Thinking about continuing your education after you’ve earned an undergraduate nursing degree? There are several options for students to pursue advanced degrees, such as earning a 护理学硕士，护士 邮政局长的证书 还有护理学博士学位. However, it can be challenging to determine which pathway would be best for you.
Here are the key differences between master’s 和 doctorate degrees 和 why they are viable education options.
什么是硕士学位?
A 理学硕士 in 护理 (MSN) is a specialized degree path 和 allows students to focus on a specific subject area. 护士可以选择多种专业，例如:
Pursuing an MSN is a great idea if you have worked in a field for a while 和 want to move up to a leadership position. Earning your MSN could also provide an opportunity to advance your career in a specific area of advanced practice care.
One under-appreciated aspect of the MSN is that you can pursue your degree from various educational levels. 获得硕士学位的传统途径是获得硕士学位 护理学理学士 然后转到MSN. 然而,一个 加速MSN选项 allows students with an associate degree in nursing (ASN) to pursue their MSN without earning their BSN.
获得MSN的好处
获得硕士学位的一些好处包括:
- 学士学位后继续工作的: You can embark on a new, higher-level career that can’t be attained by a bachelor’s degree.
- 赚更多的钱: Your salary is more likely to rise if you move from an RN role to that of a family nurse practitioner, 例如.
- 获得有需求的工作: There is a great need for some positions that require a master’s degree. 根据 劳工统计局(BLS), there is a predicted 52% growth for nurse practitioners from 2020-2030 which is well above the national aver年龄.
While the exact time that it takes to complete your MSN varies according to specialization, 一般来说，你可以在2年或更短的时间内完成你的MSN. If you are interested in later earning your DNP, you usually need to already possess your MSN.
什么是博士学位?
护理实践博士学位, 或DNP, is considered the highest degree you can earn in the nursing profession. They are research-based academic degrees that are also focused on specializations. The goal of the DNP is to become an expert in a field 和 contribute original or evidence-based research to the field.
A common reason for earning your doctorate is to become a leader in the field or to become a post-secondary teacher. 和, 当然, although a DNP is a doctorate 和 earns you the title “doctor,“这并不能使你成为一名内科医生.
获得DNP的好处
While earning your DNP may take longer than an MSN, it is a very comprehensive degree. Unlike an MSN, there is a lot more flexibility to earning your DNP. In addition, you have the opportunity to actively contribute to the academic discourse.
为什么高学历很重要
Choosing to complete an advanced degree can be a life-changing move. Herzing毕业 乔琳布鲁尔 said it wasn’t an easy decision to go back to school to earn her MSN as a 家庭护士.
她说:“我对进入一所大学感到有些紧张 在线MSN程序, especially because I was going to be working full-time while in school,” she said. “My friends all said that earning their MSN was the best thing they ever did, 但我不确定我是否能成功.”
While she may have struggled with some uncertainty earning her degree, 她能够把这些疑虑放在一边. “我很高兴我这么做了. It had been challenging, but it was worth the time 和 the effort. As a nurse practitioner, I can be more involved in providing excellent 关心我的病人 和 I owe it all to taking that first step to continue my education,” she said.
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*美国劳工统计局(BLS).S. 劳工部, Occupational Employment 和 W年龄 Statistics 2023 / Occupational Outlook H和book 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level w年龄s 和/or salaries. 多种因素, 包括之前的经验, 年龄, 你想要工作的地理市场和学位领域, 会影响职业成果和收入吗. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the aver年龄 salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, 促销活动, 加薪或其他职业发展.
