Which Nursing Degree is Right for Me?

The field of nursing is predicted to have a personnel shortage of over one million by the year 2012. This high level of demand makes it a lucrative field to go into, but with so many possible entrances to a nursing career, the question becomes, what nursing degree is right for me? In order to best answer this question, you should consider your current level of education, amount of resources you have to dedicate to a degree right now, and the kinds of responsibility you are interested in taking on.

The first thing to consider when deciding what kind of nursing degree is best for you is the current level of education you have attained. If you have only attained your G.E.D. or are about to graduate high school, and are interested in starting your career within a truncated amount of time, it is probably most advisable that you pursue your Associates in Nursing, or ASN, from a local community college or technical school. This is true for several reasons. First, it’s going to be the cheapest option. Going through a four year university may look pretty on paper, but with the personnel shortage hospitals are going to be facing, a degree is a degree. Moreover, if you get your ASN now, you’ll have a better chance of qualifying for an accelerated Bachelors in Science of Nursing, or BSN, later, which shaves off the total amount of time you may have to take to get the actual degree you want, and you’re making money in the meantime.

The second thing to consider when choosing among the different degrees you could pursue is the amount of resources you have available to you. If you’re fresh out of high school and eligible for large amounts of financial aid, take advantage of it and try to get into an accelerated nursing program at a four year institution. It may take you five years to get through the program, but if most of it is being paid for, it’s probably well worth your while. You’ll graduate with a Masters in Science of Nursing, or MSN, and be eligible for any high paying nursing position you’d like. Even if you do have to take out some loans, the MSN will give you a position with enough income to help pay off those loans far more quickly than you would be able to otherwise.

Finally, you should probably think about what kinds of responsibilities you’re interested in taking on before you select the kind of nursing degree that’s right for you. If you are interested largely in regular patient care, consider gaining your ASN. These positions usually have a high level of interaction with the patient with a lower level of responsibility. However, if you’re interested in doing more than just bed pans at a hospital, you should consider getting your BSN. There will still be bed pans to change, but you will also be responsible for more advanced forms of patient care. If you are more interested in managing patient care than actually delivering it, or if you are interested in a highly specialized field of nursing, than an MSN is probably the right path for you.