RN to MSN Programs in Illinois

A recent survey conducted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce found that there were significantly fewer nurses working in Illinois with master’s degrees than was previously thought, 8.5%. There has been a shortage of nursing faculty mostly due to the fact that faculty at nursing schools mst have a master’s or doctorate degree and the salaries are not as high as those of other master’s level career paths such as advanced practice nursing.

Online RN to MSN Programs Offered in Illinois

RN to MSN programs had been few and far between until now. There are a few nursing schools based in Illinois offering RN to MSN and some highly respected online RN to MSN programs providing master’s level nursing education with a variety of concentrations from advanced practice tracks to nursing educator tracks. With the increased availability of master’s level education to registered nurses with diploma or associate’s nursing education backgrounds, there is hope that the state will see a greater number of master’s educated nurses entering the workforce, specifically in the nursing faculty area.

RN to MSN programs take roughly three years to complete, sometimes less with transferring of prior nursing education credits. Students are prepared for advanced practice roles as well as educator roles, nurse executive roles, health policy consultant roles and many other career opportunities through a combination of didactic courses and clinical experience. The online programs below have no residency requirements and offer identical content to the programs offered on-campus. Clinical sites for advanced practice tracks are often arranged in the student’s local geography for greater convenience. You migh also like to learn about the RN to BSN programs in Illinois.

Adding more incentive to pursue a master’s degree is the high percentage of job satisfaction that master’s educated nurses reported in the afore mentioned Illinois Nursing Workforce survey report as well as the percentage of respondents expressing high satisfaction with the annual wages they earn. According to the 2007 Illinois Nursing Workforce Survey Report, the most common annual salary for advanced practice nurses was between $65,000 and $85,000. The Advance for Nurses 2007 Salary Survey found that the average annual salary for a nurse with an MSN was $67,750.

RN to MSN Programs Offered at Nursing Schools Based in Illinois

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