Nursing Degree Info

Nursing School Information

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.

Nursing Training For A Rewarding Career

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The life a nurse can be incredibly rewarding. A nurse has the opportunity to help sick people recover and regain their health. While the job of a nurse can be difficult and exhausting, the positive aspects of their work typically far outweigh the problems.

Concept of medical education with book and stethoscope The decision to pursue a career as a nurse is often made during the high school years, so the training required to become a nurse is typically begun within the year following graduation. Nursing training begins with classroom courses that include mathematics, English and biology. Nursing degree courses can last from three to four years, or longer if the student need to work at a part-time job while pursuing their degree.

The next step in nursing training is the clinicals section where the student advances to hands-on training under the supervision of licensed nurses. This amounts to relevant experience that is valuable when seeking placement once the student becomes a qualified nurse.

There are a relatively wide variety of specialty nursing fields available to the nursing student once they have achieved an academic degree. Most begin in a generalist role, but may advance to specialized areas such as occupational health, intensive care, operating room nurses and hospitalized patient care.

One field of nursing care that does not require the training required of a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse is a certified nursing assistant. CNAs are most commonly employed at nursing homes and assisted living facilities under the supervision of a registered nurse. While working as a CNA can be difficult in many ways, the pay scale is considerably less than that of a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse. Very often CNAs get hand-on experience at an extended care facility while taking the courses needed to achieve a nursing degree on a part time basis.

Professional nurses of all levels are encouraged to continue their education through workshops and conferences in order to stay current with the latest in nursing procedures and patient care. Certain workshops qualify as credits for continuing education and can be added to other accredited courses for registered nurses who are working toward a position as a nurse practitioner, midwife, anesthetist or nursing administrator.

The health industry continues to expand since the population of the world continues to increase and age. The demand for nurses that are more highly trained than ever before is growing as the number of doctors seems to be decreasing. Fewer people are choosing to spend the time and expense required to become a medical doctor, primarily because of the Affordable Care Act. For this reason, highly trained nurses are being asked to provide the basic care for patients that are not able to see a medical doctor.

The outlook for nurses to find work in the medical field is very good since nurses are now in high demand. Any young person with a strong interest in health care can find a career in nursing that is satisfying, secure and rewarding.

4 Important Differences Between LPN And RN Training

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Studying any profession is not a simple task and this is no different with becoming a nurse. Most people might assume that it is easy – well at least easier than becoming a doctor. But there are many challenges to becoming a nurse, too.

Group of medical students studying in classroom There are a progression of training programs that will help you advance in your training. The difference between LPN and RN training consist of the amount of time and the education involved.

There are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration to determine who is a good candidate to study and enter the field of nursing:

Qualifications

To enter nursing school, candidates must have obtained a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED). Students can choose to study to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Registered Nurse (RN).

An LPN learns basic nursing practices and will study for a period of between 9 and 18 months before needing to pass a State Licensing Assessment Paper. They have limited responsibilities and normally work under the supervision of a RN. LPN’s are employed by hospitals, clinics, doctors, nursing homes and can provide home healthcare. They can further their studies at a later date to become an RN.

RN’s carry far more responsibilities and can provide immediate care as well as develop care plans for patients. They take orders from doctors in implementing treatment and administering medication. An RN must complete a bachelors degree (4 years) or associates degree (2 years) from a nursing school and must pass the NCLEX-RN examination. Associate degrees may limit career prospects later in life where further studies may be necessary. Bachelor’s degrees open students to achieving a maters degree or doctorate in nursing. RN’s work in all aspects of healthcare.

The Curriculum

Both LPN’s and RN’s will study the following course material:

  • First Aid
  • Diet and Nutrition
  • Anatomy
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Psychology
  • Pharmacology
  • Human Diseases and Health
  • Fundamentals of Nursing

RN’s will study these subjects in more detail and will also focus on developing:

  • Leadership Skills
  • Critical Thinking
  • Community Health
  • Social Sciences

A LPN will need to complete a clinical internship and an RN will be provided with hands on training. Other subject matter may be included depending on the institution through which the studies are completed.

Additional Factors

Studying to be a nurse will require full time dedication to the course material in order to complete it in the relevant time frame. Part-time or night courses are available but this will increase the completion time of the nursing course.

Examinations are complicated and are not just concerned with right or wrong answers. They are designed to test the students ability to determine the best course of action to take when faced with specific situations. It will be necessary to dedicate time to take practice tests.

A passion for the nursing profession and the ability to deal with the difficulties of caring for all types of patients and illnesses is a necessary component to studying to become a nurse. Not every person has the right character to succeed at nursing.

With the right amount of passion, dedication and determination, becoming a LPN or RN is achievable. Although there is a sizable difference between LPN and RN degrees, many nurses work as an LPN and then continue their education to become a registered nurse.