To go for a masters in nursing degree, you must have completed a B.S.N. at an accredited nursing college and have an RN license. Minimum GPA requirements will apply and vary between master's programs. Most schools will want practical experience with patients in hospitals and clinics. Some masters programs may require a minimum number of years or hours of practical experience. Many studying nurses gain practical experience in emergency care units, sliding-scale or charitable clinics and critical care units.
If you are already working in a hospital and go for your master's in nursing, you may choose to go for an administrative position at your hospital or clinic. Stepping up to an administrative position puts you in charge of nursing staff and requires you to manage nursing teams in one or more fields of care, such as chronic and home-based. While the responsibility increases, the pay typically increases as well.
A master's in nursing may qualify you to become a researcher and teacher at a university. Nurses with advanced degrees often research and teach simultaneously to support themselves and bring groundbreaking research to nursing students at universities. Universities also have access to laboratories and research materials. As a researcher and teacher, you may specialize in pharmaceuticals, infectious diseases or other areas of medicine.
Clinical nurse specialists require a master's degree to earn that title and specialize in an area of graduated care. These graduated care procedures include mental health services, acute care, pediatrics, oncology, geriatrics and adult health, among others.
Earning a master's in nursing can be a path to becoming a certified nurse-midwife. A nurse-midwife specializes in women's health and provides gynecological and prenatal care to women, and may be asked to deliver a baby naturally. Many soon-to-be mothers prefer a certified nurse-midwife over a certified midwife because this type of midwife has received training and education in both areas. While having a master's in nursing qualifies you to become a nurse-midwife, you still have to pass midwifery certifications, as noted on Kids Health.
A master's degree in nursing, along with specialized training in anesthetics, qualifies you to deliver anesthesia as a nurse anesthetist. As stated in the New York Times editorial "Who Should Provide Anesthesia Care?" nurses in several states were released from requiring the supervision of a doctor to deliver anesthesia. Anesthesia is required during invasive surgeries where patients must be unconscious to handle the procedure.