How Much Does It Cost to Get a Master’s Degree in Nursing (FNP)?
If you’re not living in a bubble, you and your peer U.S. medical/healthcare professionals have witnessed an almost dramatic change in our current healthcare industry, particularly in the duties of nurses and the roles of nursing occupations. Between the Affordable Care Act, upgraded education requirements for healthcare and medical professionals, reduced hours for physician residents, and the ever-increasing complexities of our patient population, new responsibilities and job titles have emerged for nurses as we try to close the primary care gap:
- Midwives
- Nurse anesthesiologists
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
Nursing Practitioners Needed in Primary, Acute Care Settings
In acute care settings, NPs can provide continuous high-level care, thus smoothing transitions between providers and reducing the potential for error. NPs are perhaps uniquely suited to facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration. They are very good at getting and telling the full story; they understand the continuum of care, they have good relationships with bedside nurses, and they tend to be at the bedside more [than physicians], collaborating with the care team. -Sheila Antrum, president UCSF Medical Center, Chief Nursing Officer
Educated and credentialed nurses practitioners can make medical decisions that registered nurses are not licensed to provide, including writing prescriptions and orders. NPs can also make the transition from inpatient to outpatient easier. Traditionally, coordinating discharge is a role for physician-supervised RNs, but an NP can free nurses and physicians for more hands-on patient care while making the discharge experience easier for patients and their families.
Your Inve$tment in Yourself
The cost of your degree will depend on a variety of factors. First of all, the university that you apply to and if you have any graduate credits already. It will also depend if you plan to study full-time or part-time and whether the program is on campus or online.
Requirements include a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an academic institution that is Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited and recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). You also should have undergraduate cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale and a current resume and (unencumbered) RN license.
3 Ways to Make Your Degree More Affordable
A graduate degree is hard work, and perhaps the cost seems prohibitive, but before you give up your dream for a less challenging direction, consider alternatives to your costs:
- Tuition reimbursement – Your employer may offer to pay for part or even all of your training if you agree to use your talents in your current workplace. After all, who stands to gain the most? If your place of employment doesn’t offer tuition reimbursement, make a presentation to your management team to prove how this could add value to the organization. This is a win-win situation, so be sure to pursue it.
- Scholarships – Nurse Journal offers information about scholarships for MSN programs, including one of the highest scholarship programs in the U.S.; the After-College AACN $10,000 scholarship.
- Student loans – File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Stafford loans usually carry a low interest rate and fee; payment isn’t required until after graduation, and Graduate PLUS loans are another good option. Use a student loan calculator to determine your payments upon completion. Most graduate degree programs have incentives for our active-duty military and veterans as a way of saying, “Thank you and welcome home!”
Lost Time is Never Found Again
“You may delay, but time will not,” said Benjamin Franklin. The sooner you put your plan into motion, the sooner you’ll be enjoying the challenges and daily successes a Master of Science Nursing degree (MSN) specializing in FNP can offer. If you’d like to learn more about this exciting program, connect with a helpful admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.
For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.