Undertaking a master's degree in nursing

Senior roles in nursing often require a master's degree, but the path to achieving this post-graduate qualification can be difficult. 

Higher-level nursing roles, such as advanced clinical practitioner and nurse specialist, as well as roles in education and leadership, offer career progression, more autonomy and higher pay.

But gaining the master’s degree that is usually required for such roles is a big undertaking – requiring considerable time, thought and funding.

‘Students are often surprised by the steep learning curve,’ says University College Dublin assistant professor in health systems Jacqueline Harley. ‘Most post-graduate students have full-time jobs as well as other responsibilities such as families to consider.

‘As well as finding enough time to study, students often need to learn academic skills at the beginning of a course to be able to research and write,’ says Dr Harley.

Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) Neil Fletcher says he decided to study for a master’s in advanced clinical practice because of the opportunities it would give him. But he says the course was challenging.

‘It was a big jump academically,’ says Mr Fletcher, who is Roald Dahl CNS for teenagers and young adults at Barts Health NHS Trust. ‘What helped was that I had a good educational supervisor from the university, as well as supportive colleagues at work. 

Nurses who have completed master’s courses say it has improved their clinical competence, as well as helped them to develop skills such as research, critical appraisal and writing.

Dr Harley says: ‘Our master’s graduates usually say they have been able to deliver better patient care and gain greater job satisfaction as a result of the course.’

This is an abridged version of the article How to juggle working as a nurse and studying for a master’s which was which was first published in Nursing Standard. Read the full article for practical tips on how to juggle a master’s with your job and home life, the skills you will gain and how to arrange the support you will need. 

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