The need for nurses is growing quickly, matching the changes in technology and healthcare practices. This growth points to an urgent need for nursing professionals with advanced degrees who are equipped to navigate the complex world of 21st-century healthcare in the U.S.
While the cost and time associated with going back to school — or simply continuing after earning a bachelor’s degree — can make the idea of pursuing a master’s degree seem impractical, online MSN programs such as the one available through Lamar University can help professional and student nurses earn degrees in a flexible, affordable way.
Online Nursing Programs
Earning a degree through an RN to MSN online program opens the door for nurses to fill specialized roles such as nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners take on additional responsibilities in a clinical setting, writing prescriptions and formulating diagnoses. Depending on the state regulations, nurse practitioners may be permitted to work independently of a licensed physician.
Nurses who receive a degree through an RN to MSN online program are presented with additional opportunities to advance in their careers, and they earn greater salaries overall. While associate and bachelor’s degrees prepare nurses to excel at general nursing practice, graduate degrees help nurses focus on special areas of interest.
Many RN to MSN online programs allow students to pursue singular specialties like nursing administration or nurse educator and enter the workforce with a potential starting salary around $83,000.
What Does the IOM Say?
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has recognized the need for more highly educated nurses to meet the growing changes in healthcare and issued a report on the future of nursing calling for more nurses with MSN degrees. The IOM report examines how nurses’ roles and education need to evolve in step with the nursing practice as aging populations require additional, more complex levels of care.
According to the IOM report, nurses increasingly provide primary care services across a spectrum of healthcare settings, and as responsibilities increase, so too must the level of education. Facilities will need more nurse practitioners and physician assistants, particularly as the number of medical students focusing on internal medicine has dropped in the past several years.
Regardless of specialty, nurses who want to pursue an RN to MSN online degree should be committed to continuing education. With ongoing skill development and advanced degrees, nurses will not only be able to act as leaders in a clinical setting, they will also have more opportunities to lead in healthcare administration and advocacy environments.
Learn more about the Lamar University online RN to MSN program.
Sources:
http://nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/22045-5-reasons-to-get-a-msn
