Online Master of Science in Nursing Career Outlook
No single job category in America is expected to grow more rapidly in the coming years than the nursing profession. In fact, according to government estimates, more than 500,000 new nurses will be hired before 2018, representing a staggering 22% average overall employment growth in the industry¹.
Most employment will be in doctors’ offices and other non-hospital settings. The chart below gives a breakdown of expected trends.
Nursing Employment Growth by Job Setting
Projected percentage growth between 2008-2018
| Job setting |
Employment growth % |
| Physicians’ offices | 48% |
| Home healthcare services | 33% |
| Nursing care facilities | 25% |
| Employment services | 24% |
| Hospitals, public and private | 17% |
Besides the raw number of available new nursing jobs, the number of incoming nurses also implies positive career opportunities for students in the online Master of Science in Nursing program at Our Lady of the Lake University. The specializations in our online MSN program match two of the most critically important roles in the nursing profession—roles that employers will need to fill due to this massive increase in the overall number of working nurses.
This new pool of nurses will result in a demand for more managers and executives to lead them. While the government reports many hospitals and other facilities are having difficulty finding qualified nurses to fill available positions, demand is even greater for nurse managers with a master’s degree in nursing. At Magnet-certified hospitals, for example, 60% of nurses in leadership or management roles are required to hold at least an MSN, and even those hospitals without Magnet status are increasingly adopting similar requirements. The Nurse Administration specialization can help prepare and qualify nurses for these high-level jobs.
Demand is currently overwhelming for nurse educators to prepare the influx of new nurses for practice, but a Master of Science in Nursing is often required for any significant teaching position. Opportunities abound for registered nurses seeking a change to full-time education or for nurses who simply want to supplement their income with adjunct teaching assignments. In either case, an MSN with a Nurse Education specialization is required to take maximum advantage of the career opportunities in this area of practice.
To learn more about the online Master of Science in Nursing from Our Lady of the Lake University and how it can expand your nursing career, call 855-275-1082 to speak with an admissions advisor, or you can request more information and we’ll reach out to you.
¹Employment statistics on this page are from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition.
