Master’s in Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

As the field of health care goes through tremendous changes, both across the country and specifically in Pennsylvania, patients continue to rely on the care provided by highly-educated health care professionals. Nurses, as the largest segment of healthcare providers, can provide much of this care. If you’re interested in advancing both the health of your state’s residents along with your nursing career, you may be a good candidate for a Master’s degree in nursing. You can find all of the MSN programs in Pennsylvania here, as well as request information directly from schools.

Featured Programs:

Working With Your MSN in Pennsylvania

If you’re interested in going into nursing education, you may be able to look forward to a promising job outlook. According to the Pennsylvania Workforce Development, the demand for nursing instructors is growing faster than educational institutions can fill their openings. This is due in part to the growing need for registered nurses; nursing educators are a key part of fixing this shortage.

Advanced practice nurses in Pennsylvania are in high demand. Many advocates within the state, including the Pennsylvania Action Coalition, are attempting to increase the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and other advanced practice nurses. Recent research indicates that nurse practitioners have health outcomes that are comparable to doctors’ outcomes. Currently, advanced practice nurses in the state must be supervised by a physician. This may change in coming years, especially with continued efforts from organizations dedicated to advancing the profession.

The primary care physician shortage in Pennsylvania is continuing to grow, which is another reason that nurse practitioners may have more freedom to practice in coming years. Seven parts of Pennsylvania are Federally Designated Underserved Areas.

A master’s degree in nursing is the minimum degree required if you want to become a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners perform many of the same functions as doctors, from conducting physical exams to diagnosing acute illnesses.

If you complete a master’s degree in nursing, you may also qualify to work as a nurse anesthetist, or a nurse who administers anesthesia to patients undergoing surgical procedures. Due to a nationwide shortage of nurse anesthetists, obtaining a master’s degree may help you advance from a bedside nursing position to a nurse anesthesia position.

Before you can pursue either of these career opportunities, you must meet the minimum qualifications. If you don’t yet have a Master’s degree in nursing, contact one of the schools on this page to learn more about the programs available in your area.

Nursing Schools in Pennsylvania

Harrisburg Area Wound Care Specialty Program (WOC Nursing Ed)
Mechanicsburg, PA

What You Can Expect From Your MSN Program

As a working nurse, you’ve likely heard about the nursing shortage in Pennsylvania, which is starting to reach serious levels. But have you heard about the shortage of other nursing professionals throughout the region? It takes an advanced degree to work in fields like primary care, nursing research, nursing administration and leadership. Many hospitals, universities, and labs are short on nurses that can meet these requirements. If you’re looking for a way to change up your nursing career, while enhancing your profession as a whole, an MSN may be just the degree you need.

Take a look at the Pennsylvania nursing schools that offer MSN programs listed on our site. Once you have determine those that interest you, contact the schools and request details about the master’s in nursing programs in Pennsylvania you’d like to know more about.

If you’re trying to figure out which graduate-level nursing career is right for you, Pennsylvania has many resources available for nurses. The Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists hosts annual symposiums, advocates for nurse anesthetists, and provides educational resources. Similarly, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners performs of the many same functions for nurse practitioners. As a student in these fields, you may be able to gain the help and support of working professionals.

The Pennsylvania Workforce Development has promising news for those who want to start a graduate-level nursing career. They expect the statewide demand for registered nurses, and nursing instructors to increase substantially in coming years.
WGAL News notes that the practice environment for nurse practitioners may be changing for the better in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania legislators are working on a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to work independently of supervising doctors. This law could create a sudden increase in demand for advanced practice registered nurses.

Going into the field of nurse administration or nursing policy may put you in the position to positively affect the work environment for nurses. The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association hopes to tackle safe staffing regulations, removal of barriers to practice for advanced practice nurses, and greater health care accessibility for residents.

To be accepted to a Pennsylvania Master’s of Science in Nursing program, you must meet some fairly demanding requirements. You must have a BSN from an accredited school to enter a traditional MSN program. In many cases, you must have used that degree to complete at least one year of full-time nursing experience. There are some Pennsylvania MSN programs that require you to have experience in different nursing specialties and settings, so as to help you choose your MSN specialty.

Pennsylvania has many part-time and full-time MSN programs to choose from. Part-time graduate programs tend to require at least three years of study. If you attend school full-time, you may be able to graduate in about two years. Your program length is also dependent on which specialty you choose. Clinical specialties, which often have more rigorous practicum requirements, may take longer than administrative specialties.

Before you begin specialty courses in nursing, you start with core classes that cover the whole spectrum. These courses may include Advanced Physiology, Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, and Scientific Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice. From that point, you can take classes that directly prepare you for your future career.

Spending a few hours looking into Pennsylvania nursing scholarships and applying for as many as possible may really pay off when you begin your MSN degree. The Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners awards scholarships that are worth $1,200 each. The Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania fund scholarships for nursing students at different levels of education. You can apply for many scholarships through the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania, including the Jack E. Barger Jr. VFW Nursing Scholarship and the Alumni Association Scholarship.

Pennsylvania RN to MSN Bridge Programs

Becoming a nurse can be an excellent career move for those who want to improve lives, contribute to one of the most important industries in the country, and enjoy a strong job outlook. One of the advantages of beginning your career as an RN is the amount of way you can further your career. If you want to take on more responsibility as a nurse and explore the different aspects of this field, you may be able to attend an RN-to-MSN-bridge program in Pennsylvania for the education you need.

As an MSN student, you may learn how to care for a range of patients in much more intensive ways than you do as an RN. While you can specialize in a population—such as gerontology, pediatrics, or adults—many clinical MSN students choose to become family nurse practitioners. If you’d rather work in an administrative setting, you may become a clinical nurse leader, a nurse manager, or a nursing administrator. This may require you to learn more about the specifics of health care policy and management. If you’ve always seen yourself as a teacher, you can choose to go into nursing education. Credit requirements vary between 40 and 45, depending on which specialty path you choose.

In the first semester of your program, you may learn about the roles played by graduates in different nursing settings. Commonly required courses include Issues in Nursing and Health Care, Nursing Research, and Scientific Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice.

Though you may be able to complete some of your nursing courses online, you should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time working in-person to meet your clinical requirements. If you are working towards a degree in nurse anesthesia, nurse midwifery, or nurse practitioner, your clinical hours will likely be spent with patients. Administrative specialties tend to involve working with other health care professionals, while going into education may require you to head to a local nursing college.

Once you’ve decided to commit yourself to an advanced nursing education in Pennsylvania, you can start looking into the many scholarship opportunities available in this state. The Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania awards several nursing scholarships to student members every year, including the Jack E. Barger Jr. VFW Nursing Scholarship and the Alumni Association Scholarship. Every year, the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania awards scholarships to beginning and advanced nursing students that meet their high expectations. Another local nursing association, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association supports student nurses through scholarships and grants.

As you approach the end of your nursing program, you’ll need to start preparing for advanced licensure if you want to work in certain fields. According to the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, you need an advanced practice license if you want to work as a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist. After passing the needed tests for your specialty, you can receive your license.

Nursing is a field in which you can truly have a positive effect on your community while bettering your own life. By earning an MSN and starting a career in one of these exciting nursing specialties, you can improve nursing care in Pennsylvania while finding professional fulfillment.

Pennsylvania Direct Entry MSN

If you have a bachelor’s degree but are looking to change your career path, you might consider continuing your education by enrolling in a direct entry or accelerated masters of nursing program. Students who decide to become graduate nurses have a choice of several types of careers. For instance, Penn State has the following MSN programs; Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator and Nurse Administrator. There are other universities with Direct Entry programs that may have other career choices.

To learn more, check out the resources and schools on our site. You can then request information directly from nursing schools in Pennsylvania that offer direct entry masters programs.

Penn State is recognized worldwide for their excellence in education and clinical practice. They have a total of 17 MSN programs. Students must complete their MSN five years from the date of their BSN completion. The admission criteria for the Accelerated or Direct Program is similar across most programs and typically requires:

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
Two recommendations and one should be academic that speak to your abilities and probable success in the master’s program
Official copies of transcripts from all attended college courses
A personal statement is required once you have started the application process
The GRE general test is required for the BSN/MSN and Hillman BSN-PhD applicants
An interview with the Program Director for the master’s program may be required

As an example, the curriculum for the Nursing and Healthcare Administration Program focuses in Nursing and Health Care Administration by integrating the principles from 11 courses of nursing administration, one nursing leadership elective and three elective courses from the healthcare management major at the Wharton School of Business or the Organizational Dynamics Graduate Program in the School of Arts & and Sciences. The students also have the choice of relevant minors in health informatics, quality improvement and safety processes in health care or organizational dynamics.

The typical plan of study for any Direct Entry MSN program in Pennsylvania usually includes any or all of the following courses:

Leadership Development in Healthcare
Negotiations in Healthcare
Introduction to Research Methods and Design
Systems Thinking in Patient Safety
Applied Healthcare Accounting and Business Planning
Human Resources Management in Healthcare
Concepts in Healthcare Economics
Nursing Informatics
Advance Roles in Administrative Nursing Practice
Principles and Practice of Healthcare Quality Improvement
Current Issues in Health Policy
Nursing Administration Practicum

There are a total of 29 required credits, which does not include clinical hours. You should expect to complete several hundred hours of clinical work throughout the program.

There are also Direct Entry/MSN online courses available at Salem State University, Thomas Jefferson University, Wilkes University and two courses from the University of Pennsylvania.

Salem State University offers the Direct Entry/MSN online and begins each May and runs full-time for 15 months, but you may choose days, evenings or weekends for your classes. When you complete 52 nursing credits you are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensing exam, and then you can continue full-time or part-time with the MSN clinical courses. However, prior to enrolling in clinical courses each student must complete six months of work as an RN.

The clinical experience for these online accelerated MSN programs in Pennsylvania can be completed at any of the following areas:

Fundamentals
Adult Health
Critical Care
Mental Health
Pediatrics
Public Health
Rehabilitation
Women’s Health

Nurses with graduate degrees are expected to have a number of jobs available due to the nursing shortage. Income is based on your education, credentials, experience and your type of employer.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center offer examinations for numerous types of nurses with graduate degrees, which will give you an ANCC credential in your field of expertise. The National League for Nursing offers an examination for Nurse Educators for certification. Each of these organizations offer the certification as a mark of excellence in your field.

If you are concerned about how to pay for your graduate nursing degree, visit the Financial Aid Office at your University and complete a FAFSA application, which is a federal grant based on income. Penn Nursing also offers some options for financial aid for the accelerated student. The Health Resources and Services Administration offers low–interest loans that are long-term and other programs.

Getting your MSN degree can open up a whole new career route in a variety of fields, and it helps the nursing profession as a whole. If you are ready to explore your options further, contact the schools you find on our site to learn more.

Pennsylvania CRNA Programs

Working as a registered nurse has likely changed your life in many positive ways. You may have developed a sense of confidence in your nursing skills, realized the important of evidence-based care, and started to explore the many ways in which you can propel your nursing career further. If you enjoy working with patients and you want to take on more responsibility in this aspect of your career, you may be a good fit for the field of nurse anesthesia.

You may have worked alongside nurse anesthetists in your registered nursing career. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists have achieved high-level licensure in the state of Pennsylvania and can administer numerous types of anesthesia to patients. This career may lead to you working alongside anesthesiologists, surgeons, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and other health care professionals. You may even work independently with patients and have registered nurses working underneath you.

It’s clear that nurse anesthetists are a prominent part of Pennsylvania health care. As a result, you must get extensive training and education to begin a career in this field. If you’re ready to use your Bachelor’s degree in nursing to take the next step in your education, now is the time to get started. Keep reading to learn more about CRNA programs in Pennsylvania.

Admissions and Curriculum for CRNA Programs in PA

As soon as you know you may be interested in a career in nurse anesthesia, it may be worth your while to become familiar with admissions requirements and start working to meet them. You need a Bachelor’s degree in nursing and a valid registered nursing license in Pennsylvania. You must also be at least one year out from your BSN, since you need one year of nursing experience to apply for CRNA programs in Oregon. You may need to work in a specific setting; accepted settings often include emergency rooms, trauma wards, or surgical wards.

The curriculum for your program may include between 40 and 80 credit hours. Master’s degree programs tend to be on the lower end of this scale, while doctoral programs are often close to 80 credits. In a Master’s program, you may complete roughly 600 clinical hours. Doctoral programs often have clinical requirements that exceed 2,000 hours.

Core courses in your curriculum may include Research for Evidence-Based Practice, Health Assessment Across the Lifespan, Applied Epidemiology & Biostatistics for Nursing Practice, and Advanced Physiology. Once meeting the core requirements of your program, you may move on to specialty courses like Advanced Principles of Nurse Anesthesia, Obstetric & Pediatric Anesthesia, Nurse Anesthesia Pharmacology, and Nurse Anesthesia Immersion Residency.

Once you have been accepted to the nurse anesthesia program of your choice, you may want to start applying for different types of financial aid. Options include grants, scholarships, and loan repayment programs. The Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania awards multiple scholarships to advanced nursing students each year. The Pittsburgh Foundation has a variety of scholarship funds, including a nursing alumni scholarship for students that demonstrate financial need. The Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania awards nursing scholarships throughout the year, including the Albert Einstein Memorial Scholarship and the Jack E. Barger, Sr. Memorial Fund Scholarship.

Working as a Nurse Anesthetist in PA

As a nurse anesthetist, you’ll need to be able to multitask. Luckily, the certification procedure in Pennsylvania prepares you for that particular part of your job. As you get ready to graduate with your Master’s degree or doctoral degree, you should start planning for certification and licensure. At the statewide level, licensing goes through the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. However, they require you to have national certification before you receive your state practice license. You can apply to take the national certification exam through the National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. This gives you the title of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and allows you to apply for your nursing license. Once you have received your license from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, you can begin working to the full extent of your scope of practice.

Professional development should be a big part of your career as a nurse anesthetist. The Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists is a prominent resource for Pennsylvania CRNAs, offering ongoing training, symposia and networking events, and legislative updates. This organization may also help you network with other nursing professionals to learn about job openings in your area.

The field of nurse anesthesia is a promising career path with a long history in Pennsylvania. To become part of it, contact Pennsylvania CRNA schools today.

Forensic Nursing in Pennsylvania

Gaining experience in the world of registered nursing can benefit you when you decide to take the next step in your career. If you are drawn to the scientific aspects of nursing and you still want to spend a significant amount of your time with patients, you may consider working in the field of forensic nursing.

Forensic nurses take on a variety of duties, depending on where they are employed and what specialized skills they develop in training. In Pennsylvania, you can get involved in the local forensic nursing community by joining the Pennsylvania Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

Are you ready to find out if forensic nursing is the field for you?

Find out how to become a forensic nurse by contacting Pennsylvania nursing programs below.

Master’s Degree Programs in Forensic Nursing in Pennsylvania

Forensic nursing is an extremely in-depth field. Not only do you need a strong background in healthcare, you must be willing to learn the many functions of the criminal justice system. That is why many forensic nursing credentials and career paths require a Master’s degree.

With a Bachelor’s degree in nursing, you may be able to complete your Master’s degree in approximately two years. During this timeframe, you earn at least 30 credits and complete several hundred hours of clinical experience.

Forensic Nursing Graduate Courses
• Forensic Science and the Legal System
• Advanced Forensic Nursing
• Criminal Law and the Courts
• Pathophysiology
• Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses
• Physical Assessment
• Forensic Nursing Clinical

Throughout your education, you must meet specific learning goals. These are determined by each individual program. Pennsylvania schools often focus on strong clinical judgment, leadership in nursing, interdisciplinary approaches to healthcare, clinical inquiry, and an extensive knowledge of forensic nursing principles of care.

If you plan on becoming certified, you must meet certain forensic nursing requirements. To become an Advanced Forensic Nurse, you need a Master’s degree in nursing, a current nursing license, and at least 2000 hours of work experience in the field of forensic nursing. This process goes through the Commission for Forensic Nursing Certification, which also licenses Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.

The Role of Forensic Nurses in Pennsylvania

A growing area of need in Pennsylvania revolves around Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners. If you decide to work in this area after graduation, you may work with many statewide programs. Many clinics, crisis centers, and hospitals hire nursing professionals in this field, thanks to advocacy efforts from organizations like the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.

With the training you get from forensic nursing courses, you may qualify for positions in Pennsylvania crime labs, law enforcement centers, and research facilities. In many counties, forensic nurses see patients, although their patient interaction is often limited to patients who have been victims of violent crime.

In your daily work, you may be responsible for collecting evidence, ensuring that patients have the support and mental health resources they need, and processing evidence in a prompt and appropriate manner.

This is the time to get involved in the field of forensic nursing in PA.

Take the first step now by requesting information from Pennsylvania nursing schools on our site.

Pennsylvania Clinical Nurse Leader Degrees

The future of the nursing industry is getting brighter and brighter, thanks to the recent changes affecting the health care industry. As hospitals and clinics are expected to provide care to more and more people, they are turning to nurses of all educational levels to fill the care gap.

With an advanced nursing degree in Pennsylvania, you can take on more clinical responsibilities and encourage nurses to maintain high care standards.

Magnet recognition is a significant award in the nursing industry (News Medical). Several Pennsylvania hospitals have recently sought and gained Magnet certification, showcasing the success of their nursing staff. Nurse leaders are an important part of improving care outcomes.

Pennsylvania has successfully decreased the rate of hospital-acquired conditions, a good measure of safety and preventive care in hospitals (YDR). This is due, in part, to the work of highly educated nursing leaders, working in a variety of leadership and direct care roles.

Are you ready to find out what it takes to become a leader in the field of nursing? Take the first step and request information from Master’s in nurse leadership programs in Pennsylvania.

Featured Programs:

How Can I Become a Clinical Nurse Leader in Pennsylvania?

The Clinical Nurse Leader is an advanced generalist nursing role. Since it requires a considerable amount of responsibility and independent work, it involves high-level study and a significant amount of nursing experience.

Prior to enrolling in a CNL program, you must have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. If you currently have an Associate’s degree in nursing, you may be able to meet your CNL requirements by enrolling in an RN to MSN program. These programs typically require about 60 credits, compared to the 36 credits commonly included in a CNL program.

Throughout your training, you should explore the various roles that advanced nursing professionals play in clinical settings. Many colleges and universities address widespread health problems and nursing issues, the critical thinking skills needed to excel in leadership, the interpretation of nursing research, and successfully blending practice and theory.

Every course you take as a graduate nursing student should address one or more of these goals. Some of the courses commonly required in this type of degree program include Theory and Research in Nursing, Health Policy in Nursing, Nursing Administration and Leadership Role, Information Systems for Nurses in Health Care, and Nursing Organization & Leadership Theory.

You should be prepared for the clinical requirements of your program. The amount of clinical work included in your curriculum differs quite a bit from school to school. Generally speaking, it is best to get as much experience as possible, so you may want to compare clinical offerings at all of the programs you are considering.

Remember to keep your registered nursing license up to date through the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Depending on which licensure group you are assigned to, your license renewal will be due on April 30 or October 31 in odd-numbered or even-numbered years. To work as a Clinical Nurse Leader, you must also get certified by the AACN. You can earn your initial certification by passing a rigorous licensing exam.

What Does a Clinical Nurse Leader Do?

This is a fairly challenging and multifaceted role, so it’s in your best interest to be prepared for a wide range of job duties and responsibilities. The CNL certification focuses more heavily on clinical work than administration, so financial and administrative work should only make up part of your workday.

The rest of the time, you may still be working with patients, collecting data, analyzing care plans, educating and supervising nurses, and ensuring that each patient has a care plan that suits their unique needs.

Strong communication skills are essential in nurse leadership. On any given day, you may communicate with patients, patients’ families, nurses whom you supervise, other care providers, and administrators.

A strong professional network is key to growing in any career. The Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders is a professional association that supports nurse leaders throughout the state. Make use of this group’s resources, including networking events, training programs, legislative updates, and changes in the nursing industry.

If you thrive in high-stress situations and you see yourself as a leader, you may have the chance to bring your talents to the nursing community as a whole.

Start on the path to becoming a nurse leader by requesting information from Master’s in nursing leadership programs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Research Nursing Graduate Programs

Millions of Pennsylvania residents will require the services of nursing and medical staff this year, so it should come as no surprise that millions of dollars are spent on healthcare research every year. The research conducted by highly trained nursing professionals can lead to better patient outcomes, greater staff satisfaction in the nursing industry, and more efficient techniques and procedures.

Nursing research also plays a role in the staffing and development of new care centers, such as a new senior care center and that recently opened in Pennsylvania. Learning how to conduct and analyze research can put you in an excellent position to influence health care change in this state, particularly if you have lots of nursing experience or experience in a specific medical specialty.

Take the first step now by contacting research nursing graduate programs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Graduate Degree Programs in Nursing Research

To gain the skills needed in clinical research, you’ll need to complete a rigorous program with coursework in advanced nursing theory, research ethics and procedures, research and analysis and statistics, and clinical practice. A Master’s degree in nursing research accomplishes these goals in roughly two years of study.

It should be clear that this program of study includes many challenging and demanding courses. Research is a time-consuming and expensive part of nursing, and it’s important that you make the most of your time and money. Classes that may be included in your curriculum include Analysis of Research Findings, Statistics for Health Care Professionals, Health Assessment in Advanced Nursing, Foundations of Nursing Research, and Research Techniques in Health Care. At the end of your degree, you may need to complete a capstone project or study. At some schools, this involves designing and carrying out your own study. In this way, your instructors assess your knowledge and your ability to work in clinical research.

You may already be part of many nursing organizations as a registered nurse. Make sure that you check into their scholarship and tuition assistance programs. One major source of funding is the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania.

The Role of Clinical Nurse Researchers in Pennsylvania

A huge number of facilities and agencies are looking for effective ways to control health care costs, so you may have plenty of employment options to consider once you complete your education. Popular options include nonprofit employment, government employment, or employment in a specialized area of medicine. A prominent employer in this state is the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

If you want to advance the field of nursing in a new and exciting way, get started now by contacting nurse research programs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Certified Nurse Midwife Programs

As you use your Bachelor’s degree in nursing to gain experience, learn about the health care industry, and discover how to interact with patients, you may find that you are good working with specific conditions or demographic groups. Women have unique health care needs—two of the most important parts of a woman’s health include pregnancy and childbirth.

If you work well with women and you’d like to help them through these exciting life changes, learn more about certified nurse midwife programs in Pennsylvania by contacting the schools you see listed below.

In general, nurse midwives are limited to working with low-risk women. When there is a significant health problem or a pregnancy complication, CNMs must refer care to an OB/GYN. However, when working with low-risk women, CNMs have patient outcomes that are just as positive as those experienced by OB/GYNs. Completing your nurse midwife degree and getting licensed can help you become part of a collaborative health care team that keeps women and babies safe. Contact the schools on our site to learn more.

Becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife in Pennsylvania

Nurse midwifery programs in Pennsylvania are comprehensive and multifaceted, giving you the practical skills and theoretical knowledge you need to care for women of different ages and medical needs. In addition, these programs teach you how to work with infants, as nurse midwives perform newborn exams and ensure that babies are healthy when they are born. To cover these skills and become a competent care provider, you should plan on dedicating two to three years of study to your Master’s degree in nursing.

Before you start learning about midwifery skills and concepts, you must be well-versed in advanced nursing care. This involves taking courses like Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology, Evidence-Based Research in Advanced Nursing, and Advanced Pharmacology.

With these courses under your belt, you can move on to midwifery courses like Antepartum Complications, Family Theory, Disparities in Women’s Health, Introduction to Antepartum Management, and Contraception. You should plan on spending quite a bit of time in a clinical setting, since most midwifery schools require 800 to 1,000 clinical hours. By the time you are ready to graduate, you may be seeing patients independently while under the supervision of your instructors.

One benefit of getting into a field like nursing is the variety of financial aid options you can consider. These options can make your education much more affordable and help you start building connections in your local nursing community. The Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania are given out on an annual basis. You may also apply for scholarships through the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. Several grants are awarded by the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania.

Working as a Certified Nurse Midwife in Pennsylvania

Nursing is an extremely regulated field all across the United States, so it’s no surprise that nurse midwifery is as well. Before applying for state licensure, contact the American Midwifery Certification Board and apply for national certification.

Once you pass your CNM exam and get your certification, you may apply for advanced licensure through the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Rather than applying for a new license, you simply keep your registered nursing license and upgrade it to an advanced practice license.

Dedicate yourself to the care of the women of Pennsylvania. Check out our school listing below and contact certified nurse midwife programs in Pennsylvania to learn about getting started.

Pennsylvania Clinical Nurse Specialist Programs

If you are contemplating a career as a clinical nurse specialist in Pennsylvania, then earning your Master of Science in Nursing is critical to being successful in this sector of the nursing field. Being a type of advanced practice nurse, you may provide indirect and direct care to patients and nursing staff at medical facilities across the state. Whether you end up in a research role or simply advocate certain nursing policies, the sole purpose of your new career path is to improve the overall quality of care for patients.

Contact the nursing schools listed below that offer CNS programs in Pennsylvania to learn more about your options.

Depending on your educational training, you may focus on one of the following areas:

Specific age group
Specific disease
Specific workplace
Specific body part

With the demand for clinical nurses specialists being high throughout the nation, studies show that these nurses offer lower costs for specialized patient care compared to regular physicians (Discover Nursing). When researching potential CNS programs, you should enroll in a college that has sought accreditation through a governing body like the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Accredited programs train you in current procedures and tools, helping prepare you for the CNS exam. Learn more about MSN programs near you today by requesting additional information from schools.

Becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pennsylvania

If you have already earned your license as a registered nurse in Pennsylvania, you can enroll in an MSN program with a focus on a clinical specialty, nursing management or leadership. Earning your master’s degree requires two years of full-time classes as well as the completion of a clinical practicum. Classroom instruction generally covers topics like:

Healthcare policies
Issues in practice
Advanced management principles

During the clinical practicum, you need to complete 500 hours at an approved medical facility. Clinical practicums utilize a tiered approach to training you in a particular specialty, providing you with the necessary hands-on experience to succeed as a clinical nurse specialist. Nursing practicums can help protect public healthcare by making sure you practice competent and safe nursing care at the advanced level.

To attain a research or advocacy role in the nursing industry, you may need to take additional courses and earn your Doctor of Nursing Practice, which can take up to three years to complete. DNP degrees increase your employment marketability in Pennsylvania as well as offer additional opportunities to advance your career. During your educational training, you will need to take courses in health economics, health finance, and advance nursing health policy. Click on a college to learn more today.

There are various financial assistance programs to help cover your nursing school costs. Health Resources and Services Administration offers numerous scholarships, loan programs, and loan repayment programs, with the understanding that you will commit to working in an underserved area for a designated duration of time.

Working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pennsylvania

With a master’s degree, you may find employment opportunities at hospitals, outpatient facilities, or home care systems.

A CNS degree requires you to be multifaceted, managerial, and patient-facing, and your job duties may entail:

Clinical practice
Consulting
Management
Research
Teaching

As the main credentialing institute in the United States, American Nurses Credentialing Center offers a variety of certificates for clinical nurse specialists, including:

Gerontology
Public and home health
Pediatric and adult psychiatric-mental health
Diabetes management-advanced

Upon earning your CNS certificate, you will need to renew the certification every five years, submitting your renewal application before the expiration date. If you do not take the renewal test, you may no longer be eligible to practice your specialty in Pennsylvania. Discover how you can become a successful clinical nurse specialist in Pennsylvania by clicking on an MSN program today and requesting more information.

Pennsylvania Public Health Graduate Programs

Have you ever wondered what you could do with an advanced nursing degree in Pennsylvania? After all, your experience as a registered nurse has likely made you a valuable source of information and care for your community. Furthermore, your time working in a medical setting may have exposed you to some of the specialties in the field of nursing.

One of the fastest growing options for Bachelor’s-level nurses who want to return to school is public health. Health care is growing in Pennsylvania, and more and more employers are relying on nursing professionals to provide affordable care. By delving into the field of public health through an organization like the Pennsylvania Department of Health, you can influence health on a community-wide level. Keep reading to explore public health graduate programs in Pennsylvania.

Featured Programs:

Master’s Degree Programs in Public Health Nursing in Pennsylvania

You may have to meet an extensive set of admissions requirements to be considered for a place in a public health nursing program. This is because nurses in this position have a great deal of responsibility, so schools want to ensure that they accept students who are ready for this challenge. While earning your Bachelor’s degree in nursing, you should have maintained a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Some schools even limit their consideration to students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The type and amount of nursing experience you have also plays a role. One year is typically the bare minimum, but you may well need more to be accepted.

Preparing for the rigors of graduate-level nursing study can give you every chance you need to succeed in this program. To prepare, look at the curriculum for the course you have chosen. Some of the classes you may take include Nursing Research and Its Applications to Practice, Epidemiology, Public Health Nursing Theory, Public Health Nursing Practice, Public Health Nursing Leadership, and Population-Based Nursing Theories & Interventions. These courses and their clinical counterparts should prepare you for the many duties assigned to public health nurses.

Use every tool you have at your disposal to find out about nursing scholarships in Pennsylvania. One of the largest nursing organizations in this state is the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania, which awards scholarships that are worth $2000 each.

The Role of Public Health Nurses in Pennsylvania

Since public health nursing requires an advanced degree, you may have a more positive job outlook than those with undergraduate degrees. Although the average salary for a Pennsylvania registered nurse is $65,100 per year, you may earn more with your advanced education and certification.

When you begin your career, you may find that you get to work in many different settings. While you should spend some time in the community, you must also be willing to spend plenty of time analyzing research and preparing press releases, data, and news reports. For example, public health nurses contributed to a recent discovery that Pennsylvania residents who live near fracking sites tend to get sick more often than those who do not.

Take the first step in your new career today by contacting public health nursing programs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Healthcare Policy Programs

As the healthcare industry grows over the years, the base of research used to shape this field has grown. With more evidence and research, healthcare providers and experts can constantly perfect the services and procedures they use with patients.

In Pennsylvania, healthcare policy experts look at laws in various industries that overlap with healthcare. Recent efforts in this state focused on a state law that makes it difficult for drug addicts to receive treatment (The Sentinel). This law resorts to incarceration rather than treatment, an expensive choice for the state of Pennsylvania that has poor outcomes for addicts. Health policy advocates hope to pass a law that makes treatment a more accessible choice for addicts.

Your nursing background is a valuable asset in the world of policy. Find out how nursing can help you become an advocate for change by contacting Master’s in healthcare policy programs in Pennsylvania.

Master’s Degree Programs in Healthcare Policy in Pennsylvania

What does it take to work in healthcare policy? The answer may surprise you, as you actually must be well-versed in several different topics of study to really thrive in the world of health policy.

Of course, you need a thorough grasp of the legislative system and the process that laws and policies go through, but you must also understand healthcare research, how it is conducted, and how to properly analyze it. In addition, you need impeccable communication skills that allow you to advocate for unpopular bills or underrepresented groups of people.

To cover the many different competencies and special topics of health policy, you may complete a Master’s program with at least 40 credits.

Commonly required courses in this particular specialty include:

Health Services Organization and Delivery
Health Services Financing and Policy
Applied Statistics
Health Data Analysis for Research
Financing Healthcare
Health Law
Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Healthcare Marketing
Health Economics

Most policy degree programs also involve some type of practical experience, whether it’s an internship or a practicum course. By working with health policy experts, you can start learning about potential work environments and get comfortable in an entirely different work setting.

To keep working as a nurse in the state of Pennsylvania, you must maintain your license through the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. License renewal applications are due by either April 30 or October 31 of every other year.

How Do Nurses Impact Healthcare Policy in Pennsylvania?

Since nurses have so much experience working with the patients and policies of Pennsylvania, they have a significant presence in the world of health policy. Consider staying active in the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, which makes nursing legislation a huge priority in its annual work. Priorities included safe staffing laws, delegation of nurse duties, the creation of a health registry, the use of medical cannabis, practice rights for nurse anesthetists, and prevention of workplace violence against nurses.

In addition to working with specific nursing groups, you may get involved with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and research institutions. The Pennsylvania Health Law Project is a research-based institution that analyzes policy and law issues in Pennsylvania by looking at current research and evidence.

The more time you spend in this industry, the more leeway you may have to sponsor and advocate for bills that are personally important to you. This is how you can improve funding for specific diseases, strengthen work conditions for nurses, or improve the patient experience in a variety of ways.

The potential of a health policy degree is endless. You can do countless things with this graduate degree, depending on your interests and priorities. Get the training you need by contacting graduate healthcare policy programs in Pennsylvania.