What Can You Do with a Master’s in Nursing?

Think of a Master’s Degree in Nursing as the key that can help you unlock new doors of opportunity. With in-depth knowledge of how healthcare facilities operate as well as sharpened leadership skills, you’ll be prepared for advanced positions in nursing administration, management, or education. If you’re ready to take on more responsibility in your job, move on to the next step in your career, and immerse yourself more fully in your profession, it’s time to earn your master’s degree in nursing.

Career Opportunities with an MSN Degree

Registered nurses with experience, good performance, and continuing education are more likely to be promoted and tapped for more responsibility, such as management or administrative positions. You might also be able to move to other healthcare settings including health insurance agencies, managed care organizations, or educational institutions. Which job opportunity would you pursue with an advanced degree?

Nurse Manager

As a nurse manager, you would lead a nursing unit at a hospital or long-term care facility. You would ensure the delivery of quality patient care, and you’d work with your staff to improve related processes and procedures. You would also assist with the hiring and recruitment process, manage your staff’s work schedules, and monitor your unit’s budget. And you would have the opportunity to serve as a mentor to your staff, encouraging them to achieve and succeed in their own careers by participating in educational and professional development.

Clinical Administrator

To take your administrative duties a step further, you could oversee the business side of an entire facility rather than just one unit. As a clinical administrator, you would ensure that all operations run smoothly from finances to marketing. You would remedy staffing needs, monitor and review budgets, oversee contracts with insurance agencies and vendors, assist with the implementation of HR policies, and ensure that the billing and reimbursement cycles run smoothly. You could work in a variety of settings in this role, including hospitals, nursing care facilities, or group practices.

Nursing Case Manager

If assisting patients is your true calling, you may prefer to become a nursing case manager. In this role, you would work with medical professionals to coordinate patient care for all patients—from children to the elderly. You would create care plans for patients with long-term illnesses such as heart disease or Alzheimer’s. You would advocate for patients who need that long-term care, and you might assist them with ethical, legal, or financial decision making. If you plan to work in this capacity, you can expect to work at a state or local hospital, or at a government organization.

Nursing Educator

If you love your career as a nurse, you probably want to pass along that passion. As a nurse educator, you might work at a college, university, or teaching hospital as part of the academic team that trains nursing students. You might assist with the design or review of the nursing curriculum, and you’ll need to keep up with the latest nursing trends and instructional methods. Many nurse educators continue to practice nursing throughout their careers, so you could have a dual career: nurse and nurse educator.

What You Can Expect from an MSN Program

You know how to care for patients during their toughest health battles, but do you know how to lead a team of nurses during their most challenging days? You can learn how through a master’s in nursing program. It will help you hone the leadership skills you need to manage a team of nurses or to oversee the nursing operations of a healthcare facility. You’ll move a step beyond the day-to-day nursing duties and explore the field through a broader lens. Here are some topics you can expect to cover:

• Healthcare policies, ethics, and legal issues
• Healthcare informatics and technologies
• Professional development and nursing theory
• Nursing administration
• Scholarship and research

There are many options available to you when you decide to pursue a master’s degree in nursing. At Limestone University, we offer an online Master of Science in Nursing degree program that you could complete in less than two years. If you want to build your business acumen at the same time, you could enroll in our MSN + MBA Dual Degree. Click the button to learn more.  

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