The nursing industry is full of unique opportunities, and nurses who hold both a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) and a Master’s of Business Adminstration (MBA) are positioned to take advantage of many of them. The combination of these two degrees allows nurses to pursue a few unique options: continue in the nursing profession, advance into managerial roles, seek a position with a government agency, or start working in an executive capacity within a clinic or a larger hospital. The combined skills of patient care and business management present a vast number of opportunities for today’s nurses.
The Nursing Profession
The key to upward advancement in the nursing profession is to continue pursuing further education that focuses on advanced treatment options while effectively meeting patients’ needs and organizational objectives. For nurses who thrive in clinical environments and want to continue caring for patients every day, these two degrees will allow just that. These nurses are more efficient, more effective, and primed to lead their department when a managerial job opens up. This path is pursued by many nurses who obtained their MSN and MBA degrees in an effort to enhance their career prospects and their long-term versatility.
Managerial Roles
Perhaps the most common way to utilize the skills of a combined MSN and MBA is to advance into a nursing management role. Many nurses eventually become the head of their department or the lead nurse within a clinic, which gives them the ability to focus on employee hiring and training, oversight of patient care, and more efficient means of care delivery. Nurses who advance to this type of managerial position will often still meet with patients and deliver care, and many consider this to be the best of both worlds when it comes to utilizing their skill set.
Administrative Jobs and Executive Posts
Nursing is big business for big hospitals, and nurses who wish to transition into a more business-oriented role could find themselves working in an executive capacity within a larger healthcare organization. In an executive role, professionals with an MSN and MBA would establish rules and procedures for fellow nurses, create a system of logical organization for various nursing departments and healthcare needs, and focus on both the regulatory and financial issues of the hospital’s nursing staff. These nurses are also instrumental in developing new healthcare options into today’s changing world.
Public Sector Jobs
Nurses are typically on the front lines of patient care, and their continued education in business and nursing gives them even greater context that could be useful in the public sector. Many nurses who have both of these degrees gravitate toward advocacy work, either in healthcare policy jobs or advisory positions, which allow them to work with elected leaders to create new policies that make life easier for nurses and their patients. Whether it’s cutting through red tape, championing reforms in the workplace, or offering ways to increase the efficiency of care delivery and funding, nurses in this position are a key asset to state and federal government agencies.
Excellent Opportunities Await Joint MSN / MBA Degree Holders
It’s not uncommon for a nurse to get both an MBA and an MSN, with many colleges now offering the combined program as a standard option to applicants. For those who already have an MSN and an MBA, job opportunities range from managerial roles and executive posts to public sector jobs, all of which could change the future of healthcare.