With an MSN, there are four career paths you can consider – nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife, or certified registered nurse anesthetist. From there, you can specialize further, working with a certain age group (for example, prenatal nursing, geriatrics, etc.), working with a certain part of the body (cardiovascular, digestive system, etc.), or working in a certain environment (emergency room, family practice, etc.). No matter where you go in the United States, you will find job openings, but you can increase your success rate when interviewing, as well as your salary, if you start by applying with top employers.

According to Payscale.com, some of the highest-paying types of employers for those with an MSN, on average, are as follows:

• Schools: $92,000
• Foundations: $88,608
• Non-Profit Organizations: $79,480
• Hospitals: $78,391
• Federal Government Departments and Organizations: $77,511
• Private Practices: $73,958
• Other Companies: $74,013

Another way to classify employers of nurses holding MSNs is by type of facility. Some of the top employers, in terms of both salary and number of nursing employers, include extended care and nursing home facilities, schools, ambulatory care centers, community organizations and home health services, health insurance companies, and physician’s offices. By far, one of the largest types of employers of workers with MSN degrees will always be the general hospital. In general, mid- to large-sized hospitals pay slightly better than smaller hospitals, and location also makes a difference; hospitals in cities typically have better average salaries for their employees than hospitals in more rural areas. Your salary and the job openings available will also depend on the department in which you want to work. Many hospitals are, for example, hiring more and more nurse anesthetists, since they can do jobs that could once only be performed by licensed doctors. There’s also a high demand for women’s health nurses in the OB/GYN or prenatal departments of many hospitals, as well as in geriatrics, as the population is getting older with advanced medical treatments, and finally nursing informatics, as advanced technologies continue to become more ubiquitous in healthcare settings.

Of course, the best employer for you might not be the best employer for everyone. As a nurse with an MSN, you’ll likely be offered a number of positions when you start applying for jobs; many facilities have a vast shortage of nurses at all times, so they hire anyone qualified for the position. When you’re job hunting, answer the following questions:

• Is this employer located in an area where I want to live?
• Does this employer have programs for advanced training or doctorate degree education?
• Can I see myself growing in a career with this employer?
• Will I be a part of a family with this employer, or just another face in the crowd?
• Does this employer have special perks for employees, like day care facilities?
• How limiting will this employer be on my resume in the future?

A “top” employer isn’t necessarily the one paying the most or hiring the most people; the best place for you to work is somewhere where you feel comfortable and enjoy your job.

MSN - Adult Nursing MSN - Clinical Nursing MSN - Nurse Midwifery MSN - Women's Health More...	University of Cincinnati — The University of Cincinnati's online nursing programs knows no geographic bounds. Cinci offers several online master's degree programs in nursing, including MSN in clinical nursing, MSN in adult nursing, MSN in nurse midwifery, MSN in nursing administration, MSN in psychiatric health nursing, and MSN in women's health. Students of these programs are required to be BSN holders with some nursing experience.
RN to MS in Nursing MSN - Informatics MSN - Education MSN - Leadership BSN to MS in Nursing	Walden University — Walden University provides nurses with the unique opportunity to advance their careers through master's programs for registered nurses. Specialties include informatics, education, leadership and a general course to help you acquire the knowledge to educate nursing students, staff and patients-and prepare for current and future career opportunities. Walden also offers several BSN to MSN programs.
MS in Nursing MSN - Health Education MSN - Informatics MSN - Health Administration MSN - Healthcare Mgmt	University of Phoenix — The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of registered nurses with baccalaureate-degree preparation. Coursework covers advanced nursing content and process, as well as leadership skills, teaching experience and the ability to manage health care systems. Areas of specialty within their MSN program include health education, informatics, health administration, and healthcare management.
Dual Degree: MSN/MBA MSN - Nurse Education MSN - Nurse Leadership	Grand Canyon University — Earn your dual master's degree in business and nursing, along with specialties in clinical care, education, family nurse practitioner, or nursing leadership at Grand Canyon University's college of nursing and health sciences. Each course can provide you with the skills and techniques you need to become the best in your field.
RN to BSN to MSN MSN - Psychiatric Nurse MSN - Clinical Trials MSN - Adult Acute Care More...	Drexel University — The RN to BSN to MSN track offered by Drexel University is a cutting-edge program that allows students to work on their bachelor's degree while simultaneously pursuing their master's. Students enrolling in this program must be a licensed registered nurse with some prior college experience, perhaps an associate's degree. MSN programs offered: adult acute care, adult psychiatric and mental health, clinical trials research, contemporary nursing faculty, innovation and intra/entrepreneurship in advanced nursing practice, and nursing leadership in health systems management.
MSN - Nurse Education	Graceland University — The 40-credit MSN nurse educator program from Graceland University is CCNE accredited, with online courses lasting eight weeks per session. The curriculum, which includes courses in advanced health assessment, education technology, and issues in nursing education, is designed with the working RN in mind, as students are able to complete the degree from home after hours.
MS in Nursing	Liberty University — Learn how to provide expert clinical care and related health care services to individuals, families and groups of people across the lifespan in a variety of acute care and community settings through Liberty University's Master of Science in Nursing program. Liberty University incorporates core Christian values into all of their degree offerings in order to provide all students a thorough academic and spiritually enriching program of study.
MS in Nursing	Saint Xavier University — For nurses looking for a more advanced role in the workplace, consider the online MSN degree program from Saint Xavier University, which offers a Clinical Nurse Leader focus. Graduates of this program will be prepared to critically assess patient data and treatment options as well as coordinate with doctors and other nurses.
RN to MSN MSN - Informatics MSN - Case Management MSN - Leadership MSN - Infection Prevention	American Sentinel University — For registered nurses looking for further advancement in their careers, the RN to MSN degree programs offered by American Sentinel University offer the learning experience required to advance in nursing informatics, case management, organizational leadership, infection prevention, and more. Students of this program complete 21 undergraduate credits plus 36 graduate-level credits to obtain their degrees.
MS in Nursing MSN - Nurse Administration MSN - Nurse Education	Kaplan University — Earn your M.S. in Nursing with a specialty in nurse administration or nurse education with an online degree from Kaplan University. The Master of Science in Nursing is also a foundation for future doctoral studies, and these online programs makes it easy for you to keep working while you study.
MSN - Nurse Educator MSN - Nurse Educator Bridge	Capella University — The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs from Capella University Online are geared toward BSN graduates currently working as registered nurses (RNs). They offer MSN - Nurse Educator and MSN - Nurse Educator Bridge programs. For those wishing for a flexible and affordable plan to take their nursing careers to the next level, Capella is a very sound choice.
MSN - Nurse Administration MSN - Nurse Education	Norwich University — Norwich University offers master's in nursing degree programs in nurse administration and nursing education. Graduates of each of these programs will be well skilled in healthcare communication, critical thinking, and nursing leadership. Both programs consist of 36 credit hours of online coursework divided into six online seminars.
MS in Nursing	Benedictine University — Benedictine offers an MS in Nursing program that prepares students with the expert nursing knowledge and skill they will need to become specialized nurse practitioners in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinical care units, and doctors' offices.
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