Schools are starting to phase out other kinds of programs and that's a mistake. CNS, MBA tracks good choices also Kathleen Scharer, RN, MS, CS, FAAN, care manager, Lutheran General Hospital in Chicago, and chair of the American Nurses Association Task Force for Advanced Nursing Practice Scope and Standards, advises students to seriously consider CNS tracks. In some ways, the CNS education program gives you more flexibility and a broader base in terms of research, consultation, patient education, and teaching. But people want a guarantee of employment, and there aren't any guarantees anymore. In truth, staff nurses and the institutions they work for still need nurses with a high level of proficiency to guide and model improvements in patient care.
Nurses also return to graduate school to learn business and administration skills.
Nurses should seek the type of degree that will provide the breadth of knowledge to support marketable skills in a fast-changing market. Although she has a degree in nursing education, Michaels now needs a broader focus. In a large, complex hospital, you need a master's degree starting at the nurse manager level. She tells students to pursue a business-related master's or a nursing master's coupled with a business degree. A greater depth of education also gives nurse executives a broader view of healthcare outside of nursing.