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Master of Nursing (2years) or Bachelor of Nursing (3years)

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Author Master of Nursing (2years) or Bachelor of Nursing (3years)

nurse2017

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  • Joined: Oct 2016
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  • Posts: 2

Fri Oct 21, 2016 1:10 pm

Dear readers,

My name is David and my long term goal is to work as a registered nurse in the hospital or aged care setting. I am writing to get your opinion on a dilemma I have with respect to university study.

Should I enter a Master of Nursing program or a Bachelor of Nursing program? The Master program is 1 year shorter than the Bachelor program (so it is 2 years long) and it accepts anyone with a previous degree.

The reason why this is a dilemma is because I am worried that I will not have enough work experience to make me competitive in securing a position in a Graduate Nurse program. Many advertisements for Graduate Nurse programs will stipulate that work experience outside of clinical placements is “desirable”. I am thinking that if I choose the Bachelor of Nursing program, I will have one extra year to get a job as an Assistant in Nursing or as an Aged Carer.  I might not get this opportunity in the Master program owing to its shorter duration and heavier study load.

I will be very grateful for your opinions. At present, my relevant work experience is 1) First Aid volunteer for St. John Ambulance Service and 2) tour guide for a large museum in Sydney. Are these enough to make me competitive for the Graduate Nurse program assuming that I also have good academic grades and clinical reports.

Have a great day,

David

AWill

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  • Joined: Nov 2016
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Jan 10, 2017, 10:27 pm

Hi buddy,

You can't do a masters of nursing until you have completed the Bachelor degree- the masters is postgrad.

Hope the helps?

Amie

Manny

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  • Joined: Jan 2017
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Jan 31, 2017, 11:45 pm

Hi David

I am a Master of Nursing (entry to practice) student. My background is in business and decided on a career change to nursing, im very happy I chose the Masters degree instead of the bachelors for a few reasons: 

- all students will be mature age and already completed a degree, this will make group work and socialising better as you will be with like-minded people instead of fresh-out of highschool teenagers.

- the cohort will be smaller (usually 50-80 students) meaning smaller classes and more support from the teachers

- The teachers treat you as their equal as you are a mature age student... teachers have openly admitted they prefer teaching the master students, again due to maturity.

- You will get acute hospital placement straight away! this may depend which Uni you go to but for me i was in placed in an acute surgical ward at a major Tertiary hospital 4 weeks into the program (for bachelors you have to wait 6-8 months and you usually either get aged care or rehab).

- Another pro for placement is that you do not get sent to regional hospitals (again may depend which Uni you study with).

- majority of students from previous cohorts gained a grad year at excellent hospitals including the Royal Childrens, Royal Melbourne and The Alfred. The hospital here in melbourne look at how your clinical reports in order to evaluate your nursing skills...honestly don't think you need to work as an AIN or aged carer. Volunteer work will be good for your resume though.

-it is possible to work while doing the 2 year degree. I work 10-15 hours per week, you just have to be organised. I would continue your work with St Johns and the museum even though it is not health care based I am sure you have many transferrable skills (communication, public speaking etc).

Honestly I think doing another Bachelors degree is a waste of time and will end up costing more money. If you're an organised person who can work well under pressure you will be fine. How you perform during clinicals will be key to you getting a graduate year.

nurse2017

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  • Joined: Oct 2016
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Mar 06, 2017, 05:19 pm

Thank you very much for all your replies. This is a bit of an update: I've started a Masters program instead of a Bachelors in Nursing. The message I'm getting from all my conversations with the staff is good course marks and clinical references are more important than volunteer experience. This is not to say that volunteer experiences do not count; One professor said that the ideal candidate for a  grad. program  has both great marks and experience in leadership, communication and professional conduct. However, if I were to start struggling in balancing study and experience work,  I would prioritize my study. At present, I've got a year to create a stellar resume in time for the 2019 graduate intake interviews. In that time, I'm hoping that I can do well in both my studies and experience work. My best wishes  to all  the nursing students out there. 

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