Nursing Degree Info

Nursing School Information

What Online Nursing Schools Can Do For You

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The profession of nursing is a demanding one. As the general population ages and veteran nurses are retiring, more of them are needed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that the employment of registered nurses alone will go up 15 percent over the next decade. Enrollment in nursing classes and programs did go up nearly 4 percent in 2016, but there remains high demand for both nurses and nursing students.

Hospitals and many other medical establishments are trying to address this shortage by increasing funding for nurse education, as well as expanding opportunities for them. Modern nurses now have more educational pathways and potential degrees than ever before, and online nursing degrees are one route that many are choosing to go through.

Online nursing programs let students enjoy a lot of options in how they might finish their degree in a manner that is timely, convenient, and cost-effective. Online nursing degrees mean that students can pursue their degrees even while working or just so that they can get their education for a cheaper price. Getting a nursing degree online might mean launching a new career or even helping you move ahead with something that you’re already in. You can hone your skills and even explore specializations all without having to give up a few years of life.

Nursing programs can cover any level of degree, be it associate, bachelor, masters, graduate, or doctoral. Bachelor’s degrees are still the most popular kind, since they are the one most in demand for the majority of nursing positions. RNs can use online nursing work to move ahead in their education by finishing either a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree.

Online nursing degrees do still contain clinical components. Students typically finish this work at either a community hospital or a local medical provider. RNs who are already employed might be able to include the hours they already work. Online nursing schools usually also offer options which on-campus programs don’t, like cheaper tuition and more schedule flexibility. A lot of online programs are great for busy professionals who are working around their current schedules. Other programs might be accelerated or intensive in order to get a nurse educated and into the medical field.

An associate nursing degree online usually needs 90 credits, taking a year or two to finish. Some finish faster by going over a full course load every semester or even taking summer courses. Completing a clinical rotation isn’t usually necessary, but you’d still have to pass the NCLEX-RN exam after finishing the program to become an RN.

The bachelor’s online path is more popular since it offers specializations. It might take three to four years to finish, but intensive and accelerated courses can speed this up. The BSN is certainly in higher demand than ADNs.

Now that you’ve read this article, you know what online nursing schools might be able to offer you if you’re looking to either enter this necessary and noble profession or just advance your career if you are already in the field.

Programs and Specialties of The Top Nursing Schools in The U.S.

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Nursing is one of the fastest growing careers in the nation. With a robust job market and a sense of accomplishment in caring for others, it’s a highly regarded career with tons of benefits. Finding the best nursing schools in the U.S. can be challenging with such a rapidly growing field. Many people fail to realize that there are different types and levels of nursing. There are many exceptional programs for nursing and it can be challenging at best to find the one that is the absolute best. There are both traditional schools and those that are online, so it’s important to determine which will work best for you before you go looking for the best possible education in the field.

Programs And Specialties

Before you begin your search, it’s important to ask yourself if you’re planning to specialize in any particular field. For some, a simple nursing degree may be all that is required, while others will require a master’s degree in nursing to reach the particular field of specialty that they desire. There are many fields to consider including:

Midwifery
Anesthesia
Oncology
Pediatrics
Prenatal
Neonatal
Geriatric
Public
Educational
Schools
Endocrinology
Cardiology
Orthopedic
Psychiatric
Radiology
Critical Care
Dialysis
Clinical
Nurse Practitioner
Informational
Health Policy
Educator
Advocate
Researcher
Pain Management
Trauma
Travel

Each particular field will bring with it specific educational requirements and some will require that the person be a registered nurse and then go on to a master program to further their education before they are given the title of the particular specialty that they’re interested in. Programs will be offered at the master’s level as well as the DNP level and more. Understanding the end goal can go far in helping a person to determine the best nursing schools in US before they go on to start their education.

Online Or Traditional

Nursing students will want to determine what is the best fit for them in an education. Will they do best if they go the traditional route and go to a university for their training? Or will they choose to go online and get their nursing degree?

Either choice they make will have some requirements for clinical and lab work. However, the online choice will allow students to choose when they do their school work. This may be important because some students will need to go to work on a daily basis while at the same time attending classes.

A more traditional school will have students attend classes several days per week and will require that they be in attendance and turn in their required work in a timely fashion. This method offers a program that works well for many, however, for some, it is too demanding and they can’t attain their goals due to the fact that they may still be required to work and provide for a family.

Online Graduate Programs

Many prefer to get their education at college and then go online for their graduate programs. This can work well if the person already has a career and needs to work around their daily schedule and attend classes in between their other tasks. As long as the student is turning in the work and reaching their goals in a timely fashion this can work well for many. However, it’s not the starting point.

The starting point is to determine what school or schools will work best to start their nursing career. For many, this will be the beginning college level.  Students will begin their studies at a local college level where they will get the prerequisites out of the way. They will take the required courses that will allow them to transfer to a larger school where they can further their studies. These courses are designed to help them facilitate their education so that they can continue on to their chosen degree.

Finding The Best Nursing Schools In The U.S.

Once the basics are covered, it’s time to get serious about what the rest of the education will look like. Each particular school has its own set of pros and cons when it comes to education.

For some, it’s the location. There are many great nursing schools in the nation but it’s important to live within a decent commute time to these schools. However, it’s not always easy to get into such schools. Competition is fierce and many are vying for what they believe to be a top-notch school with a top-notch education. For this reason, many classes are limited in size and the criteria for getting an education there is stringent. This can make it a huge challenge to get into such a facility. If you’re seeking one of these schools you’re going to have to be the best of the best. Many students have found that to reach this goal, they must be able to focus full-time on their studies and not be working any side jobs.

This can be difficult for many and for this reason, many will take classes here and there and slowly work their way up to finding the best of the best for their education.

Top Picks

Columbia University in New York is one of the best ranking schools when it comes to nursing school. However, as mentioned above, there are some stringent entry requirements. As one of the top-rated schools for nursing, Columbia has some stringent requirements that make it more challenging to get into than others. Students are going to have to be the cream of the crop to enter here and attend school. However, if you can get accepted here, Columbia has endless opportunities and is located in the heart of a medical field. Students who attend here are able to learn from the best doctors in their fields of study and they have plenty of opportunities to practice their skills in the many medical facilities in and around the area.

The University Of Pennsylvania is another top-notch school that offers up a variety of options when it comes to a nursing degree. Students can opt for a baccalaureate, master’s or a doctorate in nursing as their degree.

The University of Pennsylvania believes in a low student to teacher ratio. The students learn in smaller sized classes and this gives them an edge in their educational goals. When the ratios are so low, students will greatly benefit from the one-on-one student to teacher ratio and it can show in their education. With flexible degree options, students are able to take advantage of the other subjects that are offered and get minors in literature and other subjects while pursuing their nursing degrees.

The west coast has many great options as well with major universities in California, Oregon, Washington State, and Colorado having excellent health care educational opportunities available.

Finding the best school for your educational needs is part being in the right location, and part understanding the pros and cons of each particular university. Setting your goals can help to define and determine which school will give the best possible educational opportunity for the requirements for the particular degree that is being sought.

Focusing on the end goal can help a person to go far in achieving their goal without having to give up on their dreams.

Finding the best nursing schools in the U.S. will be much easier when a student has taken the time to define their goals and do all of the prerequisites that are required before they attempt to gain entry into the more major universities. The educational opportunities are available for each and every student in nursing who desires to reach higher for their degree. Specializing will help them to reach the desired level of earning and their degree of interest in nursing.

How Long Is Nursing School?

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If you have a passion for taking care of your fellow human beings, nursing is a good vocation. Not only does it give you an opportunity to help others, but you also get an opportunity to earn a respectable income. As such, you get to experience job satisfaction, an element that is crucial to leading a happy and fulfilling life, and as an added benefit, you also experience job security.

In all, there are plenty of positives that come with being a nurse. However, the road to becoming one can be quite long. How long does it take to finish nursing, school? Herein we will explore this specific question. This read will help you understand the time you need to dedicate pursuing vocational education. Importantly, this will give you an understanding of the best way to pursue an education in the nursing field.

How Long Is Nursing School?

Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer as to how long nursing school takes. It depends on a myriad of factors as well as your aspirations and goals. For instance, the most popular nursing program takes about 2-years to complete. However, if you take prerequisite courses, it might end up taking much longer as the time you take to complete the courses is dependent on your personal situation.

For instance, there are accelerated nursing programs that allow you to undertake your coursework even during the summer, thereby shortening your completion time. On the other hand, if you are looking to study and work at the same time, there are flexible courses that allow you to pursue an education in the nursing field and at the same time engage in your everyday endeavors. Aside from the 2-year nursing school program, there are plenty of other advanced programs. Each advanced level of study increases your understanding of the field and improves your skill-set. However, it also requires you dedicate additional time to your studies. For instance, for you to undertake nursing up to the doctorate level, you will have to dedicate a minimum of 8 years.

Let’s delve into the various levels of studying nursing and the number of years you need to dedicate to complete each level.

The Licensed Practical Nurse Programs

Also known as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN), these people are trained to assist registered nurses while also offering the most basic of patient care such as a first aid and TLC. The one-year program entails taking classes and undertaking supervised work/clinical experience. The program is available at vocational schools and technical colleges.

While undertaking this program, students are taught about basic first aid and nursing and they are introduced to psychological care, pharmacology, and geriatric care. At the completion of the school work and clinical experience, students take the NCLEX-PN exam which when successfully completed grants students the LPN license.

To advance to the next level, a graduate can take a transitional training program that allows them to become a registered nurse.

The Registered Nurse Diploma

The registered nurse diploma is offered by certain hospitals and as such, they are might be as prevalent as the associate degree or degree programs. Nonetheless, completing this program allows students to register as a nurse and seek jobs in entry-level positions. The program can take anywhere from 1 year to 3 years to complete.

Associate Degree In Nursing (ADN)

The associate degree in nursing is another popular route to becoming a registered nurse. The programs are typically offered through community colleges or colleges. At the community college level, the programs are offered as day classes, night classes, or weekend classes. As such, depending on one’s schedule you can opt for any of the aforementioned schedules. Generally, the course takes anywhere between 2 to 4 years, depending on your schedule and the school you are attending.

During the course, students are taught the fundamentals of nursing. As such, they learn about microbiology, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, and pharmacology. Beyond the classes, students must participate in supervised clinical experience. During their clinical experience, students get to put into practice what they have learned. To this end, students get to practice monitoring a patient’s charts, determining a normal and an abnormal heart rate, determining normal and abnormal breathing, and much more.

Bachelor of Science In Nursing (BSN)

While undertaking a bachelor’s course in nursing will give you an opportunity to become a registered nurse, it will also help you with advanced studies in nursing such as the masters’ course. There are plenty of routes to get to the Bachelor of Science in nursing.

If you have undertaken the Registered Nurse Diploma course and or the Associated Degree in Nursing course, and you are a valid license(s) holder, you can you can undertake the course in as little as 12 to 24 months. However, if you are new to the field and you want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, you will have to undertake the full 4-year course.

Prospective bachelor’s degree students who hold another bachelor’s degree in another field can undertake this course in as little as 18 to 24 months under an accelerated program.

During the program, students get to learn about diet and nutrition, physiology, statistics, anatomy, nursing theory and research and much more. There is also a requirement for students to participate in advanced clinical experiences in nursing homes, hospitals, and in some cases in psychiatric hospitals.

Master of Science In Nursing

At the graduate level in the nursing field, is the Master of Science in Nursing. With this level of education in the nursing field, you get to specialize in a specific part of nursing. However, aside from being able to provide specialized nursing care, a master’s degree allows you the opportunity to apply for jobs in the administrative and managerial positions, research positions, and teaching positions. The typical period for completing a master’s degree is about 2 years that involve a combination of classwork, clinical experience, and research.

At this level of education, a nurse increases their income tremendously. While it might take years to reach the master’s degree level, the perks make the dedication worth it. For many people the answer to “How long is nursing school?” is 6 years – the 4 years needed for a bachelor’s degree and another 2 for a mastser’s degree.

Doctoral Programs

There are various doctoral programs that nurses can pursue. One of such courses is the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS). This 3-year program allows students to conduct scientific research and investigation into the healthcare sector. During the course, students must participate in more clinical experience, conduct their own original research and much more.

Another doctoral program that will interest nursing students is the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). This program is designed and geared towards nurses with a bachelor’s degree who are interested in pursuing leadership positions. The course teaches nurses how to balance between rendering high-quality services within budgetary limits.

There is also the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Nursing. This course is meant to impart students with the knowledge and technical know-how of conducting investigations and research into the nursing industry. All the three doctorate programs take about 3 years to complete. However, the specific timelines are dependent on your schedule.

In conclusion

As you can appreciate, the length of time you spend in nursing school is dependent on the level of education you want to have. As such, it can take as little as one year or as much as 8 years for you to attain a doctorate. Furthermore, it is common for students to work whilst still pursuing their education. While it is not an ideal situation, there are plenty of reasons for working and studying at the same time. For instance, you may have to fund your education through your income. By opting to combine work and study, the time you have to spend in school will greatly increase. So, the answer to the “how long is nursing school” question is – it depends on you and what you ultimately want to do and become.

What A Great Nursing School Looks Like

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With Nursing becoming a rapidly growing sector in medicine, it’s become an option for thousands of students. These students are some of the brightest minds in the world and want to find world-class institutions to learn in. As a result, whether it’s an online or offline program, it’s important to find a suitable fit that’s accepted by premier medical facilities.

Before looking at some of the finest names in the world of medicine, it’s best to start by understanding what a good nursing school looks like. This can help pinpoint the top nursing schools.

Qualities of the Top Nursing Schools

1) World-Class Facilities

The facilities are an integral part of your academic experience. If the institution doesn’t spend money on its facilities (rooms, lecture halls, computer labs) then it isn’t doing enough for the student body. This is why it’s important to start with the foundational requirements, which should be evident in any premier nursing school around the world. If these details are missing then the institution isn’t going to provide a well-rounded educational experience that is worth spending time on.

Look at the facilities and what makes them special.    

This can include the architecture, layout, or the value you get by spending time at the institution. Every last detail has a role to play in your decision and should be taken seriously. Many students don’t look into the facilities and assume all nursing schools are the same. This isn’t true as the leaders provide world-class solutions that are ahead of the game.

2) Accredited Program

This is the bare minimum as a modern nursing student and cannot be ignored. All nursing schools that merit your attention should be approved at the local, state, and national level for appropriate results. If not, there can be lingering concerns about eligibility and approval in the workforce. This becomes a real problem while looking for nursing jobs and is the last thing a student wants to deal with.

Many lower tier nursing schools do not hold this accreditation and that can become a major hurdle.

Instead of dealing with those hurdles, it’s best to focus on leading nursing schools that do hold the right certification as institutions.

3) Multiple Options (Programs/Courses)

Each nursing school is going to have a unique approach to how its courses and/or programs are laid out. This is normal and should be accepted during the application process. It’s important to analyze how these courses and/or programs are managed, what they offer, and the value they’re going to have in your post-graduate career path. Until these details are ironed out, you shouldn’t be making a decision on a particular nursing school.

For example, a nursing school such as John Hopkins University provides different degrees including a bachelors in Nursing and a Masters in the same specialization. This enables students to choose what’s best for them and come up with a path that’s worth following.

Think about these options and lay out a plan before applying to different nursing schools.

4) Renowned Instructors

The instructors are an integral part of any nursing school and will set the foundation for your future. These professionals have years of nursing expertise and it’s important to find instructors that know how to teach. There are many ways of doing this including figuring out how they’ve done in the past. Many instructors with years of teaching expertise are going to have a better grasp of different concepts and can do a good job of helping new students.

Along with their teaching ability, it is also important to focus on a nursing school that has a good teacher-student ratio. This means there shouldn’t be too many students per teacher as that can be an example of improper educational standards. If a student isn’t getting enough attention, they can’t learn properly.

Some of the leading nursing schools in America maintain a smaller ratio to ensure this is not a problem.

5) Wonderful Networking Opportunities

While looking at different nursing schools, the best ones are going to stand out for this reason. They understand learning how to become a nurse is just one step in your career path. The ultimate goal is to become a world-class medical professional that is able to work at any medical facility without breaking a sweat. To do this, it’s important to not only be trained the right way but also be able to get good opportunities. As a result, networking is just as important as any other part of a nursing school.

The best schools are always going to host networking events and will give students an opportunity to build their skill-set. This is how the best nurses are born and it’s important to look into these details before applying. If a nursing school only focuses on academics, it isn’t doing enough as an institution to build nursing leaders through its programs.

Top Nursing Schools in the USA

1) Columbia University

This Ivy League school is among the best in the world in a number of subjects and that includes nursing. Students maintain access to state-of-the-art equipment, instructors, and course content that makes it easier to become a professional powerhouse once you enter the workforce. Some of the finest nursing practitioners walk around campus providing advice and making it simpler for new students to adjust.

Columbia University has a unique list of courses and programs making it an elite option.

One of the most underrated benefits of Columbia University would be its location. It’s nestled in the heart of New York City making it one of the best spots to be in as a nursing professional. There’s massive demand in the city and they prefer talent from this particular institution due to its local ties. Numerous networking events go through the campus on a regular basis making it easier for future nurses to land their dream job.

2) Duke University

Duke’s School of Medicine is a world-class institution and has earned plaudits from the biggest names in medicine. It has a strong nursing program and an academic setup made for continued excellence. Whether it’s the refined facilities, cutting-edge equipment, or respected programs, the balanced approach to education is what makes Duke University stand out in the list of options.

The real charm of Duke University is its willingness to adapt and learn what modern science requires. These adjustments are seen in all parts of student life and make learning how to become a great nurse that much better.

3) Johns Hopkins University

Situated in Baltimore, John Hopkins University is an accredited institution and one of the top nursing schools in America. It has a well-established name with world-class instructors on-site to teach nursing students. The reason it has gained acclaim has to do with its emphasis on a well-rounded learning experience. Students are able to choose from a variety of tracks including a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a variety of online master’s programs. Each student is going to choose what’s best suited for their needs and that’s what makes John Hopkins University an elite choice.

It manages to appeal to everyone and provides the quality students look for in a modern nursing school.

These are the top schools in America and it’s important to do your homework before applying. What may work for someone else isn’t going to cut it for your needs. Think about what you want and how you’re going to get it at a specific institution. Once you start comparing these options, it’ll become easier to come up with a final decision.