A career in nursing can be extremely fulfilling and lucrative, and one of the best ways to advance is to get a advanced degree. If students are currently an RN, they can enter an RN to MSN program to earn their master’s degree more quickly. As a nurse with an MSN, students are able to perform high-level, specialized tasks or even open their own practice in some states. While students still are a registered nurse, completing an RN to MSN program and passing their state’s licensing test allows them to become an advanced practice nurse, or APN.
With an MSN students have four APN career options. If students want to continue working in a clinical setting as a nurse, they should become a nurse practitioner, which allows them to work with patients on a higher level. Nurse practitioners make an average salary of $84,250, with a higher earning potential in some specialties, such as intensive care, surgery, and geriatrics. Another choice is becoming a a clinical nurse practitioner, which allows students to work in research, teaching, consulting, and administration, along with clinical work. In this field, expect to make $62,510 to $82,305. Students can also become an APN by becoming a certified nurse midwife or certified nurse anesthetist. Certified nurse midwives make anywhere from $35,000 to start to over $70,000 with experience, while certified nurse anesthetists are some of the highest-paid nurses in the industry, making an average of over $160,000 annually.
A RN to MSN program is tailored to meet student’s career goals. Since students have already had RN license, they are able to skip some of the basic classes that they would normally have to take as part of a master’s degree program. RN to MSN programs are typically offered as an addition to a BSN program, so students enter right after they graduate and start taking classes specific to the type of advanced practice nurse they want to be come. Students also take classes in management and leadership in most cases.
Online RN to MSN Degrees
- RN to MSN: American Sentinel University
- RN to MSN – Nurse Education: Capella University
- RN to MSN – Nurse Education: Grantham University
- RN to MSN: Kaplan University
- RN to MSN: Loyola University New Orleans
- RN to MSN – CNL: Sacred Heart University
- RN to MSN – NE: Sacred Heart University
- RN to MSN – PCSA: Sacred Heart University
- RN to MSN – Accelerated: South University
- RN to MSN – Adult Health Nurse: South University
- RN to MSN – Nurse Education: South University
- RN to MSN: University of Phoenix
- RN to MSN: Walden University
