Nursing Degree Info

Nursing School Information

What Qualities Should You Look For When Choosing A Nursing School?

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What factors should you consider in the top nursing schools? The first thing you have to figure out is if you actually want to go to one of the nation’s top nursing schools or if you want to go to a nursing school that’s a top choice for you. In either case, graduating from a great nursing school can polish your resume, boost your credentials, and open doors to better jobs and higher salaries.

If you’re just looking for the best nursing schools across the country, then you’re more than likely heading to the East Coast. As of 2019, the best nursing master’s program was offered by Johns Hopkins University, a private school in Baltimore Maryland. Duke University of Durham, North Carolina followed closely on the list, as did Emory University of Atlanta, Georgia and the Philadelphia campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The West Coast finally shows up at number five thanks to the University of Washington in Seattle.

If you’re just looking for a nursing school that would be a top choice for you, then you should know that most major cities have a nursing school. Location is certainly going to be a consideration as you decide or figure out how far from home you’re willing to be. Weight the pros and cons of urban schools versus more rural ones. A big school can offer things like mentoring, external training, and even time in hospitals or venues that you might not otherwise have access to. A smaller school, on the other hand, can provide far more personalized approaches, possibly even with smaller class sizes and more instructor attention.

Accreditation matters, and any schools you look at need to be accredited by one of the two national general nursing organizations. One is The National League of Nursing Accrediting Commission. The other is The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Also look into the clinical rotation program of the school, because you’d like to get as much hands-on experience as you’re able to while you are going through your training.

Examination success is an understated factor in looking at nursing schools. How many over their students wind up passing the NCLEX exam will tell you how well-prepared their students are.

Tuition is the final factor to take into consideration. The tuition levels at nursing schools vary a lot, so you need to look for how much education you can get for a minimal monetary investment.

Having said that, don’t let high tuition levels scare you off from a school that you want to go to though. The traditional student aid routes are typically open to most nursing schools. Also, the growing nursing shortage of recent decades has created a lot of opportunities and chances in terms of educational funding that you can stand to benefit from. Inquire about work-study programs and financial aid, and make sure you check with any local hospitals or organizations to discover what scholarships are out there that you can possibly apply for. The help is out there.

Excellent Career Opportunities For Nurses

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If you are the type of person who loves helping people while at the same time searching for a career that is in demand and provides top-notch job security, you might want to investigate into getting a nursing degree. During a recent 10 year period, there was an amazing demand for over 150,000 LVNs/LPNs and almost 600,000 RNs. A nursing career will provide you with numerous, first-rate career opportunities including excellent earnings, a rewarding future, personal growth, and challenging levels of responsibility.

Each nurse will have specific duties to perform depending upon the specialty chosen. However, each specialty shares a lot in common with general nursing responsibilities. Basically, every nursing specialty has the same job of providing healthcare services, educating patients and their loved ones, and monitoring patient progress.

A nurse routinely administers patient medications, under a doctor’s supervision, and provides various treatments. They are front and center when it comes to providing emotional support and patient advice for any matter that concerns a patient’s health and well-being. Nurses also work with people who are in good health and they provide them with a variety of healthy choices and guidelines on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle for their entire life.

Most nurses work in hospitals but you will also find nurses working in schools, private clinics, nursing care facilities, military bases, prisons, government health agencies, and so much more. An experienced and knowledgeable nurse will help to teach other nurses and students on how to conduct research, handle administrative tasks, and essential nursing skills.

There are good nurses and then there are great nurses. The best nurses are professionals who are organized, patient, and compassionate. They must understand the importance of paying close attention to every little detail. One of their strengths should be the ability to quickly think on their feet. They are excellent when handling high stress situations. They are dedicated to embrace new opportunities and learn important new nursing skills, each and every day.

There are so many different fields that a nursing career can lead you into. Some exciting career opportunities for nurses include physicians office nurse, psychiatric mental health nurse, school nurse, insurance firm nurse, learning disabilities nurse, pharmaceutical nurse, public health nurse, emergency room nurse, plastic surgery nurse, rehabilitation center nurse, and the list goes on and on.

For example, an epidemic research nurse is someone who does extensive research on the various types of new illnesses and diseases that are cropping up throughout the world. There is a lot of concern that society is on the brink of a new pandemic or epidemic disease, similar to Ebola. Besides doing extensive research on these life-threatening illnesses, an epidemic research nurse will analyze ways to develop a technique or cure that will prevent the spreading of the disease.

Yes, a career in nursing may be one of the best career choices for anyone who loves to help people and wants a career in high demand. Many career opportunities for nurses can be explained in detail by visiting one of the better nursing schools located throughout the country.

The Type Of People That Excel In A Nursing Career

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Decades ago, many people chose their careers by looking at the amount of money they could earn or some other disconnected method that would lead to a life of unhappiness at work. Nowadays, people are encouraged to take job profile tests at their local college to help them determine the types of occupations that they would be best suited for based on their personality and abilities. A nursing career is one that certain people excel at because it’s in their heart already and the job fits how they are. Here are the most common attributes of a great nurse and the different types of nursing jobs you might be interested in.

The Personality Profile Of a Great Nurse Being able to communicate with all types of people and comfort them is at the core of being a nurse. Nurses are at the front-line, working directly with the patients, doctors, lab techs, and other health care professionals. It’s the nurse’s job to explain every procedure in detail at the level of understanding of the patient. So if the patient is 5 years old or 75 years old, they’ll need to be able to adapt their communication skills to listen to and speak to all types of people from all walks of life. They will also need to be very empathetic when dealing with the pain of both the patients and family members as well.

At the same time that they are helpful and caring, a good nurse will also have to be very stable. They can’t be the one that’s falling apart emotionally when something bad happens. This can be difficult since the occupation will always have emotionally charged outcomes. There must also be an extreme attention to detail since giving the wrong medication in the incorrect amount could be detrimental to the patient and even lead to death. Mistakes in other occupations aren’t nearly so critical as they are in nursing.

A nurse will also have to be fairly physically strong in order to help patients get up and down, while enduring long shifts, sometimes up to 12 hours, on the job. Knowing the right way to lift and being physically fit are an important part of the job. As is being a quick thinker, problem solver, and ready to respond at a seconds notice. If That’s What You’re Made Of Here Are The Types of Nurses A nursing career in any specialty will be in demand for the upcoming future according to many online job analysis companies. The reasons for a lot of the demand is the slowly aging population of the United States which will require many thousands of nurses at all levels of education.

The most in demand are the registered nurses that usually have a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. This will usually take about 3 to 4 years depending on the school and several other factors. Some nursing schools go all year ’round without taking a summer vacation and this allows for faster completion to reach the degree. Registered nurses come in hundreds of specialties like pediatrics, surgery, emergency care, elder care, cancer care, and you name it.

The next most in demand is the licensed practical nurse. These nurses usually are required to work under the direct supervision of a registered nurse or doctor. They can administer medicine, check all of the vital signs, and other important tasks. Lots of the LPNs use this level to get started and then go on to become registered nurses.

After those two popular nursing degrees, there are also travel nurses that work all over the country and internationally where they are needed. Then nurse practitioners that do many of the tasks of a licensed physician in areas where there are limited numbers of doctors available. If nursing is to be what you are destined to do, you can’t go wrong by checking at the local college to see what programs are available.

There are many starting courses that can be used for any type of nursing and then you can diverge as you start to see what interests you most in each specialty. Either way, the pay is great and the people incredible in nearly every way.

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.