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Nursing Careers - Registered-Nurse.Net
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- The largest health care occupation, with more than 2 million jobs.
- One of the 10 occupations projected to have the largest numbers of new jobs.
- Job opportunities are expected to be very good.
- Earnings are above average, particularly for advanced practice nurses, who have additional education or training.
As the largest healthcare occupation, registered nurses held about 2.2 million jobs in 2000. About 3 out of 5 jobs were in hospitals, in inpatient and outpatient departments. Others were mostly in offices and clinics of physicians and other health practitioners, home healthcare agencies, nursing homes, temporary help agencies, schools, and government agencies. The remainder worked in residential care facilities, social service agencies, religious organizations, research facilities, management and public relations firms, insurance agencies, and private households. About 1 out of 4 RNs worked part time.
In all States and the District of Columbia, students must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass a national licensing examination to obtain a nursing license. Nurses may be licensed in more than one State, either by examination, by endorsement of a license issued by another State, or through a multi-State licensing agreement. All States require periodic license renewal, which may involve continuing education.
There are three major educational paths to registered nursing: associate degree in nursing (A.D.N.), bachelor of science degree in nursing (B.S.N.), and diploma. A.D.N. programs, offered by community and junior colleges, take about 2 to 3 years. About half of the 1,700 RN programs in 2000 were at the A.D.N. level. B.S.N. programs, offered by colleges and universities, take 4 or 5 years. More than one-third of all programs in 2000 offered degrees at the bachelor's level. Diploma programs, administered in hospitals, last 2 to 3 years. Only a small number of programs offer diploma-level degrees. Generally, licensed graduates of any of the three program types qualify for entry-level positions as staff nurses.
Many A.D.N. and diploma-educated nurses later enter bachelor's programs to prepare for a broader scope of nursing practice. They can often find a staff nurse position and then take advantage of tuition reimbursement programs to work toward a B.S.N.
Individuals considering nursing should carefully weigh the pros and cons of enrolling in a B.S.N. program because, if they do so, their advancement opportunities usually are broader. In fact, some career paths are open only to nurses with bachelor's or advanced degrees. A bachelor's degree is often necessary for administrative positions, and it is a prerequisite for admission to graduate nursing programs in research, consulting, teaching, or a clinical specialization.
Nursing education includes classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience in hospitals and other health facilities. Students take courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology and other behavioral sciences, and nursing. Coursework also includes the liberal arts.
Supervised clinical experience is provided in hospital departments such as pediatrics, psychiatry, maternity, and surgery. A growing number of programs include clinical experience in nursing homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics.
Nurses should be caring and sympathetic. They must be able to accept responsibility, direct or supervise others, follow orders precisely, and determine when consultation is required.
Experience and good performance can lead to promotion to more responsible positions. Nurses can advance, in management, to assistant head nurse or head nurse. From there, they can advance to assistant director, director, and vice president. Increasingly, management-level nursing positions require a graduate degree in nursing or health services administration. They also require leadership, negotiation skills, and good judgment. Graduate programs preparing executive-level nurses usually last 1 to 2 years.
Within patient care, nurses can advance to clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or certified registered nurse anesthetist. These positions require 1 or 2 years of graduate education, leading to a master's degree or, in some instances, to a certificate.
Some nurses move into the business side of healthcare. Their nursing expertise and experience on a healthcare team equip them to manage ambulatory, acute, home health, and chronic care services. Healthcare corporations employ nurses for health planning and development, marketing, and quality assurance. Other nurses work as college and university faculty or do research.
As a final note another common way to become an RN is for current LPNs to enroll in one of several lpn to rn programs including both online and campus based programs.
After you have been working for a few years as an RN note that there are many different careers changes or advancement you can make so you will not be limited. For example many RNs later decide to become a registered nurse legal consultant or complete other certificate programs similar to those listed at the top of the page.
Some Rns earned an Associates Degree in college which allows them to practice as an RN but they may be limited in career advancement such as into management. If later in their career they do decide to pursue a BSN degree they will have many options available to them, even while they work, such as taking an rn to bsn online program.
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