The pandemic made us realize that healthcare professionals are superheroes who wear scrubs instead of capes.

They do a lot more than we think they do.

For years, we’ve seen nurses as the hospital labor staff changing diapers and looking after IVs.

They’re significant to society in ways we may never realize.

Nurses are advocates of healthy lives. They educate the public regarding health issues across cultures and ways to prevent them.

One of the most prominent benefits of having nursing as a career is compensation. The salaries are almost too good to be true and very close to the salary digits of the doctors.

A nurse aesthetician is one of the highest paying jobs in the entire healthcare sector.

However, to earn this much money and reputation, one must work recklessly and earn several relevant qualifications.

Why to Go for The Advanced Degree?

It’s understandable that pursuing an advanced degree with a job as demanding as nursing is difficult.

Thankfully, healthcare professionals are now conveniently opting for online degrees to complete their education in the digital era.

Most nurses are enrolling in online DNP programs as it’s the highest qualification in this profession.

It offers just the right skills to prepare you for a leadership role in nursing.

A DNP is also a nurse’s only way of finally earning the ‘doctor’ rank.

Going for an online DNP allows you to have a flexible schedule and save a great deal of money.

Continue reading to explore your options and know the actual value of earning an advanced degree to soar in your nursing career.

The 2 Nursing Specialties with an Advanced Degree:

1. Clinical Care.

Clinical nurse leaders invest their time in preparing the best possible clinical plans for their patients.

They also oversee the care being provided to all the patients.

In moments of emergency, they step in to take the wheel.

They also offer direct care to patients if the case is too unique or complex.

The required qualification is one or two MSN, Master’s of Science in Nursing, qualifications per the state’s requirements.

Other clinical care professions include diabetes nursing, perinatal nursing, and critical care nursing.

Diabetes nurses work with diabetic patients to manage their condition and provide care.

They also counsel and educate patients and other people regarding the risks, prevention, and treatment of diabetes.

Critical care nurses work in intense hospital environments.

They may invigilate severely ill patients or provide therapy to those in need.

They are also on standby in the event of an emergency.

Perinatal nurses look after new moms before and after their babies are born.

They’re also capable of caring for newborns.

Perinatal nurses also occasionally educate people regarding the risks and tips regarding pregnancies.

2. Advanced Nursing Practice.

Advanced practice includes far more advanced nursing roles, the most popular being the Nurse Practitioner, or NP.

Nurse practitioners are required to obtain a DNP to proceed.

You have the option to specialize in a particular nursing field, either family, mental health, pediatrics, or gerontology.

Other advanced nursing roles include Certified Nurse Midwife, or CNM. Just like perinatal nurses, CNMs also work near new mothers. They provide comprehensive care to women in labor and their newborn child.

Clinical Nurse Specialist, or CNS. Similarly, a clinical nurse specialist may specialize in a particular population, environment, disease, or treatment.

And Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, or CRNA. Lastly, CRNAs are experts of anesthesia and render the same to patients in multiple settings.

Their work is one of the most important in the patient’s overall time at the hospital. The wrong anesthesia or the wrong dose can cost a patient their life.

There are several other fields of nursing like community health, public health, emergency services, education, informatics, etc., for nurses to pursue in their advanced degrees.

Every field is diverse enough for you to discover your passion and opt for the one that suits you best.

5 Reasons to Go For an Advanced Degree:

1. Better Earning Potential.

Having an advanced degree greatly affects your salary as a nurse.

You will likely get promoted to higher positions in the hierarchy and consequently earn better pay.

A promotion may require more experience at times.

However, even if you’re not yet eligible for a leadership position, your salary is still likely to increase after completing an advanced qualification.

2. Promotion To Leadership Roles.

You don’t have to be a baby boomer to land leadership roles in nursing.

An advanced degree and relevant experience will be just right for you.

Almost all leadership ranks in nursing now have a mandatory advanced degree requirement.

For example, you can’t become a nurse practitioner without a DNP.

Nurses who complete an MSN degree in leadership and management are eligible for leadership positions way faster than other candidates in line. They may also score hospital administration jobs.

3. Beneficial Skills.

While nursing undergrad degrees focus more on clinical skills.

Advanced degrees focus on other beneficial skills, such as communication, leadership, critical thinking, problem identification, resolution, adaptation ability, and emotional intelligence.

These are all necessary skills that every nurse should possess.

4. Better Working Hours.

The initial years of a nursing career are severely difficult as the shifts can extend up to 36 hours straight.

As you advance in your career, you get to do more decision making and supervision tasks rather than the labor you previously had to do.

You also get to be with your loved ones on holidays and weekends. You may also skip night shifts.

5. New Employment Opportunities.

If you ever feel like being stuck in a rut in your nursing career, know that it’s time you hit up a notch and enroll in an advanced degree.

You don’t necessarily have to work in a hospital if you have an advanced qualification.

You can also opt to be an educator or start your nursing practice.

Entrepreneurship in nursing is one of 2021’s most popular trends.

What You Should Remember?

Whether you’re a nurse or nurse to be, note that countless opportunities are waiting for you to grab them.

An advanced degree can open countless new doors for your nursing career.

You can now enroll in a fully online advanced nursing degree to a flexible schedule and reduce education costs.

Once you do, you can earn better salaries, leadership roles, and infinite respect from the public.