online master's degree in nursing

Today’s busy nursing professionals who desire more education and expanded growth opportunities may feel limited by some higher education options. Depending on where you live, access to quality nursing education programs may be limited. Yet, even advanced degrees can literally be at your fingertips! If you are a bachelors-prepared nurse wanting a master’s degree to add to your professional portfolio, yes, you can earn your nursing master’s degree online!

Think About What You Want Out of Your Nursing Career

Think about your reason for completing a master’s degree in nursing.  Some questions you might ask yourself are:

What kind of job or role do you want to have once you complete your master’s degree?

Think about your own job and what you enjoy doing. Do you enjoy leading others? Are you currently a charge nurse, team leader or a committee chair? Does managing the work of others come easily to you? Maybe you want to become a manager, director or potentially a chief nursing officer?

Do you enjoy teaching other nurses and clinical staff new skills and knowledge? Do you find yourself teaching patients self-care or educating the family about their loved one’s condition? Do you enjoy being a preceptor and helping new employees become familiar with their new work setting?  If so, you may want to teach other nurses as a nursing instructor or professor in an academic setting.  You may also want to provide more intensive clinical education as a nurse educator in your own work environment providing orientation and ongoing training to other nurses and support staff, or even providing disease-specific patient education such as diabetes education or cardiac care.

Finally, do you enjoy making processes and procedures better?  Do you enjoy collecting data, observing new ideas in action and measuring improvement? You may possibly enjoy working in quality management or performance improvement jobs within a healthcare organization or perhaps in public health.

How long do you want your master’s degree to take?

Some nurses wanting to pursue a master’s degree may want to take all the time they need, yet others may want to get it done as soon as possible. Depending on your work schedule and personal life, you may want to choose a program that will work for you, allow flexibility, and give you the quality education you desire.

What Will I Be Doing in an Online MSN Program?

Online programs may vary in delivery methods. Some programs may be completely virtual, meaning all classroom and group work is done on the computer.  Assignments are submitted online as well. You may be using different types of computer programs, apps, and software such as:

  • Collaborative blackboards
  • Chat rooms
  • Wikis
  • Blogs
  • Industry-standard clinical simulations
  • Web-based networks

In addition, you will have access to expansive online libraries of nursing periodicals, journals, and professional articles for your research and homework.  You will normally be able to meet with your professors during virtual office hours scheduled specifically for you.

You may find that you learn best in a classroom setting and want to complete your coursework through a hybrid course which uses 50% brick and mortar classroom and 50% on a virtual platform. Search for a program that will allow you options that will meet your needs.

Just as with your undergraduate nursing program, you will need to complete a practicum so your professors will be able to observe your skills and determine your competency level.  All this can be done online or in cooperation with preceptors that are accessible to you.  Ideally, as you review master's level programs, you want your activities and assignments to reflect what you will see in a real-life setting, regardless of whether it is in leadership, education, quality management or other areas requiring a master’s degree.

Earning an MSN degree may open many opportunities for your future! The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an average increase of 17% in nursing management level jobs through 2024. Nursing educator positions are expected to increase annually by 19%. With the flexibility of virtual learning online, you may complete your MSN in less than two years!

If you are interested in getting your Master of Science in Nursing with either a concentration in Nursing Education or Nursing Leadership, contact ECPI University to learn how you could earn your MSN in as few as 15 months! It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

Learn more about ECPI's College of Nursing TODAY!

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Gainful Employment Information – Master of Science in Nursing

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