The District of Columbia offers many opportunities for nurses with MSNs. The presence of several large medical centers provides many employment opportunities for advanced practice nurses. Although DC has more nurse practitioners per 100,000 population (154) than the national average (54), shortages still exist according to the District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA). Nurse practitioners in the District enjoy a liberal scope of practice and a mean salary of approximately $90,000, per a 2007 salary survey published in Advance for Nurse Practitioners.
There's good news for aspiring CRNAs, too - the DCHA reports that the hospital occupancy rate, which is already higher than the national average, is on the rise, as are the number of ambulatory surgeries. Ample opportunities also abound for nurse researchers because of the National Institutes of Health, which has a substantial number of offices in the DC metro area. And according to the Southern Regional Board of Education, a major shortage of nurse educators already exists in DC and is likely to get worse. Good sources of additional information are the District of Columbia Board of Nursing and the District of Columbia Nurses Association.
Programs to consider:
George Washington University (Washington, DC). GWU offers both campus-based and online MSN programs with focus areas such as advanced practice, health care quality, and research.
Georgetown University (Washington, DC and online MSN programs). GU's campus-based MSN offers several advanced practice specialties including nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, and a nurse midwife program. Their distance learning program offers a family NP program as well as a concentration in education.
