In the healthcare industry, nurses are in high demand across the country. While more and more people are getting associate’s degrees and becoming LPNs, causing a shrinking number of job openings, if you have an advanced degree in nursing, you’ll likely have your pick of jobs in locations across the United States. You can get your bachelor’s degree to become a registered nurse, but many of today’s nurses are increasing their marketability even farther by getting a masters in nursing, or MSN.

As an MSN degree holder, you’ll be qualified for more advanced jobs in your department. In general, jobs for advanced practice nurses fall into four categories:

Nurse Practitioner

The most common nursing job for those with an MSN is the nurse practitioner position. In this position, you’ll perform many of the same tasks as RNs and even LPNs, but you’ll also be able to take on advanced responsibilities. All states allow nurse practitioners to write prescriptions, and in many states, nurse practitioners can even run their own practices without the supervision of doctors. As a nurse practitioner, you can study general medicine, or you can specialize in departments like cardiology, pediatrics, or emergency medicine. Many hospitals are hiring more and more nurse practitioners, since they can take over many of the tasks traditionally only done by doctors.

Clinical Nurse Specialist

A clinical nurse specialist, or CNS, usually specializes in one area of patient care, but unlike a nurse practitioner, this job also focuses on education, research, consulting, and management. Some clinical nurses can write prescriptions, depending on their MSN degree program, and most are highly involved with quality control at their facility. Many nurses who go on to become professors of nursing have worked as a CNS.

Certified Nurse Midwife

Also called a CNM, a certified nurse midwife works exclusively in the prenatal or gynecological departments. As of 2010, all CNMs in the United States are required to have at least a master’s degree, though some complete even more education. In the midwife role, these nurses serve as primary caregivers for women who are expected to have uncomplicated, natural births that aren’t considered high-risk in any way. Many deliver babies in special birthing centers, or even at mothers’ homes, though CNMs can also work in hospitals or at private practices. In all states, CNMs can write prescriptions, and make diagnosis, and in most locations, they’re licensed to provide care to women from puberty to menopause, including non-birth-related gynecological care.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist

One of the most lucrative careers for nurses with MSNs is as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, or CNRA. This kind of nurse administers anesthetics when someone needs to undergo surgery. To become a CNRA, you need at least one year of experience as a full-time nurse in an acute care setting with your BSN, and this master’s degree program is the longest option, lasting an additional two to three years. In some states, CNRAs must work under the supervision of a licensed physician when administering anesthetics, but in other states, a CNRA can work independently.

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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