Things You Need to Know about Masters in Nursing
by admin on 24/01/12 at 1:38 am
Understand terms, courses, specializations and future opportunities related with a Masters in Nursing degree.
A Masters in Nursing (MSN) turns an RN (registered nurse) into an APN (advanced practice nurse). MSN students are taught how to provide high quality nursing care within a specialized field. The goal of MSN is not just to produce better students but also to train nurses into nurse leaders.
APNs are sometimes made to perform tasks and make decisions that are normally made by physicians. They are also trained in advanced kinds of care such as that involving the administration of anesthesia, delivering a child and clinical nursing. APNs are more capable of handling difficult situations than RNs.
A typical Masters degree in Nursing program runs for 18 to 24 months. After the program, APNs have spent much more time in related learning than have nurses with BSN (Bachelor’s degree in Nursing) or nurses with 2-year training in a vocational course. A 2-year vocational course in a nursing or community college entitles one to become an RN.
Anyone, even non-nurses, may take MSN and earn a Master of Science in Nursing. There are Direct Entry MSN programs that allow and train non-nurses to become a nurse administrator, if that is the career path they desire. The direct entry program takes three years to complete.
Direct Entry MSN begins with an entire year of basic learning in nursing. A solid year of learning the basics is supposed to make up for a non-nurse’s lack of prior knowledge in nursing. The next two years are practically similar to a regular MSN, where there are several practicum courses to make up for the lack of prior nursing experience.
Some of the most common practicum courses offered in MSN programs are Patient Care Services and Administration Practicum, Nursing Education Role Practicum, and Role Immersion Practicum. Role immersion practices may be make-believe, but it is definitely not child’s play. This practicum immerses students into unfamiliar territory so that they get familiarized with probable crucial situations when already working in the Emergency Room or Operating Room.
In a Role Immersion Practicum, a student is trained in becoming a CNL or Clinical Nurse Leader.
It is a specialized course in which students are placed in a variety of settings in which they are taught how to react and what to do. Students are given the chance to demonstrate what they know about clinical care, case studies and patient management.
A CNL is a newly created role in nursing. The task of a CNL is to evaluate patient outcome, assess risk, and coordinate with physicians, hospital personnel and other nurses. Specialized courses in CNL include Application of Comprehensive Health Assessment Methods, Health Care Information Systems, and Advanced Pathophysiology.
Two other MSN course specializations are Nursing Education and Patient Care Services Administration. To train future nurse educators, some of the courses under this specialization are Pharmacology for Nurse Educators,Theoretical Basis for Teaching and Learning in Nursing Education and Curriculum Development, among others. To train future nurse administrators, on the other hand, involves courses such as Strategic Leadership, Organizational Management, and Management of Financial Resources.
Several job opportunities and promotions await an APN. Employers prefer to hire nurses with a Masters in Nursing. They are offered leadership roles and higher salaries.
