Is An Advanced Nursing Degree Really Worth The Time And Money Spent?
If you are a practicing nurse, with a bachelor's degree
, you may have thought about graduate education, but had some questions about its benefits.
A graduate degree can really help you expand your career, both in the way you practice medicine and in salary.
With a master's degree, for example, you can become a nurse practitioner, which opens up an entirely new realm in the practice of medicine for nurses. With training as a nurse practitioner, you can become involved in diagnosing and treating all types of medical conditions. You will take a patient's medical history, do physical exams, and order tests and therapy for patients. You may be a patient's main health care provider.
A nurse wishing to become a leader in the nursing profession will almost definitely need a master of science degree in nursing or even a doctorate degree in nursing. In fact, RN.com reports that more nurses are pursuing advanced degrees earlier in their careers. Many of them attend leadership and nursing programs that offer all or a large part of the curriculum online.
Other possible duties of a nurse practitioner include prescribing drugs, providing prenatal care and family planning care. You can work in acute and critical care situations. With additional training, you might even assist with minor surgery. As part of your job, you would also talk to patients about healthy lifestyles and self-treatment options.
Also, within the nurse practitioner fields there are a number of specialty areas you can focus on.
A gerontology nurse practitioner, for example, is trained to provide primary care to older adults.
Another specialty is the adult health nurse practitioner. Adult health nurse practitioners have a lot of flexibility in their practice. They work mainly as primary healthcare providers in many different settings, including homes, office practices, emergency departments, and outpatient centers. Many adult health practitioners have a particular area of focus, such as diabetic patients or women's health, but all within their primary care duties.
Other areas of specialization for nurse practitioners include family health, neonatal, pediatric and pediatric critical care, pediatric oncology, psychiatric, and women's health.
Nurses wishing to advance their skills and knowledge with an advanced degree also may find that their employer will pay for a portion or even all of their tuition. This is a smart move on the employer's part because it will help retain a well-educated employee while improving the level of patient care in the hospital, clinic or other health care facility where the master of science in nursing student works.
by: Jean Henshaw
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