After the first step of making the decision to become a registered nurse (RN), the next step is finding the perfect school or program to get your education and certification. The first thing you absolutely need to look for is to make sure any program you take part in is accredited. There are many accredited nursing schools out there, and you even have a choice between local schools or getting most of your education online while working locally for hands on experience. Recent numbers show that registered nurses often can make an average salary of between $47,000 and $70,000 a year depending on their specific specialty, experience, location, and advancement opportunities. Specialists such as travel nurses can make even more because of demand and the ability to fill in a crucial need.
Many people are also familiar with LPNs or LVNs, but registered nurses are considered senior to both of these groups when it comes to chain of command within the hospital staff. RNs go through extra training and have both the expertise and education to offer medical care to their patients for a wide variety of injuries, illnesses, or other health related issues. Under most circumstances, a registered nurse will be the one responsible for taking down important data and putting that into a patient’s medical history, creating a care plan that includes LPN and LVN responsibilities for caring for the patient, and the general management of schedules and tasks assigned to the LPNs and CNAs.
Nursing schools are responsible for preparing future RNs for a range of healthcare fields, which can include fields such as nurse anesthetist, clinical nursing (general and specialties), critical care nursing, or even midwife. In most cases if you are dedicated to becoming an RN and getting into a nursing school, you will be required to complete either an Associate’s Degree in nursing or even a BSN.
Generally programs for the Associate’s Degree in Nursing will take most students 2 to 3 years to complete. Once you’ve completed the course work and earned your Associate’s Degree, you can move on to continue to your BSN, or take some time off and accept an entry level positions in a long-term care facility. No matter which route you go, you will be expected to get a lot of hands-on experience in the nursing field.
Registered nursing schools will require their students to take and complete the NCLEX-RN national licensing examination. The exact requirements for passing and gaining certification will vary on a state to state basis, so it is very important to contact your local State Board of Nursing for information regarding certification exams and what is expected of you.
If there isn’t a good nursing program within driving distance of where you live, then online nursing programs now give individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to earn a degree the opportunity to do just that. In this situation much of the lecture, assignments, and research materials will be posted online, but students will still need to find a local clinic or office where they will earn firsthand experience working with patients. Actual tests will be given at the nearest local community testing centers in most cases, which can range from a city hall to a community college outlet. Depending on the program, students might have to spend some time on campus, but not necessarily live there or attend classes full time. Because of these options, students can pursue their RN career or even use this as a beginning stepping stone that even goes on to higher paid specialization work or even becoming a Nurse Practitioner.
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