Nursing Degree Info

Nursing School Information

What Are The Top Available Nursing Careers For RNs?

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Registered nurses are healthcare professionals who have been in demand for decades. They are also some of the most highly respected professionals in the United States, and there are many top available nursing careers for RNs. Some of the benefits of being an RN include:

High average salaries
Job stability
Great benefits

The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) has listed the average annual salary for a RN is $64,000. This works out to around $30.00 an hour. Both the annual and hourly salary averages are considered to be above the national average. An RN is a job position that is thought of so highly that it was awarded the title of ‘Best Job In the Country’ by U.S. News in 2012.

Registered nurses have job duties that place them on the front lines in the medical field. Not only do they provide patient care, but they are also helping to educate families and patients about certain situations, health care and more. In some cases, they also provide emotional support to family members and patients that a lot of other medical professionals do not provide.

The most commonly performed tasks by Registered nurses are:

Operate medical equipment
Recording symptoms
Administering treatments
Administering medications
Supervise lower level nursing professionals
Assist in exams
Observe patients

So, with that said, what are the best available nursing careers for Registered nurses?

Oncology Registered Nurse

An oncology registered nurse specializes in providing care to patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. These nurses may work in a hospital or they may work in a doctor’s office. The job duties include:

Administering chemotherapy
Monitoring patients
Administer other treatments

Oncology registered nurses often find themselves in positions where they have to provide some level of emotional, mental and moral support to their patients.

Dialysis Registered Nurses

With an average salary of $100,000 a year, this is one of the highest paid nursing careers in the medical field. This type of nurse specializes in providing dialysis to their patients that have kidney problems. These nurses may work in medical facilities, hospitals, and dialysis centers.

In some cases, these nurses may also work on cruise ships and resorts that have dialysis areas set up for their guests.

There is a lot of job stability in this specialized field. In fact, the job growth percentage is projected to increase by over 25%.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse

These are nurses that work in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). They provide care around the clock to newborns who are premature or sick. This job is not only rewarding financially, it is also a very rewarding job to care for those who cannot defend themselves.

These nurses are in high demand, and they also take part in medical care that is highly specialized.

Travel Registered Nurses

If you are looking for a nursing job that allows you to do what you love in different places around the world, travel nursing is the job for you.

Even though it does not pay as much as other types of nursing, being able to travel is one of the major perks. Registered nurses can work on cruise lines, or can work through a nursing agency.

These are some of the top available nursing careers available for qualified nurses. The profession is always evolving, and the best nurses continue to advance their education so they can work in different specialties.

The 3 Mistakes To Avoid When Picking A Nursing School

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When you are considering enrolling in nursing school, it can be a very stressful time as well as a very exciting time. This is one of the most important decisions that a student or adult will make when they are ready to make a career transition. With the cost of tuition, living situations and nursing degree options on the mind of nursing school applicants, the last thing they may want to think about is picking the top nursing schools to apply to.

If you are about to start applying for nursing school, you do not have to worry about finding the college or university that is best for you. By avoiding these three mistakes, you will set yourself up for success. However, before you apply, it is important that you do some homework. There are several mistakes that you will need to avoid when you are trying to find the perfect school to start your educational journey.

Not Knowing What You Are Looking For In A School

Before you start looking for colleges, you will need to take some time to really think the type of nursing school you are looking for. What schools are you interested in that offer the curriculum that you want to study?

For example, think about factors such as:

College size
College location
Living arrangements
Social activities

Examine the accessibility of the professors in the nursing program, the quality of research materials available, class sizes, computer labs and other factors that are essential to your specialty.

You will then need to visit the campuses that pique your interest so you can get a better feel for each school’s campus environment.

Failing To Visit Enough Nursing Schools

You will never get an accurate idea of what the campus looks like simply by watching online videos and reading brochures. You should visit each nursing school you are thinking about applying to and try to visit while classes are in session. This will give you a sense of what it would be like to attend school every day.

While you are visiting, speak to with students who are already enrolled in the program. Be sure to ask about the instructors, the course load and whether or not they like the program.

Schedule an appointment to meet with an admissions representative, financial aid representative, and other administrations to ask any questions you may have pertaining to your educational requirements.

Ignoring The True Costs Of Attending Nursing School

Although every nursing school has its own tuition and expenses costs for room, board, books, and supplies, it is important to know how much you will be paying every semester. Information regarding financial aid benefits may be vague and confusing.

Smiling medical people with stethoscopes. Doctors and nurses

While one school may provide total financial assistance, another may offer disbursements from student loans and others may offer grants and scholarships. It is important to understand the difference because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid while loan disbursements have to be repaid.

When you are ready to embark on a nursing school journey, do not let others make the decision for you. Picking the top nursing schools to attend requires plenty of consideration so you will be able to avoid these mistakes. So, take the time to make a sound choice.

Best Places To Find Nursing School Scholarships

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Many employment agencies and job search analysts have identified nursing to be one of the most sought after occupations for the next few decades. There are a dozen different kinds of nurses and they are in demand all over the United States and worldwide. The healthcare profession is also one of the highest paying with long-term excellent job satisfaction in the entire industry. Getting into nursing is a good idea if you have some of the following characteristics. Plus, following are some tips on finding nursing school scholarships as well.

Basic Attributes Of The Best Nurses

Being a great listener is probably one of the most important things that can help a good nurse. Patients need to be able to talk to their nurses to explain where the pain is and other problems associated with their care. After that, being able to communicate between the doctors, X-ray techs, lab techs, and patients is of top priority.

Nurses must be very empathetic and caring while still being able to be the stable one in the room. There are always going to be difficult moments in the healthcare field and nurses will be on the front-line so they have to be emotionally stable while still caring and compassionate.

A high attention to detail, especially when administering medications, is imperative for the safety of the patients. Being able to notice small changes in a patient’s behavior or condition is also helpful to know how certain medications are working, or not.

Being able to work long shifts in a hospital environment is also important since many nurses will start out there before they move on to other levels and types of nursing. Many hospital shifts run 12 hours and breaks are when you can get them during busy times.

Where To Look For Nursing School Scholarships

When you first take an interest in becoming a nurse, there are a couple of places that can be very helpful with information. Of course, the internet is full of pages of good info but it’s sometimes hard to separate the sales pitches from the truth.

On the other hand, your local community college job counselor will be able to sort through a lot of the noise and point you in the right direction. Even if you don’t plan on going to a community college, they do have great counselors willing to help you.

Some private schools can also assist in finding scholarships and it’s a good place to look. Some of them are connected to certain programs and can assist their students in finding the right funding.

When looking for various ways to fund your education it’s important not to overlook any, especially those that might be right under your nose. Local schools and colleges sometimes have their favorite scholarship sources that they are happy to share.

Online nursing school scholarships should also be explored. Make sure that you take your list of prospects and look through the independent customer reviews that you can find online. By reading what real students have written about the various programs you can eliminate some of the dishonest ones and spend your time working with real providers with good reputations.

Some Easy Guidelines For Becoming A Nurse In The USA

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There are a number of education steps that you have to complete to accomplish becoming a registered nurse or even an LPN. However, the route that you choose will vary depending on the type of nurse you want to come.

Before you embark upon this journey of becoming a nurse, you should have a basic outline of what your requirements will be. There are entry level requirements that you must comply with if you want to get started in a nursing program. You need to have attended a community college, preferably earning an AA, that will give you the foundation for stepping into a nursing program. Some of the classes that you take must involve science, including human biology, math, and basic English classes. Essentially, you need at least three A level equivalent qualifications to begin this process.

The Educational Requirements

The first and most important step in how to become a nurse will be your education. All nurses have to complete formal training and education, but the level of this does vary. There are some types of nurses who have to complete a year-long training program while others need a master’s degree in nursing.

If you want to become a licensed practical nurse or a licensed vocational nurse, you will need to complete entry-level training. This is a one-year program offered by vocational schools, community colleges, and technical schools. The program includes classroom learning as well as clinical practice in a hospital or clinic.

Tests Or Exams That You Will Have To Pass

Some of the exams that you will have to pass will include the accreditation test so that you can be a registered nurse or our and. You also need to pass the NCLEX-RN test, obtain a state license for wherever you will be working, and also get employment as a registered nurse. From that point forward, you are required to take additional training to keep up with your education as a nurse. That is because many medical breakthroughs come out from time to time. You also need to refresh your awareness of the skills that you learned in nursing school just to make sure that you are doing things to the best of your ability.

How Long Will It Take To Complete Nursing School?

There are two different programs that you can take. First of all, you can earn your AA or Associates degree in nursing over the course of two years. Following that, if you are at the same school where your credits will transfer evenly, it will take an additional two years to complete your bachelors program. There will be additional courses that you may want to take such as those that will give you training within a hospital setting. Therefore, it may take an additional three years after your AA to complete your training, but this will give you more opportunities because you will be highly skilled.

If you want to become a registered nurse, the minimum in educational requirements is an Associate’s Degree in nursing. Once you have completed this degree, you will be able to take the examination for licensing. You could also consider completing a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing and getting work experience in a medical setting.

If you want to become an advanced practice nurse, you will have to complete a Master’s of Science in Nursing. These programs will not accept all nurses and only take licensed RNs. When you complete this training you will be able to practice as a nurse-midwife, a clinical nurse specialist and a nurse anesthetist.

Getting A License

In order to get a job as a nurse, you will need to have a nursing license. To get a license, you will need to complete the National Council Licensure Examination. There are 2 forms of this examination and you need to know which you should take.

The first is for registered nurses and is the NCLEX-R. The second is for practical nurses and will be the NCLEX-PN. You will have to pay a fee to take either of these exams and they are completed via computer. The number of questions you are asked will vary depending on your performance as the computer continues questioning you until it is certain that you are qualified or not.

Getting Certifications

After you have passed the licensure examination, you will be able to start working as a nurse. However, you may want to consider further certification to care for specific groups such as people with mental illnesses, children and the elderly. While these certifications are voluntary, certain employers may insist that you have them in order to be hired. Certifications can be obtained via the American Nursing Credentialing Center as well as the National League for Nursing.

Depending on the state that you live in, you might have to undergo additional certification. This will generally be a requirement for RNs and will depend on the state regulations. This is required as an RN in some states can prescribe medication.

Following these guidelines, you simply need to start contacting the schools that you locate online and requesting applications for their registered nursing degrees. They will then tell you how to apply, how much it will cost, and give you a general guideline as to how long it will take to complete this type of training. Finally, they may also provide you with job placement options that may only be available from certain well-known registered nursing schools. All of this information can be obtained online, allowing you to make the right choice as you are deciding on a nursing school to pursue your your career as a registered nurse.