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Nursing is a calling that can prove to be an incredibly fulfilling and rewarding career path. Not only do you get the opportunity to administer healthcare directly to patients who are in need, but you learn so much about the inner workings of healthcare while doing your job. This experience and insight tend to make nurses excellent candidates for roles of greater responsibility and leadership within the world of healthcare on the whole.
Any nurse who is interested in taking the experience they acquire and lessons they learn working as a registered nurse (RN) to higher positions within the world of healthcare should consider earning an advanced degree in nursing. Although such programs can be demanding and challenging, there are a great many reasons to enroll in one and earn an advanced degree.
Here are ten reasons why you should consider earning an advanced degree in nursing.
1. You Can Continue Working While You Are in School
Earning an advanced degree in nursing is not the easiest thing you will ever do to further your career. However, these days there is a program out there to suit any schedule. This means that when you pick the right program that fits your schedule, you can earn your advanced degree without quitting your day job.
For instance, there are traditional programs out there that require you to be on campus and in class if that is how you learn best; however, there are also online nursing programs to consider. When you consider the fact that you can continue to work and live your life when you opt for online nursing programs, the overall concept of earning your degree becomes far less intimidating.
Furthermore, online nursing programs tend to be more accelerated in nature, meaning that you can graduate sooner. It is also important to note that online nursing programs are more often than not more affordable than more traditional programs. Therefore, even though you have to continue working, you don’t have to spend all that you earn on your degree. Whether you are looking to earn your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, there are online nursing programs out there to help you accomplish your goals.
2. More Opportunities for Career Advancement
The most obvious reason to earn an advanced degree in nursing is to allow yourself to further your career. While the experience that you earn working as an RN can help you become more of a healthcare leader, higher roles in medicine require advanced and specified education.
This is particularly true if you want to work in a certain specialty. For instance, you will need to earn your MSN in midwifery if you wish to become a nurse-midwife. The good news is that some online nursing programs allow you to finish such a degree in about 18-24 months, meaning that you can enjoy more career opportunities sooner rather than later.
3. Salary
One enticing aspect of earning an advanced degree in nursing that accompanies career advancement involves the earning potential that you are made available to you when you have such qualifications. While the average salary of an RN is nothing to scoff at, with most earning around $75,000 per year, the potential to earn significantly more is one solid reason for any nurse to consider earning an advanced degree.
For instance, the nursing role that is well-known for presenting the highest earning potential of all is that of a certified nurse anesthetist (CRNA). With a national average salary of $165,000 per year with some states, like Montana, possessing an average of over $200,000 per year, the job of a CRNA is an intriguing one for many nurses. However, the only way to become a fully qualified CRNA is to earn your DNP in anesthesiology.
4. Help Fill a Growing Need
In the United States, there has been a steady trend in the world of healthcare that has been troubling many in the field. This is the decline in the availability of qualified healthcare professionals across the country. In part, this decline pertains to the number of qualified physicians out there working in both hospitals and private practices. With fewer physicians and a growing number of individuals seeking healthcare, a shortage of providers is the resulting situation.
To help fill the need for qualified healthcare providers, nurses are being asked to step up in a greater way than ever before. When a nurse becomes a qualified and educated nurse practitioner (NP), they are permitted in many cases to act in the same way that a physician would. They evaluate, diagnose, and offer treatment to patients just as a doctor does without the necessity of being under a physician’s supervision. This independence in practice helps to get healthcare to people who are currently without physicians. It is also one of the main reasons that nurses go on to earn advanced degrees.
It should be noted that not all states afford NPs the same permissions as others. There are many states wherein an NP can act as a physician except for the ability to prescribe certain medications. However, other states place more restrictions on NPs, typically because of the need for physicians in those states isn’t as great. Moreover, NPs wishing to practice in such a manner will most likely need to be in possession of a DNP as opposed to an MSN degree. Thankfully, there are a great many online nursing programs that make earning such degrees simpler and more realistic than ever. Just be sure to make yourself aware of your state’s requirements before you start searching for online nursing programs.
5. Specialize in a Specific Area of Medicine
Many RNs work in a more generalized field of healthcare. They are responsible for catering to patients with a variety of illnesses and injuries. While some RNs choose to work in particular medicine areas, the best way for a nurse to truly specialize in a particular field is to earn an advanced degree. This is because specializing requires a vast amount of knowledge pertaining to a specific area of medicine.
For example, if a nurse finds that they are passionate about pediatric care, they can opt to earn an advanced degree and become an NP in pediatric medicine. Such a degree program will prepare that nurse for the challenges and obstacles that pediatric NPs face regularly and provide them with the opportunity to gain clinical experience working in the field of pediatrics. That experience is crucial to the success of any nurse looking to specialize in pediatric care.
Ultimately, if you aspire to specialize in a particular area of medicine, the best thing you can do is tailor your education to that specialization. By finding specific online nursing programs that offer students the opportunity to specialize in the area of medicine that you are interested in, you can become a strong candidate for jobs in that field.
6. Become a Leader
As has already been stated, the experience that RNs obtain when working in direct patient care is incredibly valuable to the world of healthcare. This is because RNs not only understand healthcare from a practical standpoint, but they also see the direct effects of certain healthcare practices on their patients every single day. They work as advocates for their patients and are with them throughout their entire treatment process. Because of this, nurses’ opinions have because recognized as incredibly valuable to those who make the major decisions regarding healthcare in the United States.
That experience also primes nurses to become excellent leaders in healthcare. However, to put the lessons that you learn as an RN on the frontlines of medicine into action, you will need to acquire the right level of education. Online nursing programs tend to include courses on leadership and communication so that you can be prepared to assume leadership roles upon graduating. When you couple the experience of a nurse with the skills and knowledge acquired through an advanced degree program, you can become a great leader in the world of healthcare.
Once you have achieved this position, you are able to influence policies and procedures which affect patient care, as well as have a say in the working conditions that your colleagues have to endure, you will have a voice that you can use to call for necessary changes, and allow others to be heard through you as well.
7. Prepare the Next Generation of Nurses
One path that becomes available to nurses who opt to earn an advanced degree is working as a nurse educator. Working to prepare the next generation of nurses is something that many nurses find they wish to do later in their careers. The fact of the matter is that the best educators of nurses tend to be those who have acquired a great deal of experience in the field that they can pass along to the next generation.
Earning an advanced nursing degree qualifies you to instruct nursing students through online nursing programs or traditional academic settings. However, if your calling isn’t to become an instructor, you might consider becoming a mentor after you have earned your advanced degree. There are many younger nurses out there who are seeking a mentor who can help guide them in the right direction in their career. With so many developments and changes happening in the world of healthcare, the ability to mentor another and help them navigate things can prove to be an incredibly rewarding way of giving back to the nursing community.
8. Pursue Research Opportunities
Because nurses spend so much time working on the frontlines of healthcare, they tend to be privy to some of the issues in healthcare practices. Whether those issues pertain to the use of specific medications or if there is a need for a type of device to help accomplish basic tasks, there is only one true way to solve the significant issues in healthcare today. This involves performing a great deal of research.
Medical research is one of the most important areas of medicine today. Nurses who choose to earn advanced degrees in nursing become qualified to work as researchers looking to help find solutions to existing problems in healthcare. The field of medical research is also one that can prove to be quite lucrative for nurses with advanced degrees, making this another convincing reason to earn an advanced degree in nursing.
9. Grow Your Professional Network
The practice of cultivating a professional network is one that is incredibly important to any healthcare professional. This is because exchanging ideas and experiences in one of the key ways in which the field of medicine progresses. There are a great many professional organizations for nurses already in existence that can help nurses of various specializations connect with one another. However, the connections you stand to make through a graduate degree program can significantly expand your network.
When you are earning your degree, not only will you be working closely with other students in your position, but you will also be performing clinical hours and working with qualified and experienced instructors. The ability to reach out and make connections with other professionals should certainly be taken advantage of at any opportunity presented to you, and graduate school is no exception.
10. Find Fulfillment
As you might have ascertained, earning an advanced degree in nursing is no easy feat. However, it is an excellent way to further your career, become a leader in healthcare, and make a true difference in the lives of your patients. All of this brings many nurses a great sense of fulfillment that they would not have otherwise had the opportunity to enjoy.
The feeling of graduating from any of the many exceptional online nursing programs out there is something that brings a great deal of fulfillment. Knowing that you now possess the knowledge and skills to go farther in the field of medicine brings a feeling that cannot be found anywhere else.
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This content is brought to you by Wahab Ullah.
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