Achieving a masters in nursing can help open up many more career options for you, giving you the chance to specialize in an area of nursing you are passionate about and deepen your nursing knowledge. If you are a practicing RN and are considering furthering your career and education, or are just at the beginning of your journey to becoming a nurse and a replanning your pathway, online msn programs could be the right answer for you. They provide a flexible and affordable study option that allows you to continue practicing alongside your learning. Online msn programs can help you reach your full potential as a nurse practitioner.
What is the course?
When studying to be a nurse, the online msn programs are an important element to consider. They are an online degree that is for practicing registered nurses who wish to further their education and specialize in different areas of nursing. The course can be completed in 24-30 months, depending on the track you take, and can be studied alongside your job and shift patterns. The online msn programs are rigorous and challenging, with modules such as Theoretical Perspectives for Advanced Practice, Role Development and Leadership, and a Moral and Ethical Decision-Making residency.
Entry Criteria
The requirements for the online msn programs include:
- 3.0 GPA
- BSN degree from a regionally accredited institution or a nursing program
- Transcripts
- Unrestricted and unencumbered current nursing license from the state that you are employed in
Pathways
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Degree, 28 months to complete
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Degree, 28 months to complete
- Family Nurse Practitioner Degree, 30 months to complete
- Adult-Gerontology, Primary Care, Nurse Practitioner Degree, 24 months to complete
These pathways allow you to specialize in a certain area of nursing, and many roles in these areas require at least a masters degree. It is really important to know what kinds of qualifications and licensure the job you are aiming for requires, as this can help you prepare for what you need to undertake in order to reach your goal. There are a lot of positives to education at masters level, such as the increased career opportunities, potential for higher earnings, and the ability to access resources and education that you may not have access to outside of your course or level of knowledge.
Who is it for?
The online msn programs are for RNs who want to become NPs and focus their work and expertise in a certain area or field of nursing. As well as having the correct course requirements and qualifications, there are also plenty of skills that are beneficial for a nurse to have. They can help you connect with patients, work together with other members of the healthcare team, and keep organized, among many other traits and tasks. Useful skills that help make a great nurse include:
Empathy- nurses who are empathetic can provide a more personalized approach and help make patients feel more comfortable. Empathy is the ability to place yourself in the shoes of your patient in order to understand their thoughts and feelings, as you won’t have the first-hand experience of every situation that presents itself, but you will still need to demonstrate a level of understanding in order to help and support the patient.
Stamina- nursing is a very physical job, and you will need to have a lot of physical stamina. You will be moving and lifting equipment and patients and will be on your feet for most of your shift. It is thought that on an average 12-hour shift, a nurse can walk around 4 miles. As well as physical stamina, nurses need to have great emotional stamina to make sure they remain healthy and do not get overly involved with their patients and their situations.
Communication- when working as a nurse in any field or area, you will be communicating with a wide range of people. This will range from patients and their families to medical professionals and members of the health care team. You will have to have great communication and teamwork skills in order to work with all of these different people in an effective way. Understanding how to adapt your communication techniques in order to match different situations is a very important skill that can help you deliver a high level of holistic medical care.
Willingness to Learn- the technology and methodology in the medical field is always changing and developing, and therefore you need to be willing and able to learn, no matter where you are in your career. The newest nursing recruits and the highest-level leaders all have to provide a high level of care and support to their patients, and therefore the ability to adapt and learn is essential.
How to Become a Nurse
If you are at the beginning of your nursing journey, you may be planning out the steps you need to take to achieve your dream job within the nursing industry. Thinking about the online msn programs is a great step in this plan, as it can help you decide what area of nursing you would like to specialize in. The general path to becoming a nurse involves completing an accredited BSN and gained your license, allowing you to become an RN. Once you have done this, you can pursue work or consider further education and training options. This is where you can apply for the online msn programs and choose which area of nursing you would like to work in. From here, you could go even further by studying a DNP.
Nursing is generally more holistic than other kinds of medical and health care jobs. This means it is focused on the individual as a whole and does not just see them as their illness or condition. This includes taking into account other factors of the patients’ lives, as well as the physical, such as psychological, social, environmental, cultural, and religious beliefs. Communication is one of the most important elements of the holistic approach to nursing, both with the patient and other medical professionals. If you are passionate about caring for a person as a whole and providing a comforting approach, then becoming a nurse could be a good health care career for you.
What are the Career Outcomes?
The higher the level of education you have, generally the more highly skilled jobs you are qualified for. Increased career opportunities are just one of the benefits of studying at masters level. With the online msn programs, you will gain the clinical knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a number of specialized nursing roles, such as:
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
PMHNPs provide a huge range of mental health services to many different people, whether this is individuals or groups. If you choose to become a PMHNP, you can generalize or specialize in areas such as geriatrics, forensics, adolescents and young people, or psychotherapy. Your responsibilities can include managing medication and assessing and diagnosing patients. PMHNPs can also provide services in schools, substance abuse programs, prisons, or trauma centers. In this role, you could work in a range of settings, such as private practices, community health centers, outpatient clinics, and primary care units.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
This area of nursing specializes in the care of younger people, from birth to young adults. Tasks can include performing physical examinations, treating illnesses and injuries, and educating adults and caregivers in regards to the health of their child. Pediatric nurse practitioners recognize the importance of family-centered healthcare and are also great educators and communicators.
Family Nurse Practitioner
FNPs provide health care services across every age, gender, disease, and body system. This is an incredibly varied role that can include educating and assessing patients, prescribing medication, and helping to maintain and promote health. Family nurse practitioners can also help develop care plans, consult other healthcare professionals when necessary, and function as the patient’s primary care provider. Due to the population increase, there is also a growing need for FNPs, and they can often provide services in areas where there have been historically long waiting lists, such as rural areas.
Adult-Gerontology, Primary Care, Nurse Practitioner
Primary care AGNPs provide health care services to those of the ages of young adults and upwards, who are not usually ill. Responsibilities can include maintaining health through the promotion and encouragement of healthy lifestyle choices, educating patients and caregivers, managing the transition between care settings, and assessing caregivers’ competence.
When you have completed the online msn programs, you will be an NP, or nurse practitioner. In general, NPs often specialize in acute or chronic conditions or illnesses, and offer a huge and varied range of health services. This can include examining patients, diagnosing them, prescribing medication, diagnose illnesses, and providing treatment, similar to physicians. In certain states, nurse practitioners can also work independently, without the supervision of a doctor or physician.
What are the Benefits of Learning Online?
Online study comes with its own unique challenges that you will need to overcome in order to successfully complete the online msn programs. Taking on this task requires dedication and passion for the subject, and will help you grow personally and professionally.
Flexibility
When studying the online msn programs, you will receive a high level of training and education that is flexible and works around your life and schedule. The flexibility offered by online learning is a huge positive for many people, as it means you don’t have to drop everything in order to study. You can continue with your commitments such as working or your family and study at the same time. Flexible learning allows you more control over your learning environment and pace, making you a more independent learner. It also allows you to figure out the learning methods and techniques that work best for you, which is valuable knowledge that you can apply in the future any time you have to learn something new.
Cost
Many online courses also work out cheaper than in-person ones. This is because learning at home can help you save money on travel and accommodation, and tuition fees for online courses are often cheaper too. Furthermore, you may be eligible for financial support from the institution you are studying with. The ability to work alongside your studies also means that you can continue to earn money while you learn, and you don’t have to leave your job or make huge life changes in order to pursue your dream nursing career.
Skills
Online learning can help you develop many different skills. As well as the technical content of the course, online msn programs can help you improve your soft skills, helping you thrive in any workplace environment. These are a set of personal skills, that are transferable and looked upon favorably by employers. They include communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, self-motivation, organization, and problem-solving. While all these skills are useful, some, such as communication and organization, are particularly beneficial for nursing.
Location
If your local college or university does not offer the level of education or type of course you need, this can lead you to study something else, which can be a waste of your time and money. You may also be forced to give up studying that course altogether. Online learning makes your physical location matter less, giving you access to a wider range of courses and educational institutions. This means that you can find your ideal course, and study online as much as you can. When it comes to online msn programs, a combination of distance and in-person learning is ideal as it gives you the opportunity to practice and implement new skills and techniques you have learned.
Studying the online msn programs can provide you with the technical and personal skills required to work in many different areas of nursing. It is great for those who wish to continue working while develop your career, providing an affordable and flexible study option to help you achieve your dream nursing career in the future.
