New offering from ASU expands opportunities for nurses to advance careers

Beginning this fall, registered nurses across the country will have a new, fully online option for advancing their education and careers to meet industry demands. 

Arizona State University's Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation is offering an RN to MS bridge option for nurses who already have their associate degree in nursing to earn a graduate degree.

“This program will help registered nurses expand their career options, either at the bedside or in new areas. With this degree, they can move into management and leadership, quality and safety positions, or become nurse educators,” Edson College Dean Judith Karshmer said. 

While this offering “leapfrogs” the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree, critical components of the BSN curriculum are built into the RN to MS program. Upon graduation, students will earn a Master of Science in nursing and be eligible to apply to the Edson College Doctor of Nursing Practice program, which is a terminal nursing degree. For the motivated nurse who is focused on the future, this option will save them time and money. 

Karshmer says there is a benefit for employees throughout health care.

“This is a responsive approach to a better-educated workforce, prepared to implement evidence-based practice with the knowledge to innovate and constantly reassess delivery models,” she said.

To that point, one of the things that became even more clear during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was the need for highly skilled and experienced nurses who could adjust and adapt on the fly. This bridge offers an accelerated option for academic progression that is essential in preparing the future nursing workforce to deliver increasingly complex care to patients and communities. Both The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education strongly support the RN to MS option.

While courses are online, all content is taught by the same highly skilled faculty as the college’s other nursing programs. This, combined with the wraparound suite of support and services offered to all ASU Online students, sets this program apart.

To learn more and enroll, visit asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-programs/graduate/master-science-nursing-bridge/.