I am a recent graduate student who is considering a career in nursing! I am specifically interested in specializations that include mental health, surgery and pediatrics.
I already have a Bachelor’s in Biology and a Master’s in a very general degree (Natural and Applied Science). So, my issue is that I’m trying to specialize in one particular field so I can have a job right after college. This general Master’s degree is very broad and doesn’t necessarily lead to specific job titles.
In order to specialize in one of these areas, would I need to obtain a Master’s in Nursing or can this be accomplished via the Associates Degree of Nursing with my previous academic experience? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
-Shae
This question was asked in the nursing forum section.
S.L. Page says
Hello Shae!
Great question! In order to specialize in a certain area of nursing you must first get a nursing degree. You will have to do this by getting an ADN (associate’s degree) or bachelor’s degree. Although you already have a master’s degree, one of the requirements for a master’s in nursing is that you must already have a bachelors in nursing specifically.
Since you already have a master’s degree, you may want to look into an accelerated nursing program rather than the associates degree. The accelerated nursing program is a bachelors degree in nursing that is for people like you who already hold a degree but want to become a nurse. It will probably be little shorter than the associates degree and you will be obtaining a BSN.
Generally, in order to specialize in one of the areas you specified in your question, you will have to apply for that type of nursing job after you graduate. For instance, if you want to specialize in mental health, you will need to get a job in a mental health facility. Then after you get experience you can take certification exams to earn the credentials as a mental health nurse and the same if true for the other specializations. Nursing programs usually don’t have minors or certain concentrations.
I hope this helped you out and again great question 🙂
-Sarah
Shae says
Yes, this helped a lot! Thank you!