What Can You Do with an MSN Degree that You Can't Do with a BSN?

If you’re a nurse, you never stop learning. Every day there are new challenges, new experiences, and every day you learn as you make a difference. It’s got to be one of the most rewarding fields in the world!

Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” There are many opportunities available for RNs, even those with BA degrees, if their concentration was medical or clinical focused.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) 

The BSN is the foundation for advanced degrees in nursing and medicine. BSNs are eligible for many leadership roles and are more frequently found in leadership and management positions within medical organizations. With healthcare’s evolution into value-based medical care, a BSN degree is important to fill that gap between ADN and MSN (Associate Degree in Nursing & Master of Science in Nursing degree, respectively).

“BSNs are the critical thinkers in healthcare, re-writing public policy and serving on interdisciplinary teams that are shaping the quality driven initiatives of the future,” according to What’s the Difference between BSN and MSN? But MSNs comprise the nursing educators ranks, meaning that they are critically important to the field.

Obtaining your Master of Science in Nursing degree begins with a BSN. The MSN can be the focus of leadership at any level of an organization, including education at the college level.

The Need for Nursing Leadership & Education

To say the nursing industry is evolving at warp speed is almost an understatement. Management positions in healthcare require a set of skills that are also evolving far beyond clinical experience. In fact, MSNs are most likely to be the developers of this rapidly evolving field. Nurse & author Catherine Meliniotis, BA, BSN, RN, BC, says effective nursing leadership involves critical thinking and advanced communication skills.

With an MSN degree, your leadership role indicates to your supervisors that you are ready for additional responsibilities within your organization.

Leadership roles and skills may include:

• Better understanding of your organization’s history and culture; adapting to management’s decision-making management personality.
• Communication aptitude that changes between RNs who are your direct reports vs. the management you report to.
• Listening, mirroring, and after a discussion, creating a summarization of that day’s conversation.
• Mentoring and motivating your staff. Mentoring follows the “do what I do, not do what I say,” philosophy, and your words and actions should be professional and inspirational.
• Ensuring your organization offers excellence in patient care.

Nurse educators work in a variety and diversity of settings and organizations. From community leadership to healthcare management, training is needed for nurses, healthcare workers, and community emergency response teams. Nurse educators can work at the college or university level, or act as consultants to healthcare facilities, providing assessments and processes to enhance patient care.

Nurse educator roles and skills may include:

• Designing education curriculum and developing programs of study for nursing students
• Teaching and guiding
• Assessment and evaluation of students, nursing colleges and healthcare organizations
• Documenting educational process outcomes
• Advising students
• Research
• Speaking and/or presenting at professional nursing events
• Writing grant proposals
• Analyzing clinical competence within a healthcare setting

 

Is the MSN Degree in Your Plans?

Earning your Master of Science in Nursing means you may be shaping the future of healthcare. Advanced education leads to decision-making roles that make a difference in thousands of lives. The MSN program at ECPI University is your first step. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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