If you’re pursuing a career as a nurse, there are numerous compelling reasons you might want to obtain an advanced degree such as a master of nursing.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 reasons a graduate degree in nursing can be advantageous:
1. You’ll Be Qualified to Compete for the Top-Paying Nursing Jobs
These days, Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) are performing some of the work that MDs used to do — and they’re getting paid high salaries for this type of work. According to the Neuvoo job search website, the average salary for an advanced nurse practitioner is £61,161. This is a much more attractive rate of pay than the typical nurses’ average salary of £35,363 per year.
2. You Probably Won’t Be Competing With Robots for Work Any Time Soon
In numerous industries, robots are taking over vast numbers of jobs that humans used to do. Analysts at various academic think tanks are making predictions that 47 percent of all human jobs will be lost to automation 20 years from now. There are even some artificial intelligence experts such as Martin Ford who are predicting that 100 percent of all human jobs will eventually be taken over by artificial intelligence; however, ANPs are not likely to lose their jobs to robots any time soon, according to the Daily Mail UK. ANPs bring many qualities to the table that employers value, such as empathy and caring. Robots cannot easily emulate those qualities. If you gain management experience, you’ll be even less likely to be replaced by a robot.
3. Increased Clinical Research Expertise
An advanced degree in nursing will teach you how to use clinical research to support your nursing role. As part of your master’s degree program, you will most likely be required to work independently on a significant research project under the supervision of experienced academic advisors. You will not only have to perform the research, you will also have to answer questions about your research methods and defend the conclusions you arrive at. This experience will give you an edge in applying for jobs that require knowledge of clinical research methods.
4. Increased Knowledge, Experience and Confidence
Undergraduate nursing school is rigorous — but on the job after graduation, you’ll quickly learn that it doesn’t prepare you for most of the situations you’ll find yourself in. You’ll need to learn to react quickly and effectively to urgent situations.
Graduate school will better prepare you for facing many of the stressful, life-or-death situations that nurses constantly face on the job. It can better prepare you to help your patients through traumatic situations with confidence.
5. The Increased Job Satisfaction That Accompanies Greater Responsibility
As a nurse, you’ll quickly learn that there’s no shortage of suffering people. When you do your job well, you’ll be instrumental in helping to ease people’s suffering. There’s a tremendous amount of satisfaction when you can make this sort of impact in other people’s lives. With the increased responsibility you’ll be given as an ANP, you’re likely to enjoy an increase in job satisfaction as well.
