Adn To Msn: Advance Your Degree And Help Alleviate The Country's Critical Nursing Shortage

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If you're a registered nurse with an associate degree in nursing (ADN), you really should consider pursuing a masters degree in nursing (the MSN). You will receive a higher salary, of course, and you'll also find that your career will open up in ways you never before thought possible.

For example, as you know, there's an acute shortage of nurses looming in the next couple of decades. A 2009 report in the journal Health Affairs reported that many experts expect more than 250,000 nursing positions will not be filled by 2025 due to the critical need for registered nurses.

Registered nurses who earn a masters degree in nursing earn an average of $72,000 per year, compared to registered nurses with an associate degree in nursing, who earn an average salary in the mid- to upper $40Ks. That's a huge difference, and one that will increase as you progress in your career.

Move From an ADN to an MSN degree and Become a Part of the Solution

But as someone who has moved from RN to MSN, you'll be able to move into nursing administration, lead patient safety and quality improvement efforts, or even become a hospital administrator. You'll also be able to teach those who wish to enter the nursing profession.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reports that interest in a nursing career is exceptionally high. Yet, according to a 2009 report by the AACN, colleges and universities had to turn away almost 50,000 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs because there wasn't enough nursing faculty (or large enough facilities, or other factors) to accommodate them.

Go from ADN to MSN and you can help train the next generation of nurses. You also will benefit professionally and in your income when you earn a masters degree in nursing

You needn't worry about having to quit your job, either. Many ADN to MSN degree programs are completely (or mostly) online, allowing you to study and complete your class work when it's convenient to you, your family and your work schedule. Most online programs do require you to come to campus once or twice a semester, but this allows you the chance to meet and work with your professors and classmates in person, giving you an even better education as you all collaborate and learn together.

You needn't worry about having to quit your job, either. Many ADN to MSN degree programs are completely -- or mostly -- online, allowing you to study and complete your class work when it's convenient to you, your family and your work schedule. Most online programs do require you to come to campus once or twice a semester, but this allows you the chance to meet and work with your professors and classmates in person, giving you an even better education as you all collaborate and learn together.

In addition, many online nursing degree programs are what are known as "accelerated" programs in that they allow students who already have a bachelor's degree in nursing the opportunity to study for their master's degree in nursing while continuing to work as a nurse. These programs often can be completed in less than two years.


About the Author:
Earn your ADN to MSN degree at the College of Graduate Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Located just 35 miles east of Los Angeles, WesternU's College of Graduate Nursing offers a two-year, Web-based ADN-to-MSN degree program that allows registered nurses the opportunity to continue to work as they pursue an advanced nursing degree. http://nursing.westernu.edu/adn-msn-nursing/index.html



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