Tag Archive for 'advanced nursing degree'

Job Market too tough? Stay in School

Published
by
admin
on December 11, 2009
in Nursing Seniors
. 0 Comments

nursing schoolAt the moment, many nursing school new graduates may not exactly have their pick of registered nurse jobs. I say “at the moment” because, just like the stock market, the overall job market and everything else currently in the midst of dynamic fluctuations, this too shall pass. And when it does, the need for new nurses will be unprecedented.  In the meantime, one option for job hunting new grads is to return to the classroom.

An increasing number of newly minted BSN nurses are going back to school for graduate degrees. A master’s degree in nursing is an excellent way to zero in on your preferred specialty area, gain teaching credentials and work towards a higher nursing career tier such as nurse practitioner, certified nurse anesthetist, nurse administrator, nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse manager.

While in an MSN program, you have the opportunity to gain targeted expertise in advanced nursing specialties including acute care, adult and family practice, geriatrics, neonatal, palliative (hospice related) care, pediatrics, psychiatric nursing, women’s health and more. There are accredited traditional classroom/clinical as well as online MSN programs in schools across the country to choose from.

Yes, you will need to eventually enter the workforce and gain the necessary clinical experience and on the job knowledge to meet clinical requirements.  However, returning to graduate school is a smart way of gaining the job searching edge and making yourself even more valuable as a bonafide expert in your field. And rest assured, while you are back in the classroom and diligently applying yourself to clinicals, the job market will continuing fluctuating and nursing job positions will continue to become available.

Resources to help you get started:

RNBuilder.com: Master Degrees in Nursing
Guide to Accredited Master’s in Nursing Programs: www.mastersinnursing.com
American Associations of Colleges of Nursing: www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation

Online BSN Degree For Nurses

Published
by
admin
on June 28, 2009
in Nursing Education
. 4 Comments

Online BSN Training Excellent Option for Working Nurses

BSN Nursing DegreeYou’re an RN with an Associate Degree working several 12 hour shifts per week plus overtime because of sporadic staffing shortages (even though BSN schools are matriculating and graduating nurses as quickly as humanly possible).  Your goal is to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, for higher pay and more job opportunities with additional responsibilities in different clinical settings outside of the hospital such as home health.

But how is such a goal even realistic with your work schedule and family responsibilities?  Going back to school the traditional way, in the classroom at a local college or university for a full 15 week semester, makes for an almost impossible schedule to juggle. Thank goodness innovative nursing programs across the country are starting to understand this and offering a flexible alternative.

Many community colleges and universities are now offering online versions of BSN refresher and BSN transition programs to help existing or former nurses meet their continuing education goals. Online courses incorporate the same academic coursework typically taught in the classroom setting on a more rigid schedule.  The courses also include practical work in clinical settings that emphasize more advanced clinical skills required by the RN BSN along with an emphasis on leadership and management training.

I recently participated in an online RN, BSN refresher course. This was my first time “back to school” along with my first time taking any kind of online training course.  Live classroom discussions among students and teachers are replaced by online message board discussions that resemble regular message board threads on popular social websites.

The discussions are extremely academic with strict guidelines revolving around specific weekly assignment questions that reflect the reading.  However, students are encouraged to share their opinions, clinical experiences, observations and research findings.  Honestly I found these discussions to be much more thorough and informative than the ones I recall from traditional nursing school.

This may be due to the combination of experienced nurses as students along with the online aspect removing any fears of raising one’s hand and speaking up.  Quizzes and exams are also taken online; experiences that feel partly like taking an online trivia exam and partly like an online IQ test.

Overall the experience was extremely positive, very convenient and I’m glad that nursing programs are recognizing online BSN training as a viable solution for nurses to meet their goals.