MSN Degree Opened Doors, Says Life Care Planner Nurse

"I earned my master's many years ago, and so most of the clinical information that was cutting-edge then is old-hat now," says Wendie A. Howland, RN, MN, CRRN, CCM, CNLCP, of Howland Health Consulting, Inc. "But having that degree has opened doors for me in so many ways."

If you're ready to put some snap, crackle, and pop back into your own nursing career, take a look at some of the more significant ways earning a Master in Nursing degree made a difference for this experienced nurse.

1. Credibility

A master's degree adds valuable weight to your opinion. Howland says her MSN degree gave her more credibility while promoting research-based nursing practice, since she had gone through a thesis program and done clinical research in an academic medical center. Because of this credibility, she says, "I was able to implement a policy on nurse-monitored sedation/neuromuscular blockade in a small hospital, based on published research."

2. Cash

At the beginning of her first clinical specialist job, Howland received a substantial one-time payment that she attributes to her master's degree. Sign-on bonuses are still common today, despite the recession, and a graduate degree can make you eligible for one.

3. Connections

Advanced degrees can also forge a connection with other degree-holders. "I was hired by a department head with an advanced degree, who took mine as a sign that I was willing to put some critical thinking into a new setting--consulting to the reinsurance industry on catastrophic injury," Howland explains.

But Is It Really Worth It?

Some naysayers claim that degrees aren't as important as experience, dedication, or raw intelligence. Howland disagrees.

"I taught nursing for several years," she says. "Many [students] are second-career students who just want to get to work as soon as possible; that makes them susceptible to the perceived quick-fix of a short degree. 'We're all nurses, we all have the same licensure, I don't need a BS (or more) to be a nurse...' is how that goes."

"But wait," she continues, elaborating on the hypothetical scenario, "You have your ASN and have passed the NCLEX, so you are an RN, same as your colleague who has a BSN. You both feel passionately about prenatal care for underserved, high-risk populations, and an opening comes up in the public health department to do exactly that. You, however, cannot even apply for it, because public health nursing requires a BSN degree."

In addition to limited eligibility for job applications, nurses without a BSN degree or the equivalent run into other walls. "You are also shut out from staff development, even if you are the go-to person for orienting new people," Howland says, "from cardiac rehab; from leadership in many settings; from school nursing.... it goes on and on. Students don't see themselves four or seven years down the road looking for new challenges--or something that's less challenging to their backs and knees."

Continuing to Open Doors

"Now, as a Nurse Life Care Planner, my degree and certifications still open doors and give me more credibility with clients," Howland says.

And there's no doubt that Howland's MSN degree has opened a lot of doors. Following a full career in critical care at world-class medical centers (Stanford University Hospital, University of Washington) she embarked on more than a decade's experience in catastrophic case management and life care planning for catastrophic and high-expense chronic conditions.

She currently works for a case management company, handling what she describes as "largely but not entirely catastrophic cases." In addition, she runs her own business doing life care planning (www.howlandhealthconsulting.com) and edits a professional journal, the Journal of Nurse Life Care Planning.

Wendie Howland now enjoys a level of freedom and flexibility that many nurses would envy. "I set my own schedule, bill my own time, and travel or work at home as I like," Howland says. "I can see myself doing this for at least another ten years."

For more information about Nurse Life Care Planning please visit the the American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners.

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