Nursing is a very rewarding career. Nurses are often well-paid. Hospital nurses receive great benefits and healthcare plans. They get to help people and save lives. Nursing is a wonderful career for anyone who has the proper proclivities and education. However, the best thing about nursing may be that it’s possible to work one’s way up the corporate ladder and advance to an even higher position in the healthcare industry. Opportunities for advancing to higher positions and taking on greater responsibilities are what separates careers from jobs.
Advanced training
One major fact that stops nurses from pursuing management roles within their profession is thelack of information. It is important to know the proper path that one needs to take in order to advance up the corporate ladder in a successful nursing career. Nurses need to earn their Master’s degrees in Nursing in order to be able to take on managerial roles or to become advanced practice nurses.
Advanced practice
The American Nurses Association (ANA) defines an advanced practice registered nurse as a person who meets the clinical practice and advanced education requirements. An advanced practice nurse can fall into four different categories. These categories are nurse practitioners, clinical nurses, nurse-midwives and nurse anesthetists. All of these vocations are centered around providing patient care in different specialized ways.
There are many different managerial roles that a nurse can pursue These include the role of head nurse and a number of senior positions, such as director, assistant director, chief of nursing and vice president. The Bureau of Labor Statistics backs up the fact that most organizations are requiring nurses at the management level to have earned post-graduate degrees in the field.
The ladder
In the past, the “career ladder” could be accessed by nurses who became RNs with Associate Degrees. Currently Licensed Practical Nurses and Vocational Nurses are being pushed out of hospitals which are requiring RNs to have a Bachelors Degree rather than an Associate’s Degree. It is harder to get to the starting position of the career ladder than it used to be. Hospitals usually have top paying jobs and career ladder access. Themedical offices, nursing homes, home health care organizations and smaller medical organizationspay differently and don’t have a career ladder like hospitals do. To advance up the hospital’s corporate ladder these days you need a Bachelors in Nursing and then an advanced degree or advanced specialization to achieve the higher rungs on the ladder.
Fortunately, there is another option for people who already lead full lives and cannot afford toattend a brick and mortaruniversity. Pursuing an RN to MSN online, for example,allows for flexibility in time requirements andallows students to study at a more relaxed pace.This is a very attractive option for many nurses who want to earn money and to have time to spend with loved ones while they are still around to be appreciated.
Nurses who want to climb up the corporate ladder should look into going back to school and earning their Master’s degrees in Nursing. They are likely to find the opportunity very enticing.