Top Reasons Archives - nursing rutgers

A pediatric nurse practitioner student attends to a child while Margaret Quinn supervises.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs) have the opportunity to impact the care a child receives from birth to young adulthood. PNP programs offer a specialized skill set to those interested in providing this type of focused care.

Margaret Quinn in a lab coat — Margaret Quinn

Margaret Quinn (PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN), clinical associate professor and specialty director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) program at Rutgers School of Nursing, shares the top four reasons why pursuing a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner might be right for you.

1) Varied workday

The diversity of knowledge and expertise in the growth and developmental needs of patients and families is what makes pediatrics such a great specialty! The pediatrics specialty is varied, and that makes each patient encounter unique. Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) can start the day seeing a family with a newborn, supporting all the questions new parents may have. The next visit might be with a school-aged child who may be sick, and the next visit, an adolescent going off to college. Each visit requires developmentally appropriate skills and knowledge to support the patient and family.

2) Impact

PNPs can impact a child’s life from birth to young adulthood. They can be the ones who improve the well-being of children and their families by helping them get access to preventive care and sharing knowledge about making healthy choices.

3) Professional standing

PNPs provide primary, specialty, and medically complex care through the pediatric lifespan. They can work in a variety of settings, including primary care offices, clinics, urgent care sites, specialty clinics, and inpatient settings. PNP programs offer the opportunity to focus your skill-set and enhance your professional standing as a nurse.

4) Anticipated shortage

There is an anticipated shortage of pediatric specialty providers forecasted in the next decade, which will broaden the opportunities that already exist for PNPs. Students in the PNP programs at Rutgers School of Nursing, for example, typically enjoy a wide choice of employment options upon graduation.

Learn more about the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program offerings at Rutgers School of Nursing. Prospective students are encouraged to explore the educational paths open in the PNP post-master’s certificate program, DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program, and the Dual Primary/Acute Care DNP program.

Students from the Nurse Anesthesia program at Rutgers School of Nursing.

A nurse anesthesiologist is an advanced practice nurse who is specially trained and certified to administer anesthesia to patients in a variety of settings and for a variety of procedures, just as a physician anesthesiologist does. Upon completing their education, graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination to be licensed as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

Dr. Thomas Pallaria (DNP, APN/CRNA), director of the Nurse Anesthesia program at Rutgers School of Nursing, shares the top five reasons why pursuing a nurse anesthesia career might be right for you.

1) Broad range of practice

The scope of practice for a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is the most complex of all the advanced practice options in nursing. It offers the most invasive procedures and the full range of anesthesia practice, such as general anesthesia, specialty-based procedures such as cardiac, pediatrics, neurosurgical, and obstetrical, regional anesthesia, sedation, and pain management.

2) Autonomy and professional respect

A career in nurse anesthesia offers a high degree of practice autonomy and professional respect, whether in surgical or obstetrical units in a hospital, ambulatory care centers, ketamine clinics, office-based settings, or U.S. military clinical settings.

3) High demand

Opportunities in the field of nurse anesthesia are expanding with no signs of slowing down. In fact, the specialty is expected to grow more than 30 percent in the next decade.

4) High earning potential

The degree of patient care responsibility and the complex, exacting nature of the profession is commensurate with financial compensation. Nurse anesthesiologists, on average, are among the highest-paid of all those in advanced practice and leadership roles.

5) Professional fulfillment

Nurse anesthesiologists enjoy one of the most rewarding professions within the health care industry, with the support of over 57,000 CRNAs across the country. Although there are tens of thousands of providers within its ranks, CRNAs are part of a small, unique community with local, regional, and national ties that ensure a cohesive approach to safe, efficient anesthesia care for their patients.

Learn more about the Nurse Anesthesia program at the Rutgers School of Nursing.

Person in face mask and hair covering.

RN to BS programs might be suitable for registered nurses hoping to expand their careers by enhancing their skillset through gaining a bachelor’s in nursing. Students in these programs often are working as registered nurses while pursuing their university education.

Shelby Pitts (DNP, RN, WHNP-BC), instructor and interim program director of the RN to BS in Nursing program at Rutgers School of Nursing, shares the top 4 reasons why pursuing an RN to BS program might be right for you.

1) Uniquely prepared

BS-prepared nurses have additional skills in community health promotion, leadership, and critical thinking. These skills allow them to address challenges across various health care settings including community health clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities.

2) Increased outcomes and satisfaction

Research supports that nurses with a bachelor’s degree contribute to better patient outcomes and increased patient satisfaction. The landmark Future of Nursing report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends nurses obtain advanced education to meet the challenges in healthcare delivery.

3) Demand

The BS degree will provide future career opportunities, and with the demands of health care, there is a great need for advanced nursing leaders. Nurses with bachelor’s degrees have additional skills and knowledge to prepare them for management positions, teaching roles, and coordinator responsibilities. Additionally, a bachelor’s degree will qualify nurses for graduate-level programs such as a master’s degree program and a doctoral program.

4) Convienence and flexibility

Many RN to BS programs have flexible offerings that appeal to students who are balancing a hectic schedule. With this in mind, the Rutgers RN-to-BS program core courses are offered online in an asynchronous format. Students can also accelerate professional development with our graduate component — an option to earn up to 12 graduate credits toward an advanced nursing degree. As such, the RN to BS program allows flexibility for students so that they can be successful both at work and school while enrolled in the program.

Learn more about the RN to BS program at the Rutgers School of Nursing.

Students collaborating.

Advanced education in nursing leadership prepares nurses to take on new and innovative roles in health care. Through MSN and DNP leadership degrees, like those offered at Rutgers School of Nursing, students gain new skills ranging from business to finance to communications, equipping them to improve the delivery of care and expected outcomes for patients and communities.

Edna Cadmus (PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN), clinical professor and specialty director of the leadership programs at the Rutgers School of Nursing, shares the top four reasons why pursuing a nursing leadership degree might be right for you.

1) Viability in the future

The future requires forward-thinking leaders who can create a delivery system that meets the demands of the consumer. Nursing leaders set the vision for the delivery of safe timely, efficient, equitable, and consumer-driven care across the continuum. Nursing leaders in these types of education programs evolve and are better able to meet and exceed the demands in the work setting they choose.

2) Community Connections

Nurse leaders impact outcomes for both patients, their families, and their communities. Nursing leadership programs such as ours allow you to engage with community leaders across the spectrum through the broad networks of the faculty teaching in the program. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate nurses’ value in the community and recognize opportunities you may not have considered before.

3) Changing demands

Leadership requires new skills and competencies to meet the demands of health and health care. This program will assist you in focusing on population health to help improve outcomes of populations through the use of data.

4) Mentorship

A leadership program offers the opportunity to learn and be mentored by leaders that have state and national presence. Faculty and students have an opportunity to develop a bond that goes beyond graduation.

Rutgers School of Nursing currently offers three options for nursing leadership at the MSN and DPN level. Learn more about leadership programs at Rutgers School of Nursing.