The need for NURSES with an MSN

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Current State of Nursing .......................................................................................... 2

Why Earn An MSN? ....................................................................................................... 3

The Nursing Shortage ..................................................................................................... 3

Nurse Educators: The Key to Ending the Nursing Shortage .......................................... 4

Not Ready to Retire? Move into Nurse Management ..................................................... 5

Nursing is a Stable and Flexible Career, Especially with More Education .................... 6

Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 7

1
The Current State of Nursing

Health care is changing considerably and so is the level of education needed to be

a good provider of care and a contributor to the overall health of communities. When the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) was signed into law, it marked

the beginning of a new era for nurse-led health care and created new needs in the nursing

world. New health initiatives and legislation will give nurse practitioners and advanced

nurses the ability to provide primary care and take a leading role in patient interaction

and case management.

Health care reform will extend health coverage to as many

as 30 million currently uninsured Americans, which could
place great strain on our existing health care delivery
system. For this reason, health care reform legislation
promotes the sustainability of existing community-based
providers such as nurse-managed health clinics, which act
as both health workforce development sites and safety net
providers.i

More insured patients create a need for more nurses. To train those nurses, nurse

educators are vital to the future of health care in our country. According to the American

Association of Colleges of Nursing’s report on 2008–2009 Enrollment and Graduation in

Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing, “U.S. nursing schools turned away

54,991 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2009.

Almost two-thirds of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to faculty

shortages as a reason for not accepting all qualified applicants into entry-level

baccalaureate programs.”ii

2
Why Earn An MSN?

Earning a master’s degree in nursing opens doors for career advancement and

flexibility. The need for nurses with advanced degrees is high. Still, many nurses choose

not to advance their education to the master’s level. According to the Online Journal of

Issues in Nursing, “too few nurses choose to advance their education to the graduate

level, despite the great need for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse

anesthetists, nurse midwives, researchers, faculty, administrators, and other roles

requiring expert level preparation.”iii

Nurses with advanced education are in a prime position for profitable, stable

careers and making a lasting mark on the health care industry and in patients’ lives. With

more control over patient care, nurses with advanced education are at the forefront of the

evolving world of health care. “The latest developments from the field promise new

nurses virtually unlimited opportunities for progression to advanced degrees in nursing,

as well as opportunities for teaching.”iv

While jobs are decreasing in various other career paths, nursing continues to be a

stable choice. “Opportunities are increasing for graduate-prepared nurses in the area of

primary care.”v Nurse educators and administrators also continue to be in high demand.

The Nursing Shortage

Our nation is experiencing a shortage of qualified nurses that is only expected to

get worse as time goes by. With health care changing drastically, more nurses will be

needed to meet the growing demand for health services.

3
 The United States is in the midst of a nursing shortage that
is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need
for health care grows. Compounding the problem is the fact
that nursing colleges and universities across the country are
struggling to expand enrollment levels to meet the rising
demand for nursing care.vi

With recent legislation changes leading to more insured individuals, the nursing

shortage is projected to get worse. In his book The Future of the Nursing Workforce in

the United States, Dr. Peter Buerhaus, nursing workforce analyst, predicts “the number of

nurses in the U.S. workforce will plateau in 2015, and by 2025, the nursing shortage

could be nearly 500,000 with a 40% RN vacancy rate nationwide.”vii

Nurse Educators: The Key to Ending the Nursing Shortage

While more nurses are needed to meet the demands of more insured individuals

due to health care reform, many schools are forced to turn away qualified applicants from

nursing programs. According to a fact sheet created by American Association of

Colleges of Nursing, “Faculty shortages at nursing schools across the country are limiting

student capacity at a time when the need for nurses continues to grow.”viii

While interest in a stable career like nursing is strong in an unstable economy,

nursing schools simply can’t keep up with the demand due to lack of qualified faculty.

Despite the renewed interest [in nursing], it has been

reported that applications to RN programs have fallen; the
drop is believed to be the result of widespread awareness of
the difficulty of gaining entry to nursing school, fueled by
the continuing shortage of nurse faculty. By all indications,
if unmet demand for placement persists, with 88,000
qualified applications–one in three of all applications
submitted–will be denied. Baccalaureate degree programs
turned away 20 percent of its applicants, while associate
degree programs turned away 32.7 percent.ix

4
 According to Rebecca Rust, chief economist of the Florida Agency for Workforce

Innovation, “Schools will need to pay nursing professors better to keep up with

demand.”x Careers in nursing education could become more lucrative as time goes by.

“Given the growing shortage of nurse educators, the career outlook is strong for nurses

interested in teaching careers.”xi In an unstable economy, nursing education can provide

a long-term and rewarding career.

Not Ready to Retire? Move into Nurse Management

Nursing takes a toll on a person over time, not just physically but emotionally as

well. Even those who love nursing sometimes find themselves retiring early or unhappy

in their jobs. “At mid-career, many nurses feel the pain from years of lifting patients and

moving heavy equipment. They can also feel emotionally exhausted from dealing with

the sick and dying.”xii

Higher education can help nurses remain in the field they love but take them off

the floor. With an MSN, nurses can move into administrative and management positions

that require less physically demanding actions. Most states require that nurses moving

into these positions hold an advanced degree.

Some nurses move into the business side of healthcare.

Their nursing expertise and experience on a healthcare
team equip them to manage ambulatory, acute, home-
based, and chronic care businesses. Employers – including
hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical
manufacturers, and managed care organizations, among
others – need RNs for health planning and development,
marketing, consulting, policy development, and quality
assurance.xiii

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 For those looking to influence the medical industry without direct patient care,

nurse management positions are both lucrative and influential. In clinics, hospitals, and

the like, nurse administrators help with policy making, staff administration, and financial

decision making.

Nursing is a Stable and Flexible Career, Especially with More Education

An MSN leads to copious opportunities in the nursing field, not limited to on-the-

floor nursing. For those looking for a stable and flexible career in the field of nursing,

many paths can be taken with an advanced degree. “While many nurses still work in

hospitals, many do not, and in or out of the hospital, there’s an amazing variety of

nursing careers available.”xiv

Nurses with advanced degrees can work in a variety of jobs. An MSN is the first

step nurses take to become nurse practitioners and manage patient care. Nurse

practitioners can prescribe medication and, for many families, act as a primary physician.

Another option for those nurses with an MSN and higher education is being a

nurse anesthetist. According to NursingJobsHelp.com, “The vast majority of anesthesia

administered in American hospitals is administered by nurses.”xv

With an advanced degree, many other specialized positions open up to nurses

including becoming nurse midwives and advanced public health nurses. Some nurses

with master’s degrees even move into pharmaceutical sales or help author textbooks.

6
Conclusion

With higher education, nurses have the chance to advance their career, remain in

the field longer, and make more positive impacts on the health care industry as a whole.

While nurses remain in high demand at every education level, nurses holding their MSN

are able to move into business positions, have more control over their patients’ care, or

teach other nurses. With new legislation, nurses with advanced degrees are sought after

and needed as educators to keep the nursing shortage from worsening. Earning an MSN

is a choice that could add years to a nurse’s career, increase individual earnings, and

positively affect the entire medical field even after the nurse retires.

The College Network™ is committed to improving the nursing shortage through

advanced education. It has partnered with Regis University to offer an RN to MS in

Nursing bridge program and an MS in Nursing program that can both be completed

entirely through distance learning. These programs provide flexibility for busy adults and

can be started with no waiting list. Nurses in these programs can choose to study an

education or management track to achieve their career goals. Visit

www.collegenetwork.com for more information.

i
Health Care Reform Package Includes Unprecedented Investment in Nurse-Led Clinics, National Nursing
Centers Consortium, March 25, 2010, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/health-care-reform-
package-includes-unprecedented-investment-in-nurse-led-health-clinics-89122187.html.
ii
Fact Sheet: Nursing Faculty Shortage, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, September 2009.
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/FacultyShortage.htm.
iii
Career Pathways in Nursing: Entry Points and Academic Progression, The Online Journal of Issues in
Nursing, C. Fay Raines, M. Elaine Taglaireni, Septepber 30, 2008, March 31, 2010,
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofCont
ents/vol132008/No3Sept08/CareerEntryPoints.aspx.
iv
Career Pathways in Nursing: Entry Points and Academic Progression, The Online Journal of Issues in
Nursing, C. Fay Raines, M. Elaine Taglaireni, Septepber 30, 2008, March 31, 2010,
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofCont
ents/vol132008/No3Sept08/CareerEntryPoints.aspx.

7
v
Talking Points: Impact of the Economy on the Nursing Shortage, American Association of Colleges of
Nursing, March 31, 2010, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/pdf/TalkingPoints.pdf.
vi
Fact Sheet: Nursing Shortage, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, May 2010.
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm.
vii
Talking Points: Impact of the Economy on the Nursing Shortage, American Association of Colleges of
Nursing, March 31, 2010, http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/pdf/TalkingPoints.pdf
viii
Nursing Education , American Nurses Association and Nursing World, March 31, 2010
http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANA
PoliticalPower/State/StateLegislativeAgenda/NusingEducation_1.aspx.
ix
Fact Sheet: Nursing Shortage, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, May 2010.
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm.
x
Where the jobs are: Nursing, WPTV Florida, Whitney Ray, March 29, 2010,
http://www.wptv.com/content/health/story/NURSING-SHORTAGE-FLORIDA-RECESSION-HEALTH-
WPTV/DY1jljmMR0empRDNH4zsTA.cspx.
xi
Become a Nurse Educator, Nursing School Degrees, http://www.nursing-school-degrees.com/Nursing-
Schools/Nurse-Educator.html.
xii
Physical, emotional toll hits nurses in their 30s and 40s, Health Zone, Kristin Rushowy, May 7, 2010,
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/805924--physical-emotional-toll-hits-nurses-in-their-
30s-and-40s.
xiii
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Registered Nurses, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
March 8, 2010. http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/print.pl/oco/ocos083.htm.
xiv
Hospital Careers, Nursing Jobs Help, http://www.nursingjobshelp.com/hospital_career.htm.
xv
Hospital Careers, Nursing Jobs Help, http://www.nursingjobshelp.com/hospital_career.htm.