatics, genetics/genomics and systems development and improvement continue to require the consistent input of highly skilled providers who have a multifaceted education stemming from a broad knowledge base. At the moment, the national movement toward health care is implementing various models of care provision that places nurses as the leaders of health and medical facilities (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). Nurses are now emerging as front-runners in nurse-managed health facilities, medical homes, community health centers and much more, thereby making them partners in the drive for health reforms in the various medical arenas. As the revolution in health care continues, more nurses will be required to use their skills in specialty roles, primary care and in leading independent practices; consequently, emphasizing the need for advanced nursing degrees.
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As one determines their post-graduate degree of choice, one has to select the program that is better suited to their needs, requirements or talent. In America, more than 500 nursing schools offer a tantalizing menu of more than 2000 graduate courses (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). These programs are tailored to meet the needs of nurses who have different levels of education as well as individuals who are not nurses but have the desire to enter the profession at an advanced level. Master’s programs in nursing conditions an individual in some progressive nursing roles such as teaching, informatics, research, direct patient care and administration. Under the master’s nursing programs, there are three major options to consider. First, there is the entry-level master’s degree designed for those individuals who have a graduate or a bachelor’s degree in other disciplines other than nursing. The entry-level master’s degree is also referred to as an accelerated or generic program and takes about two to three years to complete. The benefit of this course is that it gives an individual with a desire to pursue nursing a chance even when they did not necessarily pursue it as a bachelor’s course. The drawback of this course is that it would take longer for those who are direct-entry students to complete their master’s degree since it would take three years other than the normal two for a master’s program (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2017). Another drawback is that many of the advanced degrees in nursing are necessarily tough. Although all master’s degree programs are tough, nursing covers quite an amount of work especially in reading and internalizing voluminous knowledge base. Therefore, the robust nature of a nursing degree may seem an imposition especially to newbies who have no prior nursing experience.
The second master’s degree program for nurses is the registered nurse to master’s degree. This degree is designed for nurses who have associate degrees. The degree takes three or two years to complete efficiently. In addition, there are specific requirements based on the institution that offers it and based on the previous course work of the student. Such programs are commonly provided in a classroom setting, although nowadays, a large number of them are available online or are mixed in both classroom and online settings. In the past twenty years, the numbers of RN to master’s programs have doubled, and this shows their likability among nursing students. The advantage here is that registered nurses can complete their nursing degree quickly having covered all the necessary contents required of a graduate nursing practitioner. The disadvantage of an RN to master’s program is that they are quite expensive. Advanced degrees are quite an investment and cost thousands of dollars. While this degree has the potential of garnering such amounts in few years of practice, borrowing funds or coming up with the initial fee payment is most of the times a deterrent to applicants ("Advantages and Drawbacks of Getting an MSN," 2016). Another disadvantage is that the entire course is highly time-consuming and involves substantial coursework. Most students dedicate a considerable amount of hours per week to their readings and clinical necessities ("Advantages and Drawbacks of Getting an MSN," 2016). Therefore, active support networks at work and home are needed to ensure such students utilize their time well.
The third master’s degree program for nurses is the dual Master’s degree programs. As the name suggests, this degree involves nurses who have a determination to seek an additional graduate degree that has an in-depth concentration in a particular field that is related to their core, which is nursing. Such students often choose dual MSN programs. Some of these programs combine nursing with business (MSN/MBA), public administration (MSN/MPA) or even public health (MSN/MPH). One inherent advantage is that such combinations further advance the nurse’s specialty and puts him/her in an enhanced situation regarding job security, career advancement and the ability to effect positive reformations within the nursing profession. The disadvantage here is that since this program entails the study of two degrees concurrently, the coursework becomes incredibly intense and time-consuming (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2010). This takes a heavy toll on the student regarding time management and mental focus. Another master’s program worth mentioning is the postmaster’s certificate programs. These programs are available to graduates of a master’s program seeking to enhance their knowledge base and clinical skills. This program offers the sharpening of these skills in specified nursing areas such as leadership, specialty practice, informatics, nursing education among others. Since they do not require intense coursework coverage, the time needed to complete them is conducive.
Onwards, for those nurses who have an ambition of attaining influential leadership positions, dedicated roles and advanced faculty selections, the appropriate credential to attain is usually the doctorate. Here, nurses have the option of going for a research-focused doctoral program famously referred to as the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or practice-based program called the Doctor of Nursing Practice or DNP. Currently, such programs are demanded in the nursing profession since there is a need for nurses to act in capacities such as the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), research scientists, faculty members, leadership roles, and much more. Commensurately, nursing schools countrywide are moving to escalate rapidly, the numbers of students pursuing both research-focused and practice-focused doctoral courses. The highest level of training involved in the nursing practice is the doctor of nursing practice (DNP). This program refers to a practice-based doctoral course that gets experts ready in advanced and highly specialized nursing practices. The program focuses heavily on inventive and evidence-based practices that reflect credible research findings (Mundinger, 2013). Some dilemmas surround the DNP especially the one that rendered it a necessity in advanced nursing practice education. As of 2015, all advanced nursing practitioners were required to have attained a doctorate in nursing practice (Mundinger, 2013). This requirement was viewed as unnecessary considering it takes many years to complete a doctorate in nursing practice. A more serious issue that the DNP causes is the need for further health care reforms and changes to legislations especially with the directive to make it a requirement. In addition, regulations and certification requirements will be necessary, and this may, in turn, cause great alterations within the nursing community and health care in general.
Ultimately, unlimited career opportunities exist especially for nurses who possess a graduate degree. Beyond the aforementioned nursing roles, contemporary nurses are breaking the norms by being highly pivotal as specialists in fields such as case management, forensics, genetics/genomics and other emerging areas. Moreover, today’s nurses are at work in numerous areas as authors, legislators, military officers, and other capacities. It is only through an advanced degree that one can attain such dynamism in nursing.
References
Advantages And Drawbacks Of Getting An MSN . (2016). Nurse.org . Retrieved 4 July 2017, from http://nurse.org/articles/142/advantages-drawbacks-msn-masters-science-nursing/
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2017). Your Guide to Graduate School . Washington, DC.
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (2010). The Future of Nursing Focus on Education (pp. 2-7). Washington, DC.
Mundinger, M. (2013). Why Are Standards for DNPs Who Practice Comprehensive Care so Crucial? And What We Are Doing About It?. The Journal Of Doctoral Nursing Practice , 6 (2), 82-85.
