Types Of Master’s Degrees In Nursing – Which One Is Right For You

nurse or doctor

Did you know that earning a master’s degree in nursing can open the door to many possibilities such as advanced leadership roles, better clinical positions, and higher salaries? 

If you are looking for development opportunities, make sure you check this list with 4 types of master’s degrees that you should know about!

MSN Bridge Program

Because of the high demand for nursing experts across the world, master’s degrees in nursing are among the most popular degrees. To that end, nurses enthusiastic about nursing science can enroll in a bridge MSN program, popularly called an RN-MSN program. Bridge programs are meant to be practical, providing a fast track to a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. This program is specially designed for registered nurses who still do not have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. It is marked by the huge capacity of opening new possibilities to the nurse and providing him/her with the necessary knowledge and leadership qualities!

General Master’s In Nursing

A degree that can prepare you for a range of managerial professions while also emphasizing your competence to mentor and educate other nurses. Many nurses with this specialization may opt to lecture at nursing schools instead of providing direct care to patients. Indeed, nurse educators are needed in almost every hospital in any country to teach young RNs and LPNs about patient care procedures. That indicates there’s a good likelihood you’ll be able to get work with this sort of degree. In addition, an MSN in nursing education typically takes two years to complete.

One of the appealing aspects of this profession is also that it might lead to a position with more consistent working hours. Likewise, there’s a chance you’ll be able to work from home. 

Nursing informatics

The rapid expansion of online patient health records has increased the demand for informatics expertise. In that sense, nursing informatics is an emerging area that combines technological competence with nursing understanding to develop new data systems, evaluate medical data, and confer with other nurses about medical technology. Differently put, dealing with data systems, patient records, computerized interfaces for physicians and nurses, and other IT and tech disciplines is what nursing informatics is all about. 

However, working with computers requires ability and knowledge of coding, but this makes informatics an even more fascinating and ever-evolving field that takes you nearly entirely away from direct patient care. In addition, the specialty can lead to jobs ranging from a part-time side job inputting insurance numbers on a home computer to assisting a big hospital in the creation of a new information management system to manage patient care, prescription administration, and much more.

Public health nursing

Nurses who work in public health focus on illness prevention, particularly communicable diseases. They frequently educate the people or stakeholders about health and illness, as well as good hygiene and sanitation where you can gain precious experience. 

In addition to traditional hospital environments like clinics and laboratories, these nurses can serve in nonclinical settings like government organizations, community centers, or charities. For example, the coronavirus pandemic placed healthcare nurses at the forefront highlighting their importance!

The most satisfying feeling is the feeling of achievement and self-growth. Make sure you embrace the opportunity to advance professionally, but also personally, and use it to achieve higher goals!