Understanding The Unique Role Of Rns In Comparison To Other Types Of Nurses
The term nurse actually is used as shorthand for any kind of nurse, from nursing aides all the way up to nurse practitioners. Theres a wide range of different levels of education and responsibilities involved.
Registered nurses are a specific kind of nurse, however, with their own type of license and capabilities.
With several different nursing classifications, it can be helpful to understand what an RN is by clarifying which nursing professions fall within the RN designation:
Msn Vs Bsn: Two Main Differences
When it comes to choosing between earning a BSN degree and an MSN degree, the truth is you can have a successful, fulfilling nursing career regardless of which degree path you choose. Ultimately, whats right for you comes down to what you want out of your career.
Licenses Certifications And Registrations
Registered nurses must have a nursing license issued by the state in which they work. To become licensed, nurses must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination .
Other requirements for licensing, such as passing a criminal background check, vary by state. Each states board of nursing provides specific requirements. For more information on the NCLEX-RN and a list of state boards of nursing, visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
Nurses may become certified through professional associations in specific areas, such as ambulatory care, gerontology, or pediatrics. Although certification is usually voluntary, it demonstrates adherence to a specific level of competency, and some employers require it.
In addition, registered nursing positions may require cardiopulmonary resuscitation , basic life support , or advanced cardiac life support certification.
CNSs must satisfy additional state licensing requirements, such as earning specialty certifications. Contact state boards of nursing for specific requirements.
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Get A Job As A Registered Nurse
Once you have your state registered nursing license in hand, you can really open up all the options that nursing allows you. Even after going through nursing school, you probably wont really understand how many different things you can do with a nursing license. And you may only have hints of how lucrative the job can be, and how rewarding.
Nurses work in any place where human beings live and work. Their adaptable, practical healthcare skills are always going to be in demand. And the ways they can put those skills to use mean there are thousands of different types of specializations and environments you can work in as an RN.
With An Msn Degree Comes Deeper Understanding
We mentioned that with an MSN degree from a direct entry program, youll still start out as an entry-level nurse. But that doesnt mean a hiring manager wont choose a candidate with an MSN degree over a BSN-educated candidate with the same level of experience. The reason is simple: MSN programs better prepare students to become RNs by offering a more rigorous curriculum often covering advanced topics BSN programs only touch on.
Clinical rotations are another great example of how MSN and BSN programs differ. Typically, most ABSN programs include around 700 hours of clinical time. Marquettes Direct Entry MSN program features more than 1,000 hours of clinical experience at a variety of healthcare facilities, so you get a wealth of experience in diverse settings.
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What Makes The Program Unique
The School of Nursing has been a leader in knowledge development and scholarship in nursing for almost 100 years. Our master’s program alumni are making an impact at local, national, and international levels.
Although we have one of the largest graduate nursing programs in Canada , we offer graduate students an experience as part of a community of scholars characterized by diversity, mutual respect, and integration. Students are making significant contributions to knowledge development through their research projects.
Our MSN program has long been reviewed and assessed by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives and many licensing boards across North America and accredited by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.
Online Bsn To Msn Program
For many BSN to MSN programs courses are offered 100% online. Clinical hours or preceptor hours are in-person and often required. Each state requires clinical hours for APRN specialties, which require state licensure. Many schools require preceptor hours so the student can gain “real-world” experience even if the specialty does not require state licensure to practice. Many online schools require the student to arrange clinical or preceptor hours independently in his/her hometown.
Popular Online BSN to MSN Programs Include:
- Leadership and Management
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
With a Bachelor’s degree in hand, many online schools offer MSN programs that require as few as 36 credit hours.
BSN to MSN Degree Program Tuition
Tuition for the BSN to MSN program is similar to that of the RN to MSN program which is $500-$1000 per credit hour.
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Work Environment About This Section
Registered nurses held about 3.1 million jobs in 2020. The largest employers of registered nurses were as follows:
| Hospitals state, local, and private | 61% |
| Educational services state, local, and private | 3 |
Ambulatory healthcare services includes industries such as physicians offices, home healthcare, and outpatient care centers. Nurses who work in home health travel to patients homes public health nurses may travel to community centers, schools, and other sites.
Some nurses travel frequently in the United States and throughout the world to help care for patients in places where there are not enough healthcare workers.
Applicants Without A High School Diploma Or College Degree In The Us:
- If you do not have a degree from a U.S. high school, college, or university, you are required to demonstrate English proficiency.
- If you have completed coursework outside of the U.S., you must have your transcripts evaluated.
This program is not eligible for F-1 or J-1 student visa sponsorship by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, due to the amount of online courses.
If you have questions regarding the admissions requirements or process, contact the Office of Admission and Student Scholarships to avoid errors that could delay the processing of your application.
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Types Of Masters Degrees In Nursing
If you are interested in a career that is well known for helping people and making a difference in the lives of others, obtaining your masters degree in nursing is a great place to start. There are many different areas of nursing that you can obtain a masters degree in that will give you access to the most sought-after jobs and extremely meaningful careers. The looming nursing shortage also means that the masters degree outlook for finding a job is really good.
What Is An Online Msn Program
An online MSN program prepares graduates for leadership roles in various specialized areas of nursing. Students can often pursue concentrations like clinical nursing, nursing administration, advanced practice nursing, and nursing education. An MSN also provides nursing professionals with the clinical knowledge required to meet the healthcare needs of their patients.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Msn Programs
What is the best masters degree to get in nursing?
The best MSN to get will really depend on your ultimate career goals. If you want to teach other nurses, a nursing education MSN is a great fit. If you want to move up in the ranks of nursing toward management positions, a nursing leadership MSN is a great fit. If you want to move into data analysis, a nursing informatics MSN is a good option. Start with determining what your dream career is, then find an MSN program that will help you be prepared to reach your goals.
How much does a nurse with a MSN make a year?
On average nurses with a master’s degree earn about $86,000 per year, much higher than the RN national average of $74,000 per year.
What types of master’s degrees in nursing are there?
- Nursing education program
You Cant Really Talk About Modern Registered Nursing Without Talking About Florence Nightingale
An Englishwoman who was born in 1820, Nightingale received an unusually broad and liberal education due to her wealthy father, and expressed an early interest in healthcare. While she was serving as superintendent of Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in London, the Crimean War broke out.
Hearing of horrific conditions among wounded at the front, Nightingale assembled and trained a staff of 38 nurses according to her own system of nursing. She placed an emphasis on hygiene, nutrition, and holistic environmental care for injured soldiers. Some sources attribute her methods for reducing death rates from 42 percent to 2 percent among the wounded.
Her holistic approach to patient care, combining medicine with considerations of other factors that influence a patients health remains a core principle of modern nursing. The curriculum you will learn in any nursing program in the United States, and even the idea that nurses should be professionally trained in the first place, both came from Nightingale.
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What Credit By Examinations Do You Accept
The University of Maryland School of Nursing recognizes the following proficiency examination programs for credit:
- Advanced Placement
- College-Level Examination Program
- International Baccalaureate Exams
Required tests scores, credits, and transfer equivalency are determined by UMSON. Credits earned through AP, CLEP, or IB may be used to fulfill UMSON prerequisite coursework requirements.
Ready To Start Your Journey
A master of science in nursing is an advanced degree that can prepare graduates for multiple nursing career paths, including clinical research nurse, advanced practice nurse, and nur2se educator. Students with an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing may earn their MSN through traditional or bridge programs.
A traditional MSN program takes about two years of full-time study to complete, with some accelerated online options leading to a degree in one year. Tuition costs vary dramatically based on the program, specialization, and school and can range from roughly $13,500-$100,000.
Earning an MSN may lead to advancement opportunities as well as increased earning potential. According to PayScale, as of September 2021, individuals with an associate degree in nursing earned an average yearly salary of about $71,000. In contrast, those with a bachelor of science in nursing made $87,000, and MSN degree-holders boasted an average annual wage of about $97,000.
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Areas Of Concentration For Registered Nurses
Most registered nurses choose to specialize in one particular area of healthcare, such as emergency care, geriatrics, informatics, or neonatal. The following table highlights numerous concentrations available to registered nurses.
| Critical Care | Anesthesia | Informatics |
|---|---|---|
| I want to work with the critically ill and patients who are at high risk for life-threatening conditions, diseases, and health problems. | ||
| I want to work with pregnant women, those trying to get pregnant, or patients who have just given birth. | ||
| I would like to help patients reduce or manage pain and keep them as comfortable as possible during their medical care. | ||
| I like working with computers as much as I like working with people. I would also like to help run computer and information systems that monitor and manage patient care. | ||
| I like numbers, statistics, and the development of new medical discoveries that help patients. |
Things To Ask Registered Nurse Schools
Once you have determined which nursing program to enroll in, and whether to attend your classes on campus or on the internet, you can utilize the following guidelines to begin narrowing down your choices. As you undoubtedly realize, there are numerous nursing schools and colleges in the University FL area and throughout Florida and the United States. So it is necessary to lower the number of schools to select from in order that you will have a manageable list. As we already discussed, the site of the school and the expense of tuition are probably going to be the primary two things that you will consider. But as we also stressed, they should not be your only qualifiers. So prior to making your ultimate choice, use the following questions to evaluate how your pick measures up to the other programs.
Accreditation. Licensing PreparationReputation. Graduation and Job Placement RatesInternship Programs
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Prerequisite And Admission Requirements
An MSN degree program is an intense course of study. Admission is typically competitive for the best programs. While pre-requisites vary, many traditional MSN programs require the following for admission:
- A Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- BSN degree from an accredited program
- Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0
- Current verified RN licensure in the United States
- One year of relevant clinical experience as an RN
- Letters of academic or professional reference
- Completion of courses in areas such as human anatomy, human physiology, and microbiology within five years of applying to the program
- Completion of statistics course
- Requirement for standardized test scores such as GRE, MAT, GMAT, and MCAT varies by institution
- In-person interview
- Personal statement of professional goals
Do You Need To Consider Accreditation When Earning A Nursing Degree
Nursing is a highly specialized field which requires a carefully determined curriculum and the right kind of instructors and educational support to assure both licensing agencies and employers that you know your stuff. To make sure youre enrolled in a program with that kind of quality, youll need to pick one that holds a specialty accreditation from either the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education .
Most students enrolling in college in the United States for the first time dont have to think much about accreditation. Every two- and four-year college youve ever heard of probably has a general accreditation from an accrediting agency recognized by the Department of Education, meaning they hold all the basic standards needed to offer legit degrees.
But these two organizations offer a more specialized, in-depth review of the kinds of coursework, the quality of instructors, and the availability of resources in nursing programs. Thats why state nursing boards typically require that you graduate from an accredited program in order to be eligible for licensure.
ACEN accredits all levels of nursing degrees, while CCNE only offers accreditation to bachelors and masters-level degrees.
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Rn Nursing School Degrees Available
There are several degree options to choose from that provide the training to qualify to become a registered nurse. And to become an RN, a student must attend an accredited school and program. A nursing student can earn a qualifying degree in just two years, or advance to achieve a graduate degree for a total investment of 6 years of studies. Following are some brief explanations of the nursing degrees that are currently available in the University Florida area.
- Associates. The Associate Degree in Nursing is usually a two year program made available by Florida community colleges. It preps graduates for an entry level job in nursing in healthcare centers including hospitals, clinics or nursing homes. Many utilize the ADN as an entry into nursing and ultimately earn a higher degree.
- Bachelor’s. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing offers more in depth training than the ADN. It is generally a four year program offered at Florida colleges and universities. Licensed RNs may be able to complete an accelerated program based on their past training or degree and professional experience . Those applying to the program may want to advance to a clinical or administrative position, or be more competitive in the job market.
- Master’s. The Master of Science in Nursing is generally a 2 year program after attaining the BSN. The MSN program offers specialization training, for example to become a nurse practitioner or focus on administration, management or teaching.
Nurse Leadership And Administration
Healthcare organizations need experienced nursing leaders to help them navigate changes in technology and the healthcare landscape. An MSN in Nurse Leadership can help you advance to a variety of management roles, from overseeing a nursing unit to leading the entire nursing department. Possible job titles in nursing administration include Chief Nursing Officer, Director of Nursing, or Healthcare Manager. Learn more about how to become a nursing administrator and what it takes to reach the upper levels of the nursing profession.
Employment for health services managers and executives is expected to grow by 20 percent from 2016 to 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS data also shows that medical and health services managers earn a median annual wage of $99,730. Discover the average salary for nurse administrators and clinical healthcare managers across the U.S.
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How To Take Your Masters Program Classes
These days, online classes are almost a guarantee, no matter what program you have chosen to take. Make sure when you choose a college that they offer classes that will fit your schedule. Online courses can be different depending on what schools you attend. Some offer more flexible and personal ways of learning, taking the classes and turning assignments in once they are completed. Other schools offer online classes that are taught through a live feed where you have to be present for every lesson and all assignments have specific due dates and times.
If you choose an in-person school, you have a few options there, too. If you are unable to attend full time there are part-time programs that will take longer to complete but also work around you and your current career schedule. There are also opportunities for weekend and night classes that will help you keep up, finish your program on time, without disrupting your life.
Finally, there is the hybrid option. This seems to be the most popular way to attend any college courses these days, taking some of your classes from the comfort of your own home and the rest of on campus and in the classroom.
Each one of these options is a great way to get your masters degree in your own time in your own way.