Best Masters in Nursing

A master of science in nurse, or MSN, opens up your career options to take one of four paths: nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, or nurse anesthetist. Let’s take a look at these four careers so you can determine which is the best for your nursing goals:

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are nurses who want advanced education so they are better prepared to work with patients. You’ll be prepared to work more independently in this career, diagnosing and treating patients or recommending them to the right specialist so they can be effectively treated. Nurse practitioners in most states can make advanced judgement calls on patient care, such as prescribing medications, and in some states, you can even have your own practice independent of a physicians. In the coming years, almost all states will require you to go on to get your doctorate in this field to work as nurse practitioner, but an MSN is the first step. The best part of becoming a nurse practitioner is that it allows you to specialize in a single field that interests you, such as mental help or pediatrics.

Clinical Nurse Specialist

As a clinical nurse specialist, you’ll still do some of the same tasks as a traditional RN or nurse practitioner, but you’ll also focus on other tasks such as teaching, consulting, research, and management. Clinical nurse specialists may or may not specialize in one area of medicine and are more likely to work in administrative roles than nurse practitioners. Some states are also making the switch soon to require you to go on to get a doctorate degree to earn a license in this field.

Nurse Midwife and Nurse Anesthetist

Nurse midwives and nurse anesthetists are as their name implies. In both of these fields, you’ll focus on a very specific type of nursing – either labor and deliver or anesthesia during medical procedures. Again, while many states currently only require a masters degree to earn certification in these fields, that is changing, and in the future, doctorate degrees may be required where you live. As an added bonus, however, with a doctorate, you’ll earn even more money in any of these fields.