Graduate Nursing Specialty Quiz

The demand for graduate-prepared nurses continues to grow across clinical, administrative, and academic settings. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for advanced practice nurses, including nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives, is projected to grow 26 percent from 2018 to 2028, far outpacing the average for all occupations.

Advancing your education through a graduate nursing program is a key step in developing new skills, expanding clinical expertise and driving innovations in health care practice. Nurses with a graduate nursing degree gain greater professional autonomy and opportunities to provide advanced patient care, lead initiatives, engage in research, teach, influence health policy and manage health care systems.

To support you in as you consider your next steps, we created a quiz to help you define what nursing specialty would be a better fit for your interests, skills and career goals. Once you are done with the quiz, check out our Master of Science in Nursing programs.

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) are both advanced nursing degrees, but serve different career goals.

• The MSN program prepares nurses for leadership, management and advanced clinical roles by focusing on evidence-based practice, health care systems and patient care improvement.
• The DNP program is a terminal, practice-focused doctorate that builds on MSN-level knowledge to prepare nurses lead health care systems, influence policy, drive quality improvement, and apply research to clinical practice.

The decision between the MSN vs DNP should take into consideration factors such as time commitment, cost, career trajectory and long-term goals. If you are eager to start practicing, an MSN may be your best path forward—with the option to pursue a DNP later. But if your vision includes transforming health care, leading interdisciplinary teams, or shaping the future of nursing, a DNP may be the right choice for you.