LPN Degree Programs

What is an LPN?
An LPN is as Licensed Practical Nurse; it is defined by the Occupational Outlook handbook as one who cares for “people who are sick, injured, convalescent or disabled under the direction of registered nurses and physicians.”  The LPN degree, alongside the RN, creates the epitome of the “bedside” nurse.

LPN Job Description

The OOH further defines the LPN as the person to provide bedside care and assessment.  They will record and report vital signs, give injections and administer similar medical procedures, assist with basic patient bathing/dressing, and move patients from rooms to operating theaters.

They also collect, according to the OOH, lab samples, record food/fluid intake and clean medical equipment.  They can act as midwives, and monitor patients for adverse medical reactions to pharmaceuticals.

They can work in hospitals, crisis centers, hospices and nursing homes.

The LPN Degree Programs: How to Get the Degree

If you knew early on (as in high school), that you wanted to be a nurse, working your way to the RN, then the LPN degree is an excellent stop on the way. In high school and college, you should have taken regular and then advanced courses in mathematics (sorry, but a nurse must be good at math) and the sciences (including chemistry and biology, then at college level physiology, anatomy, psychology and advanced sciences and medical ethics).

Unlike the RN position, however, an LPN need not have a college degree nor any education for basic LPN training beyond high school (some states even accept high school equivalency).

We would be remiss here if we failed to mention that nursing is a lifelong opportunity, and even those who set their sights on an LPN should be enrolled in a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program or MSN (Master’s level, even more competitive in the job market), with an eye to attaining an RN certificate.

We mention this because virtually all hospitals and medical facilities now hire only BSNs or higher; in other words, you may attain the LPN certificate, but you will not be hired for a well-paying position without the BSN or MSN.  You should therefore consider the LPN program as foundational to moving up the nursing and educational ladder.

Once enrolled in a nursing program, there is the option of online courses.  The LPN, unlike most nursing programs, can be completed in a year without setting foot in a classroom.  In addition to this, most online courses are accredited (do check to make sure before enrolling) and are a stepping stone to the LPN, BSN and the RN (at which point you can be considered marketable).

What Happens In LPN Degree Training? 

You can choose to complete an LPN degree either online or at a facility (and LPN training, unlike nursing, can take place at a community college or vocational school).  In addition to class work, you will be required to fulfill a certain number of hours (most schools require between 250 and 500) in supervised patient care.

Classroom and training topics include the following:

-Psychiatry and the behavioral sciences, particularly in interactions with patients of different socio-cultural backgrounds.

-Anatomy (a fairly extensive and precise set of courses mapping the body and organs extensively)

-Drug administration and pharmacopeia, instructing you in proper dispensing of pharmaceuticals.

-Physiology, including physical reactions to environments, drugs and the hospital milieu

What Happens When I Have My LPN Degree? 

Once you graduate from the LPN program, you will need to sit for the licensing exam, known as the NCLEX-PN.  The test questions cover such areas as hospital environment, safety and health care issues, promotion and health advocacy and psychosocial/ethical situations.

The LPN Career Outlook and Salary

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects that LPN positions will grow up to 21 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average 9 percent for RNs.  The reason for this appears to be hospital overcrowding, and the immediate need to get staff that may not be RN certificated assisting the facility.  The median average yearly salary for LPNs is $39,000; RNs, once certificated, earn closer to $60,000.

It may just be the best time ever to gain an LPN degree.

LPN to Physician Assistant

You have completed an accredited LPN program and know you are a certified Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), which means you are a primary caregiver, assistant and medical helper for several patients. But now however, you want to make the leap from being an LPN to Physician Assistant (LPN to PA).

Life is hectic, packed with activity, and fulfilling—but it would be much more fulfilling with more prestige, better salary and benefits,and the licensure that takes you into the competitive job market; all of which a PA position can give you.

What is a Physician Assistant?

A Physician’s Assistant is more than a step up from an LPN; it is a professional licensure in health care which can actually practice medicine, rather than just basic nursing, under the limited supervision of a doctor.  In other words, it’s similar to an RN, and even takes you beyond to the various degrees to make you even more marketable in the nursing field.  However, it’s also quite different from an RN position, in that a PA has a great more latitude in actual medical services they can do.

As a PA, your treatment spectrum, as it were, is a good deal broader than that of an LPN or even RN.  You are allowed to do virtually all the traditional services and treatments that a medical doctor can perform, include examine patients, order tests (and interpret them), treat illnesses that you diagnosed yourself, write prescriptions and even assist in surgery.

What Is the Path from LPN to PA?

It’s not like the traditional nursing leap from LPN to RN, because the PA is trained in the medical paradigm, rather than the nursing one so the leap is more than just about finding suitable LPN to Physician Assistant programs. The  training required may take several forms, but it is invariably at least two years, usually three, of medical education past the college and nursing school/LPN level.

A PA gets training in several courses that lean towards a medical specialization. These include:
– Pharmacology and pharmaceuticals, including reactions to combination of pharmacopeia
– Hematology and studies of blood and lymphatic diseases
– Pathology and bodily reactions to illness, trauma or injury
– Physical diagnoses
– Obstetrics and gynecology
– Anatomy and microbiology

Are you ready to hear about the second year? Your clinical experience will include primary care, surgical techniques (and assistant’s protocol), geriatrics, ER procedures and problem/solution paradigms, psychiatry and behavioral sciences and an extensive training in pediatrics.

As you can see from the list, there is a great deal of advanced and difficult training involved in the medical model, and the PA who earns her degree has gone through years of rigorous coursework and extensive clinical experience to achieve it.

In addition to the LPN, you should be aware that you will need at least a BA-PA to successfully achieve a job in the PA market. This is a Bachelor’s degree as Physician Assistant, and it complements your two year training with another two years of clinical course work and a year of “clinical rotations,” where you really get into the thick of the medical profession.

Clinical rotations are the lynchpin of the medical community, but they are the most wearying of routines, in which you may find yourself working one,two, or three days on and off.  This step “separates the men from the boys,” but if you can tough it out, the rewards are well worth it.

Speaking of toughing it out, you might consider an MA in the PA cycle, which adds two more years of medical training and clinical experience to the mix.

Physician Assistant Job Outlook and Salary

If you do achieve the leap from LPN to Physician Assistant, you will be in constant demand, far more than you were as an LPN, and command a much better salary and benefits package. In essence, you’re being paid to be a doctor, and do what a doctor does.  And if you specialize—as in HIV/AIDS treatments or other specific conditions—you do even better in prestige, salary and benefits.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (source) predicts a 21 to 26 percent increase in job opportunities in this field; the median salary averages over $90,000.  If you work in a high-demand urban setting with a specialization up your sleeve, you can make over $110,000 a year.

Nursing Administration Continuing Education Options

In those early days of nursing, when you had an RN certificate and no more, you had continuing educational requirements.  The nursing administration continuing education requirements are even more extensive. You might remember them as an RN, based on the state in which you worked: 20 to 30 contact hours a year were required of you, and that time was spent honing your skills, attending group sessions and generally feeling that painful cognitive dissonance that showed you were learning something new about the nursing profession.

As a leader, your responsibility has doubled.  It is now doubly true that you must stay on top of the game, in terms of innovations not only in health care and education but also in management and team coordination.  That is why your continuing education is vital for you, your hospital team and your facility.

There are several reasons for this.

Why Nursing Administration Continuing Education is Necessary

Specializing nurses, such as Trauma or Neonatal, go through yearly training sessions to bone up on skills, discover innovations and refine techniques to care for their patients.

Your focus is double that:

-As a leader, you’ve had extensive practical, clinical and educational experience; that learning does not simply rest inside you, but needs cognitive resonance to continue.  In other words, to be effective, we MUST learn new things continually.

-You not only have health and patient issues to deal with every day, but also a staff of nurses who require business and administration skills, in scheduling, ideas, resolutions and problem adjudication.

-As a management leader, you have a third concern besides administration and nursing: morale and the emotional side of medicine.  You must understand the behavioral, mental and spiritual underpinnings of those in your charge, as surely as you need to understand the emotive natures of patients in order to be an effective nurse.

Now, what are some of the educational paradigms you need to continue effectively?

Kinds of Nursing Administration Continuing Education

Nursing administration continuing education needs are seldom answered by simple seminars; it is necessary to align yourself to a management philosophy that is itself aligned to the medical facility you serve.  In other words, your continuing education allows you to actualize the philosophies of management and nursing, and realize them with your team.

This means that your continuing education will follow several lines:

-Organizational structure and how to improve it

-Management principles and cooperative participation

-Methods of open and effective communication

-Allowing empowerment and decision making at every level

-Knowing the research and publication paradigm, and its necessity to successful nursing

-Team building and collaboration in multiple disciplines.

As they probably said to you when you first saw the nursing program syllabus, “That ought to keep you busy.”

Some Nursing Administration Continuing Education Options

Here are two suggested content areas for a nursing administrator to explore in seeking continuing education.

-The Master’s Degree for Nursing Executives:  chances are you already have an MSN program behind you, which gave you a Master’s in Nursing.  Now it’s time to travel to the next educational level in expertise and new thought.

-The Doctoral Degree for Nursing Executives:  Not all doctors wear lab coats; a doctoral degree not only administrates but also teaches other fledging administrators, and a Doctorate in this field allows you to innovate for yourself in researching and developing new and vital paradigms and methodologies in the nursing field.

Job Outlook and Salary for the Nursing Administrator

The job outlook for Nurse Executive and Nursing Administrator is noted on the website for the Bureau of Labor/Statistics as being close to the same as a Registered Nurse (a 9% to 26% projected growth from 2008 to 2018).

In salary, however, there are enormous gains (most of the reported salaries are lower than final expectations, since most Nursing Administrators are new to the job).  The listed average national salary for a Nurse Leader and Administrator is ranged at $82-89,000 but this is certain to increase as seniority and training are factored in.

Someone once said, “Leadership is for life.”  Hopefully you now realize that Nursing Administration Continuing Education is a lifelong task as well.  

Levels of Nursing Degrees

When someone considers going into the nursing field, all they usually consider is helping patients, but there is much more that goes into nursing than just helping patients. Because of this, you need to understand the levels of nursing degrees that you can choose from. The level of nursing you choose will decide the length of school required, your level of responsibility as well as your demand and salary. In most cases, your degree will decide where you are able to work.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

A CNA is also considered a nurse’s aide. Becoming a CNA usually only takes a few weeks and can assist you in getting a minimum entry-level position in the nursing industry. As a CNA, you help the registered nurses with their daily tasks, such as basic hygiene of the patients. CNAs are mainly responsible for grooming, bathing, feeding and changing the patient’s clothes. It is important to know that this level of nursing is quickly being replaced by licensed practical nurses, but if you can find a facility that hires this level of nursing, you will be able to gain great experience working one-on-one with nurses and patients.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

This level of nursing does not require a degree but rather a diploma that a nursing student can earn in a year. An LPN works directly under a registered nurse and assists them in their day-to-day duties. A LPN will help gather information for medical records, dress wounds, collect urine samples, prepare equipment for the registered nurses and, most often, handle the bedside care of patients.

Registered Nurse (RN)

An RN has earned their associate’s degree from a 2-year community college and passed all licensing requirements from their state. The associate’s degree will help nurses enter into entry-level positions. RNs are very important in the chain of care, as they are responsible for administering medications, taking and monitoring vital signs as well as supervising any LPNs that may be on staff. While RNs are the most popular level of nursing in the medical field, most hospitals have begun to hire RNs that have obtained their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The bachelor’s degree tends to be the nursing degree level that most nurses stop their education at, but there are many more options to continue their schooling.

Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL)

A CNL is a new level of nursing. It is the first new nursing role to be introduced to the industry in over 35 years. The CNL is a RN with their master’s degree in the science of nursing. They are responsible for overseeing all nurses in the facility as well as monitoring patients care and coordinating communication between all of the nurses.

If a nurse chooses to continue their education, they have the option of earning their Master’s Degree or their Doctorate. These levels of nursing degrees are for nurses who have a desire to specialize in individualized care of patients and can lead to positions in administration and upper management as well as an increase in salary.

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

A NP has gone through all of the levels of nursing and is equipped with their masters or doctoral degrees. NPs are RNs who have received extensive training and additional education in a specific area. They are nationally certified and can work in family health, pediatrics, neonatal, adult health, oncology, emergency and so forth. NPs are able to diagnose, treat, evaluate and manage the illnesses and diseases of patients along with prescribing medication.

Most nurses that choose to climb the nursing ladder and obtain the highest level of nursing degree available are to start with their associate degree and continue to attend school while they are working as a nurse. There are many schools that offer LPN to RN, RN to BSN and BSN to MSN programs to help nurses achieve their goals. No matter what levels of nursing degrees you earn, you will be able to have a rewarding career in the field of medicine.

Learning Disability Nurse Training

What Does a Learning Disability Nurse do?
A Learning Disability Nurse (LDN) helps individuals with learning disabilities to live normal, active and full lives.  She will work with a team, a multidisciplinary support group whose function is to facilitate help and engage people with learning disabilities.  The job itself, and venues for training, are mostly centered in Great Britain, as the professional title arose in response to the disabled community in the British Isles and the need of immediate and continual care for that special population.

It is primarily work that is centered in residential or community settings, rather than hospitals; with younger children, the LDN may find herself placed in a school setting.

The LDN might be called upon to help a disabled individual with daily living tasks such as feeding, bathing and toilet, as well as cleaning, laundry and shopping.  An LDN might also advocate for her disabled patients, recommend improvements for their living quarters and otherwise help them achieve greater self-advocacy.

The LDN will also take on education and training for the disabled patients, in particular training in life skills and venues to employment.   She might organize activities, plan outings or assist with family interactions.  She will also report regularly to her team members in the field, as well as assist (or perform) assessments, reviews and admissions to medical facilities or treatment centers.

There is usually a shift schedule of varying lengths, since the LDN is required to be on call 24 hours.

Learning Disability Nurse Training

Most accredited nursing programs that are based out of universities in Great Britain carry some forms of Learning Disability Nurse Training, a three year “programme” that includes a year of training in the common paradigms of both disability treatment and nursing.  These include:

• Nursing and maternity care
• Communication and observational skills as related to patient care
• The sciences (anatomy, biology, chemistry, physiology, social work, sociology, psychology)
• Core care and tending skills for the disabled

In the next two years, the candidate receives specialized training in the “learning disability branch” in which they are interested, which would include physical, medical, psychiatric or speech/language disabilities.

In addition, the candidate would fulfill the standard nursing requirement (familiar to RNs and virtually all medical professionals) of 1,000 to 4,000 hours clinical hands-on experience with the patients and living situations in which her specialty places her.

Depending on said specialty, the LDN may find herself working with:

• patients with mental challenges,
• patients with spinal injury (to the point of paraplegic or quadriplegic disablement)
•  less than profound brain injuries
• deaf and hard of hearing patients
• blind or low-sight patients
• Attention-deficit Hyperactivity disordered individuals.

The program is near the rigor of the United States’ programs for RNs, and individuals who wish to continue maintaining licensure as a Learning Disability Nurse are well advised to get into (if they have not already done so) a MSN (Master’s degree) program, or its equivalent in the Great Britain, and attain the status as possessor of Master’s of Science in Nursing, since the study and training for particular specializations is far easier, and more competitively matched, with a both RN certification and a Master’s degree.

In addition to all of the above, the candidate for LDN must offer proof of English and math skills, as well as “good health and good character,” somewhat similar to the security checks run in the States for bonding and insuring nurses.   It would include a Criminal Records Bureau clearance.

Once the LDN training is completed, the candidate sits for the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) Certification; this certificate is good for five years and may be renewed with proof of 450 hours of sustained training and experience.

Job Outlook and Salary

Since the Bureau of Labor/Statistics carries no relevant information for positions in Great Britain, one can nevertheless be assured of competitive and healthy job markets in this field.  The area of LDN, according to the statisticians is burgeoning with new clients, and the need/demand is continuous and ongoing.   Job opportunities are “excellent,” as there is a predicted shortfall of nearly 14,000 nurses this year alone.

Starting salary is between £21,176 and £27,534 per annum.

Learning Disability nurse training is obviously the doorway to a bright nursing future.

How Much Does A Nursing Degree Cost?

The answer to how much does a nursing degree cost depends on your nursing career path.  There are different levels of education in the field of nursing, making it unique among professions.  The more in depth of an education you choose, the more it is going to cost.  If you are unsure about your nursing career, you can take a six to twelve week course at a junior college and become a Certified Nursing Assistant for as little as $200.

There are one year vocational programs that can qualify you as a Licensed Practical Nurse.  Or, you can earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and get a job as a Registered Nurse.  If you want to pursue your education even further for more lucrative job prospects, then you can get a post graduate degree as an Advanced Practical Registered Nurse.  The cost of education and earning potential both increase significantly with the higher levels of nurse training.

Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate

Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant requires a six to twelve week course of study.  The range of costs for Certified Nursing Assistant school is from $200 at some local community colleges to as high as $1200 at a nursing assistant school.  A high school diploma or its equivalent is a prerequisite.  Some hospitals offer this training for free.  If your local hospital does not offer free Certified Nursing Assistant Training, then you will find this nursing training available at high schools, vocational centers, and community college.  CNA’s work under the direct supervision of a hospital’s nursing staff and perform basic tasks such as taking temperatures, monitoring blood pressures, and helping the patients with grooming, bathing, and feeding.

Licensed Practical Nurse Training

If you are concerned with the question of how much does a nursing degree cost, but being a CNA is not enough for you, then you can find a nursing school that provides licensed practical nurse training. Tuition for a nine to twelve month LPN course averages $10,000, but can be significantly different regionally.  They are offered by vocational schools and community colleges.  LPN’s are licensed by the state in which they work.  You can contact your state’s board of nursing to find approved LPN programs in your area.  Once you have gained experienced as an LPN, you can go back to school for further education or enter into a LPN-to-RN training program.

Becoming A Registered Nurse

Most Registered Nurses enter the nursing profession with either an associate’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  After receiving your nursing degree, you will need to pass a national licensing exam to get your nursing license.  The average in-state tuition for an associate’s degree in nursing is $4600.  Out of state tuition can run from $10,000 to $30,000.  In-state tuition for a bachelor’s degree in nursing runs from $20,000 to $30,000.  Out of state tuition can range from $35,000 to $99,000.  The next step above RN is the APRN, or Advanced Practical Registered Nurse.  Becoming an APRN requires a master’s degree.

Additional Nursing School Costs

There are other costs associated with nursing school.  Books and supplies for a Certified Nursing Assistant can cost $100, but you can cut that cost in half by buying lightly used books.  Books for Registered Nurse might cost from $1000 to $3000 a year.  Nursing uniform costs run about $50.  Nursing exams also have associated fees.  Nursing assistant exam fees range from $50 to $300.  The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses is required and costs just under $200.

Financial Aid

The nursing field is growing, so there are a number of financial aid opportunities available to those who might be overwhelmed by the question of how much does a nursing degree cost.  The US Department of Health And Human Services recognizes that there is a critical shortage of nurses, so they have developed a Nursing Scholarship Program.  The scholarship program pays for tuition, fees, books, supplies, uniforms, and provides a monthly stipend of about $1300.  In return, the nursing student agrees to work for two years in a health care facility that has a critical nursing shortage.  Eligibility requirements and an on line application are available on the US Department of Health And Human Services website.  The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and The National Student Nurses Association also have lists of sourced of financial aid.  The US Department of Education also has work study programs in place for prospective nursing students who can establish a financial need. 

Highest Paying Nursing Jobs

We know, you want to get to the money.  Everybody does; however, you should realize that the highest paying nursing jobs may not necessarily be the jobs you are best acclimated to, or most suitable for. That said, we can tell you that there are two kinds of “highest-paying” jobs in nursing: management (where you’re in charge of patients and other nurses) and non-management (where patients are your sole concern).

Highest Paying Non-Management Clinical Nursing Jobs

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS):  this position needs an advanced RN (registered nurse) who specializes in the research paradigm.  She should be able to read, understand, select and utilize medical information from all sources and extrapolate nursing theory and practices from it.  In addition she may act as patient and facility advocate, liaison, educator and occasional manager (it is difficult to get away from this model, even in non-management, so be aware it is a frequent requirement to be a “manager in training”).   The CNS is trained in a particular specialty, such as AIDS/HIV patients or cancer patients (which would require a CNS of oncology).  Within her particular department and specialty is where she does her research and advocacy. Her annual salary averages $70,000-80,000 (this is variable based on the specialty).

Nurse Practitioner (NP):   This individual is classed as a mid-level provider; like the PA (Physician’s Assistant) she performs tasks that a doctor will sometimes do, but under his limited supervision.   Some states require an NP to perform all tasks directly under a doctor’s orders; others allow the NP to practice independent of the doctor’s control.   They usually provide all primary medical care (and can write prescriptions).   Their average yearly salary is $92,000 and higher, depending on her state and the setting of her medical facility (urban, for example, makes about $10,000 a year more than rural).

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA):  This is a natural step up for an NP or RN; it allows for continuity of care and a relatively stable salary despite state, setting or specialization.   It is also, for all practical purposes, the highest paid non-managerial nursing job available (average annual salary of $100,000).  The CRNA delivers anesthesia to patients during their surgical procedures, one of the most delicate and highly prized skills in the operating field.   You must have top technical skills for this job; the bonus is that, for those who are not keen on patient interaction, there is very little of that during the procedure.

Now, it’s time to consider the salaries and duties of the highest payingnursing jobs of those medical professionals who are comfortable being “the boss.”

Highest Paying Managerial Nursing Jobs

Head Nurse (HN):  As the title implies, this position is a leader over a cadre of nurses, and is responsible for their work, their results and the planning of their shifts and duties.  The head nurse also deals with patients on a limited basis, but is far more concerned with the managerial paradigm of her particular facility and nursing group, including inventories, performance reports, patient records and the parceling out of duties to a nursing staff she directly supervises.   She must be an RN with at least five years of direct and clinical experience, and may specialize in a particular department such as ICU, Obstetrics or ER.  Her median salary is $85,000 and above.

Nursing Director (ND or D of N):  The successful ND/D of N is able to create and implement budgets, design and device master work schedules for all the departments at a facility, set administrative policy for the hospital or clinic, and generally demonstrate excellent abilities in project management, leadership and interpersonal relationships with staff and patients, as well as overseeing and supervising nursing staffs.   The job requires an RN and advanced degrees (at least a MSN), and pays $120,000 and up.

Head of Nursing:  We have come to the top of the salary ladder.  The H of N must have an area of specialty Master’s Degree (or MBA) and at least ten to fifteen years direct medical experience.  She plans, oversees and implements policy on a facility-wide scale and operates as the senior executive management position in any medical organization.  Her salary is $178,000 and higher.

So, out of the Highest Paying Nursing Jobs—did you see yours?  

Hemodialysis Nurse Training

Hemodialysis Nurse Training – How Can I Specialize in this Field?
End Stage Renal Disease and Kidney Failure are the critical medical conditions that require specialized hemodialysis nurse training. Hemodialysis is the procedure of removing the blood from the patient’s body and circulating through an exterior filtering machine, and then returning the cleaned blood back into the body. Nurses and technicians hook up the machines and monitor the patient’s vital signs and fluid pressures while the filtering is in process.

This procedure is performed for the patient three times a week, minimally, and is usually done in an outpatient facility. Home dialysis is availableand the initial dialysis is usually performed in a hospital setting at the onset of kidney failure.

A hemodialysis nurse is one that supervises the practical nurse and technician at the hemodialysis facility. The hemodialysis nurse is also the primary educator of the patient in terms of personal care, medications, and warning signs and symptoms of the disease progression. The hemodialysis nurse charts the patient’s progress and informs the doctor of the patient’s current condition and needs.

Duties, Tasks and Working Environment of the Hemodialysis Nurse

The hemodialysis nurse has a variety of nursing settings from which to choose their employment. They can be employed in a hospital facility in a dialysis or diabetes unit, at a dialysis facility that specializes only in hemodialysis, or in a home health care environment that monitors the progress of the patient in their home or skilled patient facility, like a nursing home. The nurse will assess the patient, weigh the patient (done before and after each procedure to monitor fluid intake), take the history and record the current status of the patient for physician review, dispense medications and evaluate their effectiveness for the patient, consult with the patient and the physician regarding transplant options, attach the patient to the hemodialysis unit, care for the patient during the fluid transfer, and teach the patient how to use the unit at home, if it is appropriate. The nurse has to be able to read and write instructions clearly and to articulate to both the patient and the physician the current assessment of the patient’s condition. The nurse must constantly evaluate the patient’s progress as dialysis is a critical concern and a life sustaining activity.

Education Requirements for the Hemodialysis Nurse

Hemodialysis nurse training is a specialized field for the nurse and requires additional training beyond the initial nursing degree.

For the licensed or practical nurse, hemodialysis training is available through local vocational schools or through hemodialysis education facilities. The need for special nurses is so strong that the hemodialysis companies have sponsored schools for the certification needed. To be accepted as a student, the licensed nurse needs a current certification and a current CPR certification.

For the registered nurse or the licensed practical nurse, the course offering to specialize in hemodialysis is sixteen weeks long and includes classroom instruction and on-the-job practical training.

Salary and Job Opportunities for Hemodialysis Nurses

Artificial kidney machines were not invented for consumer use until the 1960s, so this is a growing and emerging field. Each year more people are diagnosed with diabetes, the primary aggressor in End Stage Renal Disease. As more people age with this disease, unfortunately more people will require kidney dialysis. The need for technicians and hemodialysis nurse training is growing more every day. Nurses with a Master of Science are often managers and supervisors of the clinical facilities.

Beginning licensed or practical hemodialysis nurses can expect to make $25 per hour/ per patient and a registered nurse about $50 per hour/per patient:that would be about $500 for every three hourswith the average patient load of an RN. A nurse sometimes works an 8-hour shift and sometimes a 12-hour shift; this depends upon the facility. If the registered nurse is working a 40 hour week on three 12-hour shifts, the annual salary expectation would be $160,000 to start. There will be additional benefits and compensation with this high paying position.

How to Get a Hemodialysis Nurse Job

Begin with getting the Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a college or university. After completing the state board examination, begin working for a hospital facility with a dialysis unit. Work for this facility in this capacity for a minimum of one year for the experience of working with critical patients. Apply to a hemodialysis nurse training facility for the certification specialty. Complete the coursework and the certification test and you are on your way to a very rewarding field.

What Does a Nurse Do?

What Does a Nurse Do?
Before you find out what education and training for nurses is required, let me tell you what are the job responsibilities of a nurse. The answer is that they are numerous that one could almost say, what doesn’t a nurse do?  The nursing field has so many sub-sectors that you can literally create the job you want to do.

–        If you like sociological trends and watching population interaction, then public health nursing would be your field.

–        If you are interested in treating the patient from cradle to grave, maybe the field of nursing that would suit you best is the Nurse Practitioner.

–        If you like hospitals and organization and a regimented work schedule, hospital nursing could be your field.

–        If the precious wee ones are what tug at your heartstrings, you could specialize in neo-natal intensive care nursing.

–        If you like the medical field but don’t like hospital settings, the industrial nursing positions may be more your forte.

Education and Training Requirements for Nurses

Each field of nursing has separate requirements, but all nursing fields begin with the nursing degree.

A Home Health Aide is a nursing assistant; the education and training requirements are a 4 week course and 75 classroom hours, plus a certification in CPR.

A licensed or practical nurse (LPN), sometimes called a vocational nurse, attends a 12 month course of study with classroom lectures and on-the-job training, plus a certification in CPR.

A registered nurse (RN) can attend a diploma school or a college or university.  The diploma school will issue a diploma of nursing and is still considered a registered nurse.  The school will last 3 years and will include classroom instruction and on-the-job training at the affiliated hospital.

The associate’s degree in nursing is offered by colleges and trade schools.  This degree is an associate’s degree in applied nursing, an associate degree of nursing, or an associate’s degree in nursing, and qualifies to be hired as a registered nurse.

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a four year degree at a university or college.  It will have course requirements equal to 125 or more undergraduate hours, depending on the school.  In addition to the college hours, there will be 2 years of on-the-job training at area hospitals, with areas of rotation for the nursing student.

The Master of Science in Nursing offers many specialties for this degree.  It takes two to three years to complete but also empowers the nurse to write prescriptions in their specialized area.

The doctoral level degrees in Nursing are the Doctor of Nursing Practice or the Doctor of Philosophy.  The DNP is focused on the treatment of patients at the advanced level; the PhD requires academic research and publication.

Overall, the nursing degree can take as little as two years to begin practicing or as many as eight to twelve years to have the terminal degree.  The Nursing PhD requires a four year bachelor degree, four years of experience in a clinical setting, then four years graduate work.

All of the above listed nursing degrees require the completion of the degree and the passing of the state board examinations.  All nurses are required to complete Continuing Education Units every four years.

Nurse Salaries

A beginning salary for a nurse aide is $25,000 per year, with unlimited overtime available.

The licensed practical nurse or the vocational nurse will begin at $34,000 and increase.  The national median salary currently is $41,374.  This job also offers unlimited overtime.

The registered nurse with a B.S. in Nursing will begin earning $48,000 straight out of school.  With one year of experience, the salary increases to $57,000.  After each five years of service the salary increases $5,000 to $10,000.

The Master of Science in Nursing graduate begins their career with $68,000-$80,000.  This is for the nurse practitioner or the specialty nursing.

Administrative nursing positions with a Master of Science in Nursing start salaries at $150,000 to $200,000 for Nursing Heads, Nursing Directors $105,000 to $133,000 and long-term Nursing Managers or Supervisors $65,000 to $75,000.

Teachers of Nursing with a Master of Science in Nursing earn $70,000 to $100,000 depending on the university or hospital affiliation.

All nursing jobs come with extended benefits and insurances.  Most all programs offer a 401(k) plan with company participation of 2% or more.

Benefits of a Doctorate Degree in Nursing

Doctoral Degrees in Nursing are relatively new degrees and is us usually a DNP or PhD in Nursing. The PhD in Nursing, like the  DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice), is a “terminal” degree (meaning this is as far academically as one can go).

The possessor of the nursing doctorate degree must not only have extensive practical clinical experience, but a business and management paradigm that allows them to prepare nurses for nursing as well as for administrative positions.  In addition, the job allows a creative outlet for the DNP/PHD holder to create innovations in methodology, research, medical education and nursing techniques.

Why the Doctorate in Nursing was Created

Any nursing school student heading for an Registered Nursing certificate knows that the biggest difficulty she will encounter is the clinical experience requirement.  1,000 hours is the bare minimum; in order for that nurse to be competitive in the job market, she must attain to 4,000 hours and more.  While that is a small amount in terms of a relative length of a career, it is a tremendous number of supervised hours to fill, and staff members that can act in a supervisory capacity are limited (a doctor, for example, has patients to tend in preference to novices to instruct).

Hence, the creation of Doctoral Nursing Degrees. Qualified graduates can prepare Registered Nurses to reach advanced practice roles such as NP (nurse practitioner), CNM (nurse-midwife) and CNS (nurse specialist).

The duties of a Doctor of Nursing are multiform, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, which lists some of them:

– She develops the advanced competencies a nurse may need for clinical work of an increasingly complex nature (including possible administrative duties)

– She improves patient outcomes by innovating new nursing methods based on research and practical experience

– She enhances health care delivery by sharpening the expertise of the staff she is training

– She enjoys parity with other health professionals, and frequently shares out expertise and new developments

– Her availability allows for an increased flow of individual student nurses and trainees in clinical instruction and experience.

The Program for Doctorate in Nursing

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has targeted 2015 as the year all entry-level NP (nurse practitioner) programs move from the traditional MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) degree to the Doctorate of Nursing Practice or Nursing PhD.  These doctoral degrees are obviously on the way up the medical ladder, and both an RN certification and Masters in Nursing Degree are required prerequisites before you can begin a nursing doctoral program.

These Doctorate training programs can be done in an institution, in a medical facility or online, and take approximately 5 years to complete.  Some of the typical coursework might include (from online programs for the PhD in Nursing Doctorate):

– Ethics:  problem solving in health care, with an emphasis on the hierarchy of the medical facility, the decision making process, and the varied philosophies of ethics found in clinical, professional and organizational settings.

– Nursing Education: trains the novice doctor in methodologies for the development of RNs, and for assisting their education as they specialize.

– Adult Health Nursing: adult care as applied to new theories, evidentiary treatment procedures and health care trends for this particular population

– Health Care Informatics: health care technology and management, addressing the organizational issues and social paradigms that arise from major health care alterations.

Job Outlook and Salary for those with a Doctorate in Nursing

The job outlook for Nursing Doctorate holders is “favorable” as reported by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.  There should be a minimum 9% job growth in the nursing market, including upper echelon positions, and a maximum job growth of up to 27% from 2008 to 2018.

Average salary for the Doctorate in Nursing Education depends upon the position that the degree secures.  For example, an Administration Director can expect an average of $72,000, while a Nursing Director might command $110,000 and more.

The Nursing Doctorate may be a terminal degree, but it is obviously a good stopping place for a lifelong career.  

Community Nurse Training

Community Nurse Job Description & Scope of Practice
Although the Community Nurse is not always required to be a Registered Nurse (RN), her level of care needs to be no less. Community Nurse training allows her to make home care visits for individuals who are shut-ins or in a group home, and she has an assigned caseload of patients, often within a designated facility or city area, who she visits on a weekly (or more frequent) basis. She should have an excellent rapport and friendly connections with everyone she encounters, both patients and case management coordinators.

She is required to carefully document her caseload and patient interactions, and submit documentation about her charges and the care she administered to them. Often her work schedule may ask her to take weekend hours or time on designated holidays to complete her nursing care in-home.

In short, she is the primary care giver for a selected group of patients, all case managed by a larger facility. She is the “first-line” health professional, and may be required to refer and transport patients to medical facilities, should the need arise. In addition, her community may be faith-based, such as a church congregation, and she may be required (or “preferred”) to be a member of the same faith or religious persuasion (as most such congregations are exempt from non-exclusivity laws by their religious and legal status).

Community Nurse Training

Although it is not as rigorous as the training for an RN (registered nurse), many RNs do indeed undertake Community Nurse training, and an RN is always the first chosen in a competitive job situation. Therefore, you should approach the job of Community Nurse with the idea that you will first achieve an RN certification. You will need, at the very least, a Licensed Vocational and/or Practical Nurse diploma in order to competitively apply for such a position.

The basic training, RN or not, for any individual interested in a nursing career should begin early, with biology, chemistry and science classes in high school or college at the very latest.

You should then begin at college level, either at an accredited university with a nursing program or at an accredited school of Nursing. These programs will offer either a two-year Associates degree or four-year Bachelors degree; you should aim for the Bachelors degree, as it is usually preferred, and will be much more competitive.

The course of training will include some of these courses:

–        Nursing courses in health assessment, medical and professional ethics and advanced sciences (such as mathematics, chemistry, biology, anatomy).

–        Clinical experience in hospital/medical facilities (about a year’s time at the very least).

–        Completion of 1,000 hours of clinical hands-on experience(many RN and other competitive nursing positions ask for up to 4,000 hours).

This is the preliminary work needed to achieve RN status; if you want to make yourself competitive enough in the Community Nurse’s job market, you should go on to complete RN training and pass the RN Examination for your state. Once you have your RN certification, you can specialize in any nursing field you wish.

To be competitive, you should have experience (in your hours of clinical hands-on work) in physical, occupational and speech therapy, nutrition services, collaboration with social workers and the elementary diagnostics that determine the level of services a patient requires.

Community Nurse Certification

Once you have completed the RN certification, you can proceed to specializing for a Community Nurse position, and obtain certification from a local CHHA (Certified Home Healthcare Agency), found in any state. This is usually not a laborious process; there may be a special exam involved (such states as California and New York require it), but most applicants of RN status are accepted and able to certify as Community Nurses with no trouble.

Community Nurse Outlook and Salary

Outlook for the Community Nurse’s job prospects, as for most RNs, is excellent, with expected growth of 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. That same group sets the median salary of community health professionals and nursing care facility professionals at $57,060 per annum.

The job of Community Nurse can be a challenging one; however, for the right individual who has the ability to establish communication and rapport with patients, it is a rewarding and fulfilling employment experience. Community Nurse training is just another step along the path to this ideal career.

Army Nurse Training

The creed of an Army Nurse is to nurture, protect and tend to those patients that depend upon her, to advocate for family members, and to care for individual soldiers, recognizing each as unique and indispensable to the war effort.

This particular creed, established from the first Army nurse under Florence Nightingale, still holds true.  The Army nurse must be skilled enough to specialize in numerous classifications, including intensive care, emergency, labor/delivery, psychiatric care, community health and post-operative care, all of them potential career specializations.

In addition to hospital work, including triage, anesthesia and post-operative care, they must also work as advocates and liaisons for families of soldiers.  They must be available and on call at all times.  They are seldom home-bound, but are found in every continent and every situation where there is combat.

How to Train as an Army Nurse

You must be an unlimited RN (Registered Nurse) to be an Army nurse, and possess a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (a Master’s level is encouraged); therefore most candidates begin early.  It is absolutely necessary to take and excel in classes in the sciences, whether in high school or as late as the first years of college (the sciences include mathematics, biology, chemistry and anatomy).

The potential Army nurse has an advantage over most nursing students, in that Army ROTC offers training classes at college level as early as high school, and their recruiters are usually easy to find on any high school or college campus.  ROTC also offers scholarships and summer training programs, as well as accredited nursing programs that will include all the necessary elements for student success.

Of particular interest to students are the Summer Training programs that include hands-on clinical experience, which is absolutely necessary to RN certification (a minimum of 1,000 hours is required and 4,000 is ideal).  These programs gives an inside track to students wishing to complete their hours in clinical work, and, unlike the outside world, the Army has placement services to put candidates in careers as soon as they achieve their RN licensure.

The Army also offers two to four-year scholarships of up to $20,000, plus books and other stipends, and the opportunity to train in a number of specialties in Summer Training.

What an Army Nurse Can Do

As soon as you have passed the Registered Nursing examination and received certification and your Bachelor’s degree, the Army then “enlists” you for a term of service (three years full-time in the Army, four years for scholarship winners).

The Army nurse can also train during her term of service for a number of specializations.  These include:

-medical and surgical assistance and hospital work

-clinical care and intensive care unit work

-obstetrics and gynecological specialization

-anesthesia and anesthesiology

-psychiatric treatment and post-traumatic stress disorder treatments

-critical care on the field, including emergency trauma

-case management and upper level management opportunities.

All these, as potential specializations in the Army Nurse’s career, have separate training programs, and any of them is available to an Army Nurse with any level of experience beyond one year.

The Benefits of Army Nurse Training

The Army nurse is prepared to be competitive in nursing in the outside world, should she choose not to re-enlist.  She is a thoroughly experienced RN, and requires little additional training to specialize in any of the careers listed above.

If she chooses to remain in the Army, her employment is continuous and guaranteed, and she has an unmatched job security; she can attain the status of head nurse in 3 to 12 years.

Outlook and Salary for the Army Nurse

The Army nurse will always have employment, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and the job will continue to grow as the Armed Forces expand.   The average salary of an Army Nurse is designated as pay grade 0-1.  This is $2745.60 a month, plus a housing allowing on the post of $840.90 (with family), and a meal allowance of $223.04.  Additional salary is accrued from deployment to combat areas and overseas work.

The ads say “Be All That You Can Be,” and Army Nurse Training, and an Army Nurse’s career, certainly gives that opportunity. 

2 Year Nursing Degrees

Many people have the dream of becoming a nurse; however not all of them follow through on pursuing their dream because they think it is going to take a long time to obtain their nursing license. Fortunately, you can get an entry level nursing degree in two years, with a 2 year nursing degree.

General Prerequisites

2 year nursing degrees are also referred to as associate degrees and they are primarily designed to provide students with the basics of nursing, including clinical knowledge and theory. In order to pursue an associates in nursing (ASN) degree or associate degree in nursing (ADN), you will need to have received your high school diploma or passed the GED.

Math Prerequisites

Some nursing schools will require that you have completed college algebra and nursing math before qualifying for an associates’ degree program. At one time, nursing math was incorporated into the degree program, but it is now more common to be required prior to entering the degree program. Nursing math differs from other math classes in that you will need to learn how to calculate IV flow rates, drug dosages and other calculations nurses use on a regular basis. You might also be required to take statistics or other math classes depending on your school’s requirements. These classes usually require a grade of B or higher in order to be considered adequate for entrance into 2 year nursing degrees.

Science Prerequisites

Prior to attending nursing school, most students have completed a number of science courses. These general science classes are designed to provide students with the basics of the human body, its structure and its processes. In addition, science classes such as chemistry concentrate on how substances react in certain situations. Some schools require organic chemistry and biochemistry classes as well. There is a combined course designed specifically for health care professionals that is usually an acceptable substitute.

Once you get into a 2 year nursing degree program, you will be required to take courses in microbiology or bacteriology in which you will learn about microscopic organisms, disease-causing microbes, and how to destroy these microscopic invaders.

Clinical Training

Regardless of where you obtain your degree, you are going to need clinical experience before you can graduate with your associate degree in nursing. Individual states determine how many hours you will need before you can apply and obtain your nursing license. You will need to provide hands-on care to patients in a clinical environment. This is a broad term that encompasses hospitals, medical centers, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and physician offices. You will also be required to be supervised by a clinical instructor who will ensure that you have demonstrated the required clinical skills. Some of the skills you will need to master include putting in and taking out a urinary catheter, changing wound dressings and giving an intramuscular injection. Knowledge of drug treatments will also be necessary and you will need to show that you can develop a nursing care plan for your patients.

After Graduation

The Associates Degree in Nursing is a common path for aspiring nursing students to take. You will find that the majority of technical and community colleges offer 2 year nursing degrees at an affordable cost. Once you graduate and take the NCLEX nursing exam, you will be licensed as either a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) depending on the courses you took while in your program.

There are many career opportunities for newly graduated nurses, who will find that they are immediately employable because of the shortage of nurses in the country and because of the excellent preparation you receive in these programs. Often, nurses who have associates’ degrees decide to continue their education while pursuing their careers. An associates’ degree is a great step toward achieving a Bachelor of Science nursing degree that usually takes four years to complete.

Nursing is a rewarding career that is nearly recession-proof, provides a good living wage, and offers personal satisfaction. If you have a calling to this profession or if you are just looking to change careers to one that is more fulfilling than what you are currently doing, contact your local community college or technical school to get on the 2 year nursing degree path today.

Nurse to Doctor Programs

Some nurses enter the nursing industry, only to become dissatisfied with their scope of practice. As a result, they want to become doctors instead, and nurse to doctor programs can help facilitate that… if they can find them. Nurses that try to transition to doctors run into problems for a variety of reasons.

Some of these include:

–        Many doctor programs look down on nurses, reasoning that if they were any good, they would have gotten into a doctor’s degree program to begin with.

–        Nursing programs are not equivalent to pre-med programs in many schools. They have a different emphasis, and require different coursework.

–        A lot of nurses have bachelor’s degrees, or even advanced degrees in nursing, and have to go back to the pre-med level before they can try to become doctors.

–        Students that try to go directly  from nursing school right to medical school may be looked down on during the med school entrance interview.

–        Actual RN to MD transitioning programs are difficult, if not impossible, to find in the United States.

The challenges that nurses face when attempting to transition to doctors depend largely on the school the nurse graduated from, and what courses were offered. Ultimately, there is no more of an impediment for a nurse switching to becoming a doctor than there is for a nurse becoming a lawyer, a scientist, or any other type of professional.

Nurse to Doctor, or Doctor Nurse?

Nursing degree programs vs. doctor degree programs can create some confusion for students and patients alike. Nurse to doctor programs help nurses and nursing students transition to a medical program designed to turn out physicians, the people we normally associate with the word “doctor.” Physicians have doctorate degrees in medicine, and a scope of practice that is far wider than the average nurse’s.

That said, there are some nurses who are doctors, and who have a scope of practice similar to a doctor’s. In many states, they can even be a patient’s primary care provider! However, these nurses are not doctors, and didn’t go through a nurse to doctor program to get where they are. Instead, they are nurse practitioners, and are nurses who have obtained a doctorate. In academic circles, they would be considered a Doctor of Nursing, but in the medical field they are still considered nurses.

When it comes down to it, the choice between becoming a doctor or a nurse practitioner is a personal one. Some people wish to become specialists, or just want to have a wider scope of practice than their state’s nursing regulations allow them. People choose to switch from being nurses to being doctors for the same reasons that students want to get into pre-med programs in the first place.

Finding and Enrolling in Nurse to Doctor Programs

Currently, there are no recognized nurse to doctor programs available in the United States, but this doesn’t mean that schools won’t be willing to help transition students on an individual basis. Some programs can be found overseas, but students should always be suspicious of distance learning when it comes to nursing and medicine, and many medical schools will not recognize distance learning credits. Nurse to doctor programs aren’t overseen by a state’s Board of Nursing, so nurses also can’t rely on their list of approved nursing programs to find one. Instead, they will have to find a medical school in their area, ask what is required for entry, and go through all of the steps they need to to finish their pre-med prerequisites, take their MCAT, interview for a medical school, graduate, and go through their residency.

In general, if a nurse wants to enter medical school, it’s easier if he or she finds out what classes are needed for med school, and then takes them at a local college on their own. Meeting prerequisite requirements, having a sufficiently high GPA, getting a good score on the MCAT, and acing the medical school entrance interview are more important than finding a recognized transitioning program.

There are a lot of different reasons why nurses try to find nurse to doctor programs, and a lot of misconceptions attached to them. Nursing and medicine are two different paths, and there isn’t usually much overlap between the two. Med school prerequisite classes can help close the gap between nursing education and pre-med, and allow people with nursing degrees to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors.

NCLEX Preparation Course

The National Council Licensure Examination is the examination that all nurses have to take in order to practice. Just like high school students attend SAT preparation courses in order to do well, many nurses use an NCLEX preparation course to hedge their bets when it comes to passing this all-important exam. An NCLEX preparation course helps nurses improve the odds that they will do well on the test itself.

It achieves this by:

–        Reinforcing the information they are likely to encounter on the NCLEX.

–        Using practice questions developed from older exams.

–        Providing a review of the points covered in their original nursing degree or diploma program.

Registered nurses take the NCLEX-RN, while practical nurses take the NCLEX-PN. Therefore, there are different test prep courses available for these two groups, since their exams are somewhat different. Both of them help the same way, by giving nursing students the chance to review material and take practice tests before sitting for the NCLEX proper.

Why is the NCLEX so Important?

The NCLEX is the test that determines whether a nurse is a nurse or not. Without a passing grade on an NCLEX, graduates of nursing programs are just graduates, not nurses. In all states, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses must have passed an NCLEX in order to practice legally. If they are caught practicing without having passed the test and received a nursing license, they may face fines and jail time, and can even be prevented from practicing medicine in the future.

The Rundown on NCLEX Prep Courses

An NCLEX preparation course isn’t a requirement to take the NCLEX, so it isn’t strictly necessary. Many nursing programs also have excellent pass rates (some are as high as 100%), so students of these programs aren’t likely to need a preparation course before their exams. For students who allow some time to elapse between graduating and taking their exam, and students that don’t feel confident in their ability to do well on the NCLEX without help, a preparation course can give them the assistance they need to get themselves licensed.

State Boards of Nursing regulate who is and is not eligible to take the NCLEX in their state. In some states, registered nurses must have a bachelor’s degree before sitting for it. In others, a nursing diploma or associate’s degree is sufficient. No state allows nursing students to take the NCLEX after just an NCLEX preparation course. They must always have graduated from some kind of Board-approved nursing program first. These preparation courses only serve as a way for students to review material before taking the exam, they do not allow people who haven’t graduated from a nursing program to take it without completing the required core coursework.

NCLEX Preparation Course Providers

There are plenty of good NCLEX prep courses available, many of which are offered by online schools like Kaplan, or test review sites like Hurst Review Services. Unlike actual nursing degree programs, it isn’t necessary for an NCLEX prep course to be Board-approved. So, students can choose whichever one they are the most comfortable with, and that they think will be the most help to them. To find a good preparation course, look at the percentage of their students that have passed the NCLEX. If a course doesn’t offer these statistics, try to find one that does or at least one with a money-back guarantee.

Don’t compare an NCLEX course based on price. Since they aren’t required to be Board-approved, some unscrupulous NCLEX courses have cropped up that look like deals, but aren’t actually any good at helping students pass. Avoid review sites that try to pass themselves off as official NCLEX sites- only the NCSBN homepage should be treated as a reputable source of examination information.

Taking the NCLEX is the event that all nursing programs lead up to. Without it, a nursing graduate can’t practice. With it, a nursing graduate finally becomes a full-fledged nurse and can interact with patients in a clinical setting. An NCLEX preparation course can help you become more confident in your ability to pass the licensure exam, no matter whether you’re an aspiring registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse.

Navy Nurse Candidate Program

Nursing school can be expensive, but the Navy Nurse Candidate Program can provide prospective students with the means to afford their tuition. Nurses currently enrolled in BSN programs may qualify for a stipend from the Navy Nurse Candidate Program if they meet certain criteria.

These include:

–        Are under forty years old.

–        Are a U.S. citizen.

–        Are fit enough to meet the Navy’s physical fitness standards.

–        Are in an approved, accredited four-year nursing program.

–        Are willing to go on active duty after graduating.

What Does the Navy Nurse Candidate Program Offer?

Nursing students that participate in the Navy Nurse Candidate Program are eligible to receive two grants of $5,000 each, and an additional $1,000 per month for up to two years. This adds up to $34,000, which can provide nursing students with considerable help covering their cost of tuition, college living expenses, and school supplies before graduation. This is a grant, not a loan, so students are not required to repay the money as long as they complete the program’s obligations.

What’s the Catch?

The Navy Nurse Candidate Program requires active-duty participation from participants. In exchange for the grant money they are given, students must go on active duty for a specific period of time. Students that are involved in the program for thirteen months to two years are required to give five years of active duty, while students participating for one month to one year are required to give four years. This is why students that participate in the Navy Nurse Candidate Program must be able to meet the Navy’s physical fitness standards.

Why You Should Participate in the Navy Nurse Candidate Program

Nursing school is expensive, and more and more healthcare facilities are expressing a preference for students with bachelor’s degrees or better. Depending on the school, students can end up paying well over $100,000 by the time they complete a four-year nursing degree. If they are attending a school in a state they are not considered a resident of, that cost can go up to over $150,000. Student loans help defer that cost for a while, but loan institutions charge interest and have a nasty habit of wanting to get their money back as soon as students graduate, regardless of whether or not they are employed and able to pay. So, student loans can only offer some temporary help.

Many states have their own financial aid programs for nurses, in an effort to help lure more students to nursing programs. These can be pretty competitive, and may only apply to nurses in specific situations. For example, a nurse may only be eligible for a loan forgiveness scheme if he or she is willing to work for an underserved inner-city hospital for five years after graduation. These function like the Navy’s program in that they are service-based tuition programs, and not all students will be able to take advantage of them.

So, when faced with the choice of taking out loans, trying to pay for school out of pocket, or attempting to qualify for tuition payment and loan reimbursement programs, the Navy Nurse Candidate Program can provide nursing students with another means of getting some tuition help.

This program also gives nurses a job after graduation. Since they are required to put in at least four years of active duty, that is four years of employment. Naval nurses are paid competitive salaries and have few living expenses. They also get to travel around the world, which can be a great opportunity for nurses who have always wanted to travel extensively, and would not otherwise be able to afford it.

The Navy Nurse Candidate Program helps bring new, qualified nurses to one of the places that need them the most- the military. For just a few years of military service, students can take care of a big chunk of their tuition. It allows nursing students to get the tuition help they need in order to pursue their bachelor’s degrees in nursing and allows the Navy to attract the healthcare practitioners it needs to help keep its staff healthy.

In medical practices and hospitals, nursing is a critical component. Professional nurses are employed to look after and keep track of various patients’ health problems, as well as to advise them on the drugs prescribed by physicians. At Template.net they make outlined nurse templates that include several sorts of documents essential for your profession and operations.

School Nurse Continuing Education

Just like other nurses, school nurses need to go through continuing education programs in order to be able to maintain their certification. School nurse continuing education is a bit different than that requires for registered nurses.

However, unlike registered nursing continuing education, school nurses can:

–        Take online courses through the National Association of School Nurses’ website.

–        Take advanced-level courses in healthcare related subjects through a local college.

–        Go through another National Board for Certification of School Nurses or American Nurses Credentialing Center-approved continuing education program.

This is a bit easier than registered nurse continuing education, since registered nurses must find state-approved continuing education programs. The National Board for Certification of School Nurses is a national organization, so continuing education requirements and modules are consistent throughout the country.

Though the NBCSN offers school nurses certification, this is optional, and isn’t the same as the state licensure procedures required for nurses to practice. What’s more, hiring procedures for school nurses can vary from area to area. Some states and districts will hire only registered nurses as school nurses, while others will hire a registered nurse to oversee groups of “nurse’s aides” that tend to students.

Why is Continuing Education for School Nurses Necessary?

Medicine can change very rapidly, as new medications and methods are discovered. Years ago, it was acceptable for school nurses to give children medications like aspirin or diphenhydramine. Today, that’s pretty much unheard of. Continuing education ensures that school nurses stay on top of new developments in nursing, and keep up the skills that they need in order to care for their patients. Some school nurses have been working for decades, and school nurse continuing education allows them to continue to do their jobs well. Without it, there may be no way for them to keep on top of changing standards in the healthcare industry.

Boards of Nursing and The National Board for Certification of School Nurses

Every state has a Board of Nursing, but school nursing organizations are national. So, while licensure and continuing education standards for nurses can vary from state to state, this isn’t really the case with school nurses. For example, all school nurses are certified for five years at a time through the NBCSN, and are given a notice of expiry a year before their licenses expire. During this time, they have to meet the NBCSN’s criteria for renewal, and pay a certification renewal fee.

One of the criteria for school nurse certification renewal through the NBCSN is a current RN license. It is the responsibility of all school nurses to maintain their registered nursing licenses according to regulations established by their state’s Board of Nursing. Because every state’s regulations are different, school nurses must contact their particular Board of Nursing for an outline of the criteria they need to meet to keep their registered nursing licenses in good standing.

Can School Nurses Get Out of Continuing Education?

In the past, school nurses used to be able to evade school nurse continuing education by having their certifications set to “retired” or “inactive,” while they continued to work full- or part-time as school nurses. This created a lot of practicing school nurses that the NBCSN had no way to keep track of. As a result, the NBCSN elected to get rid of these statuses, so now school nurses can only be active, or not certified. This helps avoid the problems schools were having with “retired” nurses that continued to work, without attempting to maintain the level of school nurse continuing education needed to keep their certification in good standing. So, today, there is no way for school nurses to avoid needing continuing education if they want to maintain their NBCSN certification.

School nurses are a deceptively important part of the healthcare system, even though they don’t work in hospitals or doctors’ offices. Studies show that a lack of school nurses contributes to sicker students, and higher rates of absenteeism. School nurse continuing education helps keep school nurses informed about the things they need to do to keep kids safe, healthy, and in school.

Registered Nursing Continuing Education

Registered nursing continuing education programs are a big part of being a nurse in just about every state. Continuing educational programs for nurses aren’t intended to allow them to further their educations (though there are certificate programs that can), they are simply intended to keep current nurses abreast of changes in nursing, and make sure that all of a state’s practicing nurses are at the top of their game.

Here is an example of the process:

–        A student enrolls and is accepted into a bachelors degree nursing program, and eventually graduates.

–        He or she takes their National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, and passes.

–        As a registered nurse, his or her license is good for approximately three years. To renew it, he or she must pay a fee.

–        The next renewal cycle begins.

–        In order to be able to renew his or her license at the end of this period, the nurse must take thirty hours of continuing education before his or her license expires.

The times given in this example are approximations. Each state has different nurse licensing guidelines, so not all of them will fit this situation exactly.

Why is Continuing Education for Registered Nurses Necessary?

Continuing education may seem inconvenient at first blush, but the fact is that medicine changes all of the time as new treatments and patient care strategies are researched. A nurse that has been practicing for the past fifteen years has likely seen a whole host of changes to the way healthcare professionals practice medicine, and continuing education programs force this nurse to keep abreast of changes that affect him or her.

Since continuing education programs also require nurses to take classes that are a higher level than the coursework they were required to do to pass their licensure exam, continuing education also helps registered nurses improve their standard of patient care. In general, classes that aren’t related to nursing (like liberal arts classes) or are related only distantly (like classes in yoga instruction) are not considered valid continuing education programs for nurses.

The Board of Nursing and Continuing Education 

Every state has a Board of Nursing that governs educational requirements, including registered nurse continuing education. Just like all new nursing students should contact their state’s Board of Nursing for lists of approved nursing schools, existing nurses should contact their state’s Board of Nursing for lists of approved RN continuing education programs, and license renewal requirements.

Not all states’ regulations are the same, so its not possible to make a generalization that reflects all Boards of Nursing and their attitudes toward continuing education. Some require more hours, some less, and some require nurses to take renewal exams regardless of whether or not they are reinstating an expired license.

Is There Any Way to Avoid Continuing Education?

Registered nurse continuing education is a necessity, so there isn’t a way around it for most nurses. Fortunately, there are several ways that nurses can choose to go about their continuing education, to make life a little bit easier on themselves. They can handle all of their educational requirements through online or home study courses, and many states allow nurses to handle an unlimited amount of their continuing education hours this way. They can also go to a local college with an approved nursing continuing education program, and take campus based classes. In those situations, states generally have guidelines for how many hours of instruction each semester is worth.

A few nurses may be exempt from continuing education if they meet specific criteria. Depending on a particular state’s regulations, nurses that have only recently become licensed can have amnesty for a short period of time following their nursing licensure exam. Nurses that are retiring, leaving the nursing profession, or requesting to have their licenses made “inactive” for any other reason also do not have to pursue continuing education.

Registered nurse continuing education programs are a way to make sure that healthcare workers stay up to date on changes going on in their industry, and that their skill sets are always fresh. Nursing is a difficult profession that changes pretty rapidly, but continuing education programs allow nurses to remain viable members of their industry, no matter how long it’s been since they first graduated.

Post Masters Certificate in Nursing

A post masters certificate in nursing is designed for nursing students that already have their masters degrees, but would like to specialize their practice without having to return to school full time for a second masters degree. These certificate programs give students the core coursework they need, without wasting their time with redundant classes.

They are ideal for nursing students who already have a masters degree, and:

–        Want to change their career path to nursing education.

–        Wish to become nurse practitioners.

–        Want to specialize in another, specific area of nursing, like nurse administration, nurse informatics, or psychiatric nursing.

–        Would like to make themselves more appealing to employers in their area.

These programs are not intended for students with non-nursing masters degrees that want to make a career change to nursing. In situations like that, those students would have to go through accelerated nursing programs to get their bachelors degrees in nursing first, and continue to get their masters degrees afterward before they would be eligible for a post masters certificate program.

Requirements for a Post Masters Certificate in Nursing

In order to qualify for these programs, prospective students must already have completed their bachelors and masters degrees in nursing, and taken any necessary licensing exams. These certificate programs are designed to allow nurses to specialize in a specific field of nursing. In most cases, a state’s Board of Nursing requires nursing students to complete a certain number of hours of instruction in their chosen field before they are allowed to take any kind of licensing or certification exams for it. A good example here is nursing informatics, which requires a student to have a masters degree in health informatics, or thirty hours’ worth of a post masters educational program, coupled with several thousand hours’ worth of job experience.

Are Post Masters Certificates Necessary?

In order to be able to practice certain types of nursing, either a masters degree or a post masters certificate is a necessity. Nurse practitioners and other advanced practice registered nurses currently have a minimum requirement of a masters degree or equivalent, but that’s probably going to change soon. A lot of states are updating their educational requirements to reflect a new standard, which requires APRNs to have doctorates degrees. So, nursing students that are considering pursuing a post masters certificate in nursing should get while the getting is good, and they can be grandfathered in when the new educational requirements are placed into effect.

Is it Worth it to Pursue a Post Masters Certificate?

The nursing shortage is hitting every sector of the healthcare industry pretty hard, but nurses with advanced degrees are one of the hardest hit. Due to a shortage of qualified educators, a lot of masters programs for nurses have been suspended, if not cut entirely. As a result, though it can be difficult and expensive to go through a masters degree program, employers have made it extremely worthwhile. Nurses with masters degrees and beyond can command very high salaries- some nurse practitioners make around $120,000 per year- and there are always jobs available for them.

Using a post masters certificate in nursing to further specialize can help nursing graduates make themselves more marketable to employers, including hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing homes, and private practices. When it comes to nurse practitioners and psychiatric nurses, they can even allow them to start their own practices.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to pursue a post masters certificate in nursing is a personal one, and it won’t necessarily be a good idea for every nursing student out there. For nurses who don’t plan to specialize their nursing practice, or who want to continue to work as registered nurses, post masters certificate programs may end up being a waste of time.

A post masters certificate in nursing is a faster, less expensive way to further your education without having to go through a full masters degree program again. For students who have already obtained masters degrees in nursing, these nursing certificate programs represent a way for them to set themselves up for higher salaries and more job offers, without having to sacrifice more of their time to schooling than absolutely necessary.

Online Associate Nursing Degrees

In an effort to streamline their educational programs and graduate more nurses, many schools have begun offering online associate nursing degrees. These can be highly desirable to schools, states, and nurses alike, for a couple of reasons.

These include:

–        Online nursing programs can help prospective nursing students avoid being waitlisted for nursing classes.

–        They can help schools enroll and graduate more nurses, without having to find more nursing educators to teach classes in brick-and-mortar classrooms.

–        They can turn out nurses that are just as well-educated as traditional classroom-based nursing programs, so states get more of the healthcare professionals they need to fight the nursing shortage.

–        They are often less expensive than classroom-based programs, so students can save money, states don’t need to give out as much in nursing financial aid, and schools don’t lose students on the basis of them not being able to afford nursing classes.

As a result, online nursing education can end up being a win-win situation for everyone involved. But is it always worth it?

Accredited versus Approved

Every state has a governing body that handles all things related to nursing. Usually called the Board of Nursing, this organization comes up with educational requirements, licensure and examination guidelines, and approves nursing educational programs. While many colleges and universities are “accredited” institutions, this does not necessarily mean that their nursing programs are “approved” by their state’s Board of Nursing.

Before enrollment, every nursing student should contact the Board of Nursing for their state, so they can get a list of approved nursing programs in their area. Even though online associate nursing degrees might sound attractive, they won’t be worthwhile if they will not allow students to take their exams and practice after they graduate!

Nursing with an Associate’s Degree

Many states also limit what you can do with an associate’s degree in nursing. While most require a bachelor’s degree or better in order for students to take their National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, all states will allow students to become licensed practicing nurses with an associate’s degree. Becoming an LPN isn’t quite the same as becoming an RN, but LPNs are just as much in demand as RNs are. In many cases, LPNs that wish to become RNs can enter continuing educational programs later on that will help them facilitate getting their bachelor’s degrees and passing the NCLEX-RN.

Is Online Education Worth it?

If you live in a state where college or university online educational programs are on your Board of Nursing’s list of approved nursing programs, then yes. A lot of states are inadvertently contributing to the worldwide nursing shortage simply by having educational institutions that are not efficient enough to graduate the number of nurses they need, so they end up forcing students to wait on long waiting lists for classes. Even when students aren’t waitlisted, they often can’t take classes because tuition costs are steep, and a lot of financial aid programs are reserved for people pursuing their bachelor’s in nursing. If you find yourself in any of these positions, then online classes are definitely worth pursuing.

Be aware that any time that you’re required to spend doing hands-on lab practicals or having actual on-the-job time to meet your state’s licensing requirements will still have to be made up somehow. This won’t be an issue for all students, but state guidelines vary, so it’s good to contact your Board of Nursing to find out what you’ll need to do in order to take your licensure examination before deciding on what kind of class is right for you

The nursing shortage has driven all schools, everywhere, to try to find solutions to recruit more nursing students, get them into classes, and help them graduate faster. Online associate nursing degrees are just one of these solutions. Though online education has had a stigma attached to it in the past, new methods of online teaching allows schools to create nursing graduates that are every bit as well-educated as their classroom counterparts, and just as prepared to enter the workforce.

Oncology Nursing Continuing Education

Few medical fields can change as rapidly as oncology. The treatment of cancer is a hotly debated and researched subject, so oncology nursing continuing education has to keep oncology nurses up to date on new treatment practices and discoveries in the field. Fortunately, oncology nurses can meet their continuing education requirements in a few different ways.

These include:

–        Through classes taken at their local college or university.

–        Through free or low-cost learning modules on the internet.

–        Through home study courses offered by in-state or out-of-state institutions.

–        Through continuing education programs offered by oncology organizations.

Why is Continuing Education for Oncology Nurses Necessary?

Every day, new cancer breakthroughs make headlines. Cancer pervades modern society, and many of the risk factors for it are unavoidable- sun exposure can cause melanoma, and being a woman is all you need to be at risk for breast cancer. As a result, cancer is heavily researched, and regularly results in new developments.

To help keep oncology nurses at the top of their game, organizations like the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation have developed ways to certify practicing oncology nurses, and create continuing educational requirements. These requirements are designed to keep oncology nurses well informed, and to keep their oncology skills sharp. Medicine changes quickly, so nurses that still rely on information from decades ago aren’t going to be able to provide the best care for their patients.

Registered Nursing versus Oncology Nursing Continuing Education

Registered nurses are required to go through continuing education programs in order to keep their licenses in good standing with their state’s Board of Nursing. Without meeting these continuing education requirements, registered nurses will lose their licenses, and no longer be able to legally practice until they have them reinstated.

All states have their own Boards of Nursing, and their own regulations regarding things like continuing education requirements and certification with the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. In some states, membership with the ONCC is mandatory. In others, it is not. Certification with the ONCC helps nurses show that they are proficient in oncology, so it may be worth pursuing, even in states where it isn’t required. In order to maintain certification with the ONCC, nurses will have to follow their renewal guidelines. This includes any additional continuing education requirements that the ONCC has above and beyond the Board of Nursing’s requirements.

When it comes to the ONCC’s requirements, not just any continuing education program will do. Continuing education courses for oncology nurses must meet the approval of the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, or be approved or provided by one of the organizations on their list of “Acceptable Approval Bodies” if it is going to count towards certification renewal for oncology nurses.

Will Continuing Education Advance My Nursing Degree?

Oncology nursing continuing education programs are not designed to help nurses advance their degrees, they are designed to keep their skill sets up to date with changes in the healthcare industry. In some situations, some nurses currently working and attending school may be able to kill two birds with one stone with regards to their continuing educational requirements, but this won’t be the case for the majority of oncology nurses.

If you are an oncology nurse and would like to advance your degree, then a master’s degree program, post master’s certificate program, or doctoral degree program are the only things that will actually allow you to do so. Continuing education just allows you to maintain your license and certification in good standing.

Is There a Way for Oncology Nurses to Avoid Needing Continuing Education?

The only way to avoid having to fulfill continuing education requirements for the ONCC is to not pursue certification through them. This may not be an option in some states, so oncology nurses will have to contact their Boards of Nursing to find out exactly what certifications are optional for them.

When it comes to continuing education for the Board of Nursing, nurses can get out of needing continuing education if they are newly licensed graduates, or are attempting to have their licensing status changed to “inactive.”

Oncology is a rapidly growing field that’s changing from day to day. Cancer nurses need oncology nurse continuing education to help keep them informed and abreast of all of the ways that new research is changing the face of cancer treatment.

Nursing Doctoral Degrees

Despite the nursing shortage, nursing educational requirements are becoming tighter, and nursing doctoral degrees are becoming a “must have” for a lot of sectors of the nursing industry. While a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and a Registered Nurse (RN) can get by with an associate’s or bachelor’s in nursing degrees, many other nurse specializations already need a master’s or better to practice, and a few will not be able to get by with anything less than a doctorate.

Advanced practice nurses are registered nurses with graduate degrees, and they include:

–        Nurse practitioners, which are allowed to function as a patient’s primary caregiver. In many states, they can do so without the assistance of a doctor.

–        Nurse midwives, which can provide reproductive care for women from puberty to menopause, and care for women with low-risk pregnancies. In many states, they can perform all of the duties of an obstetrician-gynecologist, with the exception of surgery.

–        Nurse anesthetists, which provide anesthesia during surgeries.

–        Clinical nurse specialists, which help medical facilities improve their standard of care by educating and working with staff nurses like registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.

Becoming an APRN

Every state has different requirements for what is and is not currently necessary to become an APRN. However, the standards are changing- the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and National Council of State Boards of Nursing have pushed for all APRN programs to require doctoral degrees by the year 2015. So, students that would not graduate before then should plan to get nursing doctoral degrees.

To become an APRN, students must first meet their state’s educational requirements for a registered nurse before they can enroll in an advanced degree program (usually for either a Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice degree) and specialize in one of the above areas. Depending on the student’s state, there may be accelerated degree programs available that can help things go a little faster for people who already have a non-nursing degree, and are pursuing nursing as a second career.

Nursing with an Advanced Degree

Though the tighter educational requirements were recommended by the AACN and NCSBN, every state has an individual Board of Nursing that enforces these requirements, maintains lists of approved nursing programs, and defines the scopes of practice for every level of nursing. As a result, exactly what nurses can do with an advanced degree will vary somewhat from state to state.

Why Should You Get an Advanced Nursing Degree?

People with advanced degrees in nursing are becoming rarer and more valuable by the day. This is due to a couple of reasons- many people find that their state’s nursing shortage is severe enough that they can make an excellent living as an RN with just a bachelor’s degree, pursuing advanced degrees is time consuming and expensive, and many schools are losing their nursing educators to retirement, leaving them without a way to teach their advanced nursing degree classes. So, as an APRN, you will find that you are valuable and in demand absolutely wherever you choose to go.

APRNs generally get paid extremely well. A nurse practitioner, for example, can command a salary of over $120,000 in some areas, without including things like benefits, sign-on bonuses, or student loan repayment schemes.

Many states want to encourage more people to pursue advanced nursing degrees, and therefore have specific tuition reimbursement, scholarship, and grant programs available for APRN students. So, getting a doctorate in nursing doesn’t always have to be an expensive undertaking.

It takes a long time to get nursing doctoral degrees, but the end result is generally very worthwhile. APRNs, like nurse practitioners, have a much wider scope of practice than LPNs or RNs do, and thus have more freedom. They also have more flexibility, since a nurse with a doctoral degree ca fulfill the roles of practicing nurse, nurse educator, and more, depending on what jobs are available in their home state. Lastly, they get paid better than nurses without advanced degrees. If you’re considering getting a DNP or DNAP degree, then it’s definitely something you should seriously pursue.

What training does a nurse need?

It might sound like a simple question, but it only ends up giving rise to more.

In order to find out what kind of training a nurse needs, you also need to ask:

–        Is this nurse an actual nurse, or a nursing assistant?

–        What kind of degree is the nurse pursuing?

–        What kind of medical facility does the nurse intend to work in after graduation?

–        Does this nurse intend to specialize in a specific area of medicine?

In modern medical facilities, a “nurse” can be anyone from a licensed practical nurse, to a certified nurse anesthetist. All of the different positions that nurses can occupy require different training, even if that training is sometimes given on-the-job.

The Board of Nursing

Preliminary and continuing educational requirements, licensing, and examination requirements for nurses are established by each state’s Board of  Nursing. Though many states have attempted to standardize their requirements through agreements like the Nurse Licensure Compact, this isn’t universal. Therefore, your state’s Board of Nursing can provide you with detailed answers to “What training does a nurse need?”

If you’re planning to become a nursing student, the Board can also give you scholarship or grant information, and lists of approved nursing programs in your area. The Board of Nursing should be every person’s first stop before they make the decision to enroll in nursing school.

Nurse Training Programs

In general, nursing assistants require an eight week course, licensed practical nurses require two year degrees, while registered nurses require a bachelor’s degree (BSN), and advanced practice registered nurses (like nurse anesthetists and nurse practitioners) require a master’s (MSN) or doctoral degree (PhD or DNP). These are just the basic educational requirements, and nurses who wish to specialize in areas like neonatal care or gerontology may be required to perform additional coursework.

Some schools provide online or classroom-based courses on things like hospice nursing, neonatal nursing, and critical care. In other situations, students are expected to put in a specified number of hours in a clinical setting in order to obtain on-the-job experience. The training you receive will depend heavily on your state’s regulations, the needs of your local hospitals, and what schools in your area are willing to offer.

Nurse Training and Scopes of Practice

All nurse training is designed to reflect their eventual “scopes of practice.” This is the outline of all of the duties that a nurse is allowed to do. In general, if a nurse is not trained to do something during the course of their nursing education, it most likely falls outside of his or her scope of practice. All nurses have different scopes of practice – a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) cannot perform the same duties as a Registered Nurse (RN), and a RN cannot perform the same duties as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). The Board of Nursing doesn’t just define scopes of practice, it also takes on a disciplinary role when nurses act outside of theirs. Nurses that do so can receive severe legal penalties, including fines and license revocation.

Nurse Licensure and Examinations

A nursing degree alone isn’t enough for a nurse to begin practicing. Practical nurses, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and all other nursing staff must take and pass licensing exams before they can be allowed to work with patients. Licensure also determines who’s actually a nurse, and who isn’t- nursing assistants may perform some of the same duties as nurses, but they do not have nursing licenses, and thus aren’t actually nurses.

So, what training does a nurse need? The final answer is “It depends.” If you are intrigued by the idea of pursuing a career in nursing, the best thing you can do is research all of the different ways that nurses provide care, and choose the one that appeals to you. Do you want to care for high-risk babies in a NICU? Would you prefer the exciting, hectic atmosphere of a medevac helicopter? The state you live in and your eventual career path will determine what kind of continuing education and licensing requirements you will need to fulfill.

Doctorate of Nursing Practice Programs

People who are unfamiliar with nursing degree programs are usually surprised to find out that schools even offer doctorate of nursing practice programs. After all, if a healthcare practitioner is going to go for their doctorate, why wouldn’t they just become a doctor? The truth is, there are a lot of nursing career paths that require advanced degrees, including doctorates.

These include:

–        Nurse practitioners

–        Nurse midwives

–        Nurse anesthetists

–        Many psychiatric nurses

–        All advanced practice registered nurses

Though APRNs tend to make more than their undergraduate counterparts, advanced nursing degree programs aren’t just about career advancement. Many advanced degrees are intended to allow nurses to specialize in a specific area of medicine. So, for RNs with baccalaureate degrees, it usually makes sense to pursue an advanced degree if they want to enter forensics, oncology, or another specialized medical field.

Educational Standards and the Board of Nursing

Nurses have a legitimate gripe when it comes to their educational standards. The degree requirements for nurses change more often than just about any other profession.

All areas of nursing are governed on the state level by a state’s Board of Nursing. This is an organization that handles everything to do with nursing education, licensure, examinations, changes in legislation, approving nursing schools, and more. Recently, Boards of Nursing have been revising their educational requirements to make APRNs, like nurse practitioners, need doctorate degrees in order to practice. These changes are going to be coming into effect in just a few years, depending on the state, so a lot of students that don’t want to be forced to get doctorate degrees in nursing are trying to finish their master’s degree programs and be grandfathered in. Any student that isn’t close to finishing their master’s, and wants to become an APRN, should anticipate having to go back for their doctorate once these new changes are implemented.

Finding the Right Doctorate of Nursing Practice Programs

The Board of Nursing may sound like a pain for changing the educational standards for nurses, but they’re also your best friend when it comes to finding suitable doctorate of nursing practice programs. In order for nurses to be able to sit for their licensure examinations, they must graduate from a Board-approved nursing program. Unfortunately, not all schools can be trusted to be upfront about their nursing programs.

When it comes to the Board of Nursing, “approved” and “accredited” don’t always go hand in hand. There are some nursing degree programs that are not approved by the Board, and there are some schools that will claim to have Board approval, when they don’t. This means that the state Board of Nursing is every nursing student’s best friend when it comes to getting a comprehensive list of currently approved degree programs, including doctorate of nursing practice programs.

Why You Should Get a Doctorate of Nursing Practice

Doctorate of nursing practice programs are difficult and expensive, but they’re worth it in the end. Nurse practitioners can make up to $120,000 a year, and many other APRNs are able to net around $80,000-$90,000 on average.

The worldwide nursing shortage has also led to a serious dearth of nurses with advanced degree. Nursing students are encouraged to become registered nurses and enter the workforce, and not enough emphasis is placed on continuing their education and becoming nursing teachers. As a result, advanced degree nursing programs are often suspended or discontinued as schools scramble to find qualified teachers. By getting an advanced degree, you can function as either an advanced practice nurse, or a nursing educator, and help tackle the nursing shortage in a variety of ways.

Doctorate of nursing practice programs may not always be easy to find, but they’re worth seeking out. Nurses with advanced degrees earn more, have wider scopes of practice, and ca even have the flexibility to open their own practices if they so choose. With a nursing doctorate, your nursing career can take you anywhere you want to go.

Surgical Nurse Training

Surgical nurses operate in a very high-stress atmosphere, and surgical nurse training is designed to prepare them to deal with all of the things that can happen before, during, and after surgery. Surgical nurses are specialized nurses, so there aren’t generally programs that cater to producing surgical nurses alone. Instead, surgical nurse training builds on general nursing education, to product registered nurses that are capable of handling the emergencies that can arise during an operation.

Becoming a surgical nurse usually follows this progression:

– Nursing students receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and take the National Council of Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

– After registered nurses gain over 2,400 hours of clinical experience in a surgical setting, they are eligible to take a Certified Nurses in the Operating Room exam.

– After becoming a certified operating room nurse, surgical nurses may complete a registered nurse first assistant program, and take an RNFA exam.

Not all surgical nurses become registered nurse first assistants, but all RNFAs must be surgical nurses. The RNFA program provides another opportunity for continuing education and advancement for qualified operating room nurses.

Surgical Nurse Training Programs

There are a couple of different avenues that nursing students can follow to become surgical nurses, from starting out as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), to starting out as a registered nurse (RN). All of the different starting points require the nursing student to pass their NCLEX-RN, put in the requisite number of hours in an operating room, and take the CNOR exam. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses is an excellent resource for students looking for industry news, licensing and educational requirements, and job outlooks for operating room nurses. As always, a state’s Board of Nursing dictates what a surgical nurse’s scope of practice and continuing educational needs are, so they should be a nurse’s first stop when it comes to getting accurate information on surgical nurse training.

Surgical Nurse Scope of Practice

The term “surgical nursing” actually paints a variety of jobs with a pretty broad brush. Not all surgical nurses work in operating rooms- some work in laboratories, some work maintaining patient records, and some work in recovery rooms. In general, a surgical nurse’s scope of practice covers patient care before, during, and after surgery. Surgical nurses must monitor patients, see how well they respond to treatment, discuss potential changes in their plans of care with physicians, and do what needs to be done to ensure that they are able to recover well after surgery.

Why You Should Become a Surgical Nurse

Not everyone can handle the environment of working in an operating room. Not only is it fast paced and hectic at times, it can also expose nurses to a lot of things they wouldn’t have to see during their normal rounds as a hospital staff RN. If you have the drive and fortitude necessary to remain level headed in that kind of atmosphere, then becoming a surgical nurse may be right for you.

The nursing shortage is affecting every area of healthcare, but operating room nursing is one of the hardest hit. The average vacancy rate for surgical nursing positions is over 14%. This is bad enough as it is, but a study a few years ago discovered that surgical patients have a substantially better outlook if they are treated in hospitals with a high proportion of nurses with advanced degrees. This means that not only are more nurses needed in general, but more surgical nurses with advanced nursing degrees are needed in order to maintain acceptable patient survival rates. If you want to help save lives, and allow hospitals to keep caring for their patients, then becoming a surgical nurse may be the perfect career for you.

Surgical nursing isn’t easy, but the rewards are well worth the effort. The average annual salary for a surgical nurse is around $70,000, but most surgical nurses get involved in this career path for its own sake. By becoming an RN and undergoing surgical nurse training, you’ll be able to improve patient survival, and help hospitals provide care to greater numbers of people.

Postgraduate Nurse Training

Becoming a registered nurse (RN) usually requires a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) or an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN or ASN), but postgraduate nurse training can help take you even farther. There are plenty of career opportunities available for RNs and Licensed Practical Nurses, but a master’s (MSN) or doctoral degree (PhD or DNP) can allow you to practice in some very exciting areas of medicine.

With a postgraduate degree, you can become:

–        A nurse practitioner, so you can function as a primary care provider for your patients.

–        A nurse midwife, so you can provide care for women with low-risk pregnancies, and their newborn babies.

–        A certified registered nurse anesthetist, so you can safely provide anesthesia to patients during surgery.

–        A clinical nurse specialist, so you can improve patient care across an entire facility.

–        A nurse educator, so you can help schools graduate more nursing students.

These aren’t the only avenues open to nurses with advanced nursing degrees. For example, nurse practitioners can further specialize into areas like pediatrics, oncology, reproductive health, or critical care, nurse midwives can provide reproductive care to women from puberty to menopause, and nurse educators can also work as employee educators for healthcare facilities.

Postgraduate Nurse Training Programs and Licensing

Postgraduate degrees include master’s and doctoral degrees. Many states have different regulations regarding continuing education requirements for registered nurses, so it’s a good idea to see what your state’s Board of Nursing has to say on the subject. Some states may offer accelerated degree programs for nursing graduates that wish to become nurse educators, while others may offer specialized degrees for nurse practitioners that want to focus on one particular area of medicine. In general, postgraduate nursing students are registered nurses that have either obtained some clinical experience before enrolling in their advanced degree program, or who chose to further their education immediately after graduating with their bachelor’s or associate’s degree.

No matter which degree they obtain, all postgraduate nurses will still need to fulfill the examination and licensing requirements for their state before they can legally practice. This is true even if they move from one state to another after being licensed- unless they move between two states that abide by the Nurse Licesure Compact, they will have to reapply in their new state.

Postgraduate Programs and the Nursing Shortage

By the year 2020, it’s predicted that the world will be short in excess of 800,000 nurses. This is a mixed blessing for postgraduate nursing programs. The good news is that people with master’s or doctoral degrees in nursing are instrumental in helping hospitals and colleges reduce the nursing shortage, since they can go on to become nursing educators, continuing education providers, or nurses. The bad news is that large numbers of applicants to postgraduate nursing courses end up turned away, because there are simply not enough qualified educators available to teach all of them. So, if you choose to pursue postgraduate nurse training after becoming an RN, you may have a challenging time getting into a master’s or doctoral nursing program. On the other hand, if you do manage to make it into a postgraduate program, you will be able to take your pick from job offers once you graduate.

Why Postgraduate Nurse Training is Right for You

If you’re currently an RN and would like to specialize in one area of medicine, further your education, and improve your ability to help your patients, then postgraduate nursing programs may be ideal for you.

If you’re interested in nursing, but would like to follow a career path that takes you out of the usual hospitals and doctor’s offices, then a postgraduate nursing educator program may be the perfect choice for you.

Postgraduate nurse training can allow nurses to do more with their careers than a regular associate’s or bachelor’s degree can.  It can give them an education that’s on par with a doctor’s, or turn them into a university’s best weapon against the nursing shortage. Though it may not be easy for you to get into a postgraduate nurse training program, the end result of your master’s or doctorate in nursing will be well worth it.

Nurse Training Courses

There are almost as many types of nurse training courses as there are schools to teach them. Every state has its own Board of Nursing that handles subjects like educational requirements, licensing and certification, and regulation. Training programs for healthcare professionals can vary from state to state, and even vary depending on the type of nursing that’s being taught. If you know you want to enter the nursing profession, there are a lot of potential nursing career paths for you to consider.

These include:

–  Licensed practical nurses. These care for sick people, usually under the guidance of a registered nurse or physician.

– Registered nurses. These are a step above licensed practical nurses, and work to provide palliative and preventative care for patients and their families.

– Forensic nurses. These registered nurses care for victims of violent crime, including providing emergency health care and collecting evidence.

– Nurse midwives. These Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (or APRNs) care for women with low-risk pregnancies.

– Nursing educators. These nurses teach nursing students.

– Nurse practitioners. These APRNs can act as a patient’s primary care provider, in lieu of a doctor.

– Nurse anesthetists. These APRNs specialize in giving anesthesia during surgery.

–  Clinical nurse specialists. These APRNs work with other nurses, to improve their nursing practices.

Region-Specific Nurse Training Courses

Many nursing training programs also depend on what areas of a state need nurses the most. By the year 2020, experts predict that there will be a wordwide shortage of around 800,000 nurses. A lot of states are experiencing serious nursing shortages already. As a result, states with large rural or remote areas have developed nurse training courses that teach students the particulars of providing healthcare in a very rural area. This can be a godsend for these states, since these programs can turn out nurses that are fully prepared to work in the areas where they are needed the most.

Choosing a Nursing Program-Two Years, or Four?

In many states, nursing shortages aren’t caused by a lack of interest in nursing, they’re caused by school systems that are too antiquated and inefficient to turn out the number of nursing graduates that a state needs. As a result, you may find that the nursing program that you want to enroll in has a waiting list. In that case, your options are to wait, apply to an out-of-state school, or try a different in-state school. If you are interested in becoming a practical nurse, community colleges in your area may have approved two year degree programs that can help you.

Unfortunately, though a two year nursing program is the shortest one available, it often takes longer for these nurses to become licensed than it does for those with four year nursing degrees. If you’d like to become a registered or forensic nurse, you’re better off in a four year degree program. If you plan to become a nurse educator or some form of advanced practice nurse, you will need a post-graduate nursing degree. In many cases, degree programs are just starting points for nurses. Some career paths, like forensic nursing, require additional training in things like evidence handling and SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) coursework.

Incentives for Nursing Students

Some students are drawn to particular nurse training courses because of the incentives that they are offered. Many areas with nursing shortages will offer students scholarships, low interest loans, or loan forgiveness if they are willing to work in a needy area after graduation. Schools that need teachers often offer the same incentives to students willing to stay on as nursing educators. If you don’t have a particular nursing career path that calls to you, this is a great way to have a job waiting for you and be debt-free right after graduation.

For new nursing students, four years in approved nurse training courses can open the way for them to become whatever type of nurses they wish. Choosing the right nursing program can give you a lucrative career, take care of your student loans, and place you in an industry where you’ll always have a job available.

Nurse Educator Training

Nurse educator training gives nursing students a third option when it comes to choosing a career. Instead of picking a big, hectic hospital, or a small, private practice, nurse educators work in colleges to teach the next generation of nurses. Though it might not be what many students view themselves doing when they enroll in nursing school, the fact is that nursing educators are a valuable weapon against the worldwide nursing shortage.

This is true for a variety of reasons:

– In the past 12 months alone, schools turned away nearly 70,000 nursing students due to shortages in faculty and classroom space.

– In a recent survey from last year, 603 nursing schools reported 1,088 faculty vacancies.

– Many nursing educators are reaching retirement age, which means that there will be more vacancies unless schools are able to find qualified nurse educators to fill them.

– Two thirds of schools surveyed pointed to a lack of nurse educators as their primary reason for turning nursing students away.

– 69% of CEOs of teaching hospitals feel that faculty shortages are compromising the entire industry.

– Nurse educators are usually required to have master’s degrees, but the shortage of faculty able to teach at that level means that students are becoming nurses instead.

Without enough teachers, schools can’t graduate enough students. Without enough graduates, hospitals can’t fill the vacancies left behind by their retirement-aged nurses. Without enough nurses, hospitals must stretch their remaining staff thinner. The end result of a lack of nurse educators is seriously understaffed hospitals, compromises in patient care, and poor patient care outcomes.

Nurse Educator Training Requirements

Nurse educator training requirements vary pretty widely from state to state. In some areas, nurses with associate’s degrees are able to teach courses for licensed practical nurses, and provide continuing education to existing registered nurses. For the majority of schools, nurse educators will be required to have a master’s degree.

Nurse educators with clinical experience are particularly sought-after. This is especially true for states with a large population of urban residents living below the poverty line, or that have residents scattered over very remote areas. Schools in these states often seek to fight the nursing shortage by offering classes that teach nursing students the specifics of practicing in underserved urban or rural facilities, and teachers with practical experience are critical to their efforts.

Though they’re often more desirable, not all nurse educators need clinical experience in order to teach. In order to help produce more qualified faculty members, some schools have instituted degree programs that are specifically for nurse educators. The degree of education that a nurse educator is required to have is outlined by their state’s Nurse Practice Act, which also defines their scope of practice.

Nurse Educator Scope of Practice

Nurse educators teach both nursing students and graduated nurses. They must design and implement curricula that are in line with the educational standards put forth by their state’s Board of Nursing, and can teach in either a classroom or clinical setting. They may work in universities, technical schools, teaching hospitals, or as employee educators in healthcare facilities. All of these institutions may have specific job requirements above and beyond the basic nurse educator training described in the Nurse Practice Act, depending on their needs.

Why You Should Become a Nurse Educator

Nurse educators can become teachers without having to set foot in a hospital. If the field of nursing fascinates you, but you aren’t up to the challenges posed by working in a clinical setting, then becoming a nurse educator may be right for you.

The salary for a nurse educator goes from $46,000 to $93,000. This makes it a very lucrative option for a lot of nursing students. If you live in a state where practicing nurses are paid less than the national average, then becoming a nurse educator may be more worthwhile for you.

Lastly, the world is suffering from a serious shortage of nurses, and it’s only going to get worse if something isn’t done about it. With the majority of nursing schools already being forced to turn students away, it’s evident that this trend can’t be allowed to continue if hospitals are going to stay in business. If you want to help save millions of lives through your students, then enrolling in nurse educator training may be right for you.

Neonatal Nurse Education and Training

Neonatal nurse education and training prepares nurses to work with the youngest of the young. Most of their patients are under a month old, and many of them have special needs.

The areas of a nursery are divided up based on the type of care that newborns require:

– Babies in Level I are generally healthy newborns. These are babies that are just waiting to be discharged.

– Babies in Level II are somewhat premature, or may be mildly ill at birth. These are babies that may require monitoring, or some special treatment before they can be discharged.

–  Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit are severely premature, seriously ill, or suffer from serious birth defects. These babies require medical intervention if they are to survive. The majority of their medical care providers are neonatal nurses, which make up around 90% of the NICU’s total staff.

Not all neonatal nurses will work in all three areas. Level I nurseries are being phased out in many hospitals, leaving only Level II and the NICU.

Neonatal Nurse, or Nurse Midwife?

It’s extremely easy to confuse neonatal nurses with nurse midwives. Both of them help educate parents and care for babies shortly after delivery, but neonatal nurse education and training isn’t the same as that required for nurse midwives. This means that their scope of practice is not the same, and their licensing requirements also vary accordingly.

Neonatal Nurse Education and Scope of Practice

Neonatal nurses are required to be registered nurses, which means that they must have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, and have passed the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (or NCLEX-RN). To work in a NICU, neonatal nurses must be certified Neonatal Resuscitation Providers. After obtaining some experience caring for high-risk babies, neonatal nurses may wish to continue their education and specialize as Neonatal Nursing Practitioners. This requires a master’s degree, though neonatal nurses with advanced degrees can also obtain a post-graduate Neonatal Nursing Practitioner Certificate.

Neonatal nurses are responsible for caring for babies shortly after birth. In the Level II and NICU settings, they may be newborns’ primary caregivers until they are discharged. They also help educate new parents on how to care for their newborns, and how to interact with them if they must remain in the NICU.

Nurse Midwife Education and Scope of Practice

The neonatal nurse’s counterpart is the certified nurse midwife. A certified nurse midwife is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, which means that he or she is a registered nurse that has a master’s degree or post-graduate certificate in nurse midwifery.

Nurse midwives are responsible for caring for women with low-risk pregnancies, and their healthy babies. They may attend births in hospitals, birthing centers, or in patients’ homes. They may also order diagnostic procedures, prescribe medication, and provide reproductive care to women during their childbearing years. In many states, they can perform all of the duties of an obstetrician or gynecologist, with the exception of surgical procedures.

Why You Should Become a Neonatal Nurse

Overall, the outlook for high-risk pregnancies and ill or premature babies is improving, but there’s still a long way to go. In last year alone, over 18,000 babies died within their first month of life. Though prematurity and congenital malformations account for a large number of deaths, many children die of infections or other preventable conditions. In the future, good neonatal nursing and adequate parental education may be able to avoid those preventable infant deaths.

Neonatal nursing is rapidly becoming more diverse, as well. Years ago, it was virtually impossible to find a male neonatal nurse or nurse midwife. Now, male neonatal nurses make up about 3% (and counting) of the neonatal nursing population.

Neonatal nursing and nurse midwifery both pay well, too. The average neonatal nurse practitioner or nurse midwife in the U.S. makes over $90,000 annually. This doesn’t count incentives like sign-on bonuses or student loan forgiveness programs.

Neonatal nursing may be tough, but it’s worth it to see healthy, happy babies go home with their parents. If you want to help make a difference in the lives of parents and their newborns, then enrolling in neonatal nurse education and training may be the right path for you.

Nursing Diploma vs. Nursing Degree

The terms “Diploma” and “Degree” are used almost interchangeably in some contexts, but nursing isn’t one of them. A nursing diploma vs. nursing degree is a day or night difference, for some nurses.

Some of the major differences between a nursing diploma and a nursing degree include:

–        The amount of time they take. A nursing diploma generally comes from a shorter program than a nursing degree.

–        How much they cost. Shorter diploma programs are generally somewhat less expensive.

–        Who runs them. Diploma programs are usually run by teaching hospitals, while degree programs are run by colleges or universities.

–        How they transfer. Diploma programs generally cannot transfer to colleges or universities, though there are some exceptions. Degree programs generally can.

–        Continuing education prospects. Some continuing education programs for nurses will take RNs or LPNs with diplomas, others will require a bachelor’s degree or better.

–        Job prospects. Although both nursing diplomas and nursing degrees qualify nursing students to sit for their NCLEX-RN, the sad fact is that many employers end up giving preference to students with one or the other.

How Do I Know Which is Right for Me?

If you’re struggling with the question of obtaining a nursing diploma vs. nursing degree, your first step should be to contact your state’s Board of Nursing. The Board of Nursing is an organization that governs educational standards, licensure, and other critical aspects of the nursing industry. They will be able to provide you with lists of approved nursing programs in your state, and may be able to give you some information on financial aid, as well.

You will need to graduate from a Board-approved nursing program in order to be able to take your licensure examination to become an RN. If you don’t see any nursing degree programs in your area on the Board’s list, then it may be easier for you to go through a diploma program offered by a local hospital.

If you know that being an RN is not your end goal for your career, and you would rather become an advanced practice registered nurse, nurse educator, or nursing informatics specialist, then you should get a degree instead of a diploma. Some diploma credits transfer, but not all of them do. A bachelor’s degree may make it easier for you to continue your education later on.

Lately, the trend is to choose job applicants with more education, which favors nurses with degrees. This is especially true for things like management and leadership positions. If you do want to remain an RN, but career advancement is still important to you, then it’s worth your while to get a nursing degree instead of a diploma.

Who Offers Nursing Diploma and Degree Programs?

Which schools offers which degree program is a function of your State’s Board of Nursing’s requirements for nursing education. States that only require nurses to have a diploma or better to become RNs or LPNs may have degrees offered by community colleges. Michigan, for example, has a long list of associate’s degree programs for RNs from schools like ITT, Mid Michigan Community College, and Northwestern Community College, as well as BSN programs offered by schools like Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. Nursing students can take their NCLEX-RN and become registered nurses with a degree from any of these schools. They also have schools that offer certificates (not degrees) for any student who wants to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), but no diploma programs for RN professionals.

In terms of nursing diplomas, some programs are affiliated with schools, and some are not. New York has a nursing diploma program run out of the Arnot-Ogden Medical Center that is affiliated with the University of the State of New York, for example, which makes it easier for students to continue their education beyond the diploma level. San Antonio, Texas, has a vocational/practical nurse diploma program, which is run completely out of Kaplan College.

The nursing diploma vs. nursing degree question continues, especially as most states’ Boards of Nursing continue to tighten their educational requirements for nurses. For some students, diplomas are better. For others, the reverse is true. Ultimately, the choice of which one is right for you depends on a lot of different factors, all of which have to be carefully weighed before you can make an informed decision about which nursing program you want to enroll in.

Nursing Degrees in Michigan

There are a lot of avenues for students to get nursing degrees in Michigan. All of these schools are subject to approval by the State Board of Nursing, so not every college in Michigan is capable of turning out licensure-ready Registered Nurses (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).

As of this writing, the nursing schools in Michigan that currently have the Board’s approval for nursing baccalaureate (BSN) programs are:

–        Andrews University Department of Nursing

–        Calvin College Department of Nursing

–        Davenport University, Grand Rapids, Midland, and Warren

–        Eastern Michigan University School of Nursing

–        Finlandia University School of Nursing

–        Grand Valley State University’s Kirkhof School of Nursing

–        Hope College Department of Nursing

–        Lake Superior State University Department of Nursing

–        Madonna University Department of Nursing

–        Michigan State University Department of Nursing

–        Northern Michigan University Department of Nursing

–        Oakland University Department of Nursing

–        Rochester College Department of Nursing

–        Saginaw Valley State University Crystal M. Lange College of Nursing and Health Services

–        Siena Heights University School of Nursing

–        University of Detroit-Mercy McAuley School of Nursing

–        University of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing

–        University of Michigan-Ann Arbor School of Nursing

–        Wayne State University College of Nursing

–        Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing

These are all of the schools currently offering Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs in Michigan (MI) that allow nursing students to take the NCLEX-RN upon graduation, but this list is subject to change as schools gain or lose their Board-approved status. Though registered nurses don’t yet require a BSN to become licensed in Michigan, the nursing industry is currently working on tightening its educational standards, so a BSN may become a requirement in the future.

Right now, there are several community colleges that offer associate’s degrees (ADN/ASN/AASN) for registered nurses, including Alpena Community College, various Baker College campuses, Grand Rapids Community College, St. Clair County Community College, Schoolcraft College, Southwestern Michigan College, Washtenaw Community College, Wayne County Community College, and West Shore Community College, among others. These schools may present good alternatives for students that end up stuck on a waiting list for the four year nursing program of their choice.

There are also several nursing doctoral degrees for those wanting Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD in Nursing Degrees in Michigan. Programs at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University nursing schools are just two examples.

Michigan‘s Board of Nursing

Michigan’s Board of Nursing is a part of the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory affairs. It governs educational requirements, licensing and examinations, license renewal regulations, and determines which of Michigan’s nursing degree programs meet its criteria.

Anyone looking to pursue nursing degrees in Michigan absolutely must make the Board of Nursing their first stop. By contacting the Board, they can get lists of all of Michigan’s currently approved nursing degree programs, organizations that offer financial aid to nursing students, and the criteria that they will have to meet in order to take their licensing examinations, like the NCLEX-RN.

Don’t Get Scammed by Fake Degree Programs

When it comes to programs that are approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing, students need to exercise due caution. Contacting the Board for their specific list of approved programs is crucial, because there is absolutely nothing stopping a school from misrepresenting their nursing programs as approved to unwitting students. Unfortunately, in cases like this, it’s “caveat emptor”- it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he or she is signing up for an approved program before they enroll. If they do not graduate from an approved program, or end up graduating from one that they were only told was approved, they cannot take their licensure examination, and can not practice in the state of Michigan.

Unfortunately, “accredited” doesn’t always equal “approved.” It’s possible for an accredited school to offer a nursing education program that is not approved by the Board. Many people make the false assumption that accredited and approved are synonymous, and get burned when they aren’t able to become licensed afterward.

It’s important for more people to pursue nursing degrees in Michigan if Michigan is going to stay ahead of the nursing shortage. Expert predict that there’s going to be a shortage of around 580,000 nurses in the U.S. alone by 2018, which makes good nursing programs more important than ever. By enrolling in one of Michigan’s many nursing schools, students can get a quality background in nursing theory and clinical practice, and pass their NCLEX-RN.

Nursing Degrees in Colorado

The state of Colorado has a hard time staffing all of their medical centers. Being a state that is very popular with tourist  means that their hospitals and clinics have to cope with extra strain during vacation season, and the state’s geography poses a challenge when it comes to the logistics of reaching students seeking nursing degrees in Colorado, placing teachers, and luring new graduates out to the areas of the state where nurses are needed the most.

Though Colorado is a good-sized state, it doesn’t have as many Board of Nursing-approved programs as more populated areas do. Schools that currently have approval for licensed practical nursing (LPN) programs include:

–        Concorde Career College

–        Community College of Denver

–        Delta Montrose Technical College

–        Emily Griffith Opportunity School

–        Front Range Community College

–        Northeastern Junior College

–        Pueblo Community College

For baccalaureate degree programs (Bachelors of Science in Nursing) , the following Nursing Schools in Colorado have full Board approval:

–        Colorado Mesa University

–        Colorado State University

–        Metropolitan State College of Denver

–        SON at Platt College

–        Regis University

–        University of Colorado Denver College of Nursing

–        University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

–        University of Northern Colorado

Some practical nursing (PN, LPN) and baccalaureate programs (BSN), like those offered by Pickens Community College, Denver School of Nursing, and Adams State College, currently only have interim or conditional approval by the Board. Interim approval is for schools that have not yet graduated their first nursing class. Conditional approval is for schools that currently have deficiencies that need to be corrected. For the sake of clarity, schools without full, current Board of Nursing approval were omitted.

Some of the schools above also offer DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) and PhD in Nursing degrees.

Colorado‘s Board of Nursing

What does the Board of Nursing do? Colorado’s Board of Nursing is a portion of their Department of Regulatory Agencies. This organization is responsible for approving and enforcing educational requirements, licensing, examination, changes in legislature, and other subjects related to nurses and nursing degrees in Colorado. This includes determining which of Colorado’s nursing programs are suitable for approval.

The Colorado Board of Nursing should be a prospective nursing student’s first contact, even before they ever turn in a college application. The Board can give students important information on which schools are worth applying to, which examinations they will have to pass, and which financial aid programs they may qualify for. Since Colorado’s list of approved nursing programs is subject to change as new schools gain approval and existing schools lose it, it’s important for prospective nursing students to contact the Board of Nursing for a full, up-to-date listing of approved schools.

Don’t Be Taken in By Degree Scams

Nursing program approval is never straightforward. All nurses must pass licensure examinations, like the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, in order to be able to practice nursing legally. What type of nurse they are depends on the extent of their education, and which licensure examination they take. This determines what scope of practice they can follow, be it that for a licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), or other type of nurse. Without a passing exam grade, nurses can’t get licenses. Without licenses, they can’t practice.

Therefore, in order to even be able to take nursing license exams, students must first have graduated from a nursing program approved by the Colorado Board of Nursing. This sounds simple enough, but the unfortunate issue is that students can’t trust schools when it comes to fully disclosing whether or not they have Board of Nursing (BoN) approval. Approval and accreditation don’t always go hand in hand, and it is the student who will end up losing out if they mistakenly take an unapproved nursing course. Graduates from these courses cannot take licensing exams, and thus end up with nursing degrees that they can’t ever use. Some schools may even claim to be approved when they aren’t, which is why getting the Board of Nursing’s list of approved schools first is so important.

Getting nursing degrees in Colorado is a little bit more of a challenge than it is in some other states, but it’s worth it. Colorado hospitals are always in need of new graduate nurses, and they’re willing to pay extremely well to get them. New nursing graduates with licenses can get generous sign-on bonuses, competitive annual salaries, and excellent benefits packages.

Nursing Degrees in California

Every nursing program is governed by its state’s particular rules and regulations, and getting nursing degrees in California (CA) is no exception. The California Board of Nursing is any California nursing student’s first stop before they enroll in a nursing program.

The Board can give them information on:

–        Approved registered nursing and advanced practice registered nursing programs.

–        Pass rates.

–        Financial aid schemes.

–        Licensure and examinations.

–        Disciplinary actions.

–        Legislative updates.

Since getting nursing degrees in California isn’t like getting nursing degrees in other states, students should always become intimately familiar with the Board of Nursing, and what kind of information it can give them.

California Nursing Schools

Students pursuing associate’s degrees (ADN/ASN/AASN) can choose from public colleges like American River College in Sacramento, City College of San Francisco in San Francisco, and Los Angeles Trade-Tech College in Los Angeles, among others. There are also plenty of private nursing schools that offer two year nursing programs, like Sacramento’s Carrington College.

California doesn’t have as many four year nursing schools as they do two year schools, but they still offer plenty. Students looking for public schools with baccalaureate nursing degree programs (BSN) can go to California State University in Bakersfield, Channel Islands, Chico, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, North Ridge, Sacramento, San Bernadino, San Marcos, or Stanislaus, for example. Private four year schools include National University in San Diego, and University of Phoenix at Modesto in Salida.

Students looking for entry level master’s in nursing programs (MSN) can turn to public schools like California State University, San Francisco State University, or Sonoma State University. There are also several private schools with approved entry level master’s degree programs, like the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

These are just some examples of all of the nursing schools in California. It’s possible for schools to gain or lose Board approval, so for more information on nursing schools in your area, you should contact the Board of Nursing for an up-to-date list of nursing schools in schools that currently meet their approval criteria, as well as which schools only admit Licensed Vocational Nurses, and which have accelerated degree programs.

Fewer schools offer Doctoral level nursing programs like those that award Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or PhD in Nursing degrees.

Approved Nursing Degree Programs in California- Beware of Fake Nursing Degree Programs

Not all nursing programs in California will allow students to take licensure examinations after graduation. Even some accredited institutions may offer nursing degrees that are not in line with the Board of Nursing’s educational guidelines, thus the Board will not allow graduates from those programs to sit for their examinations. This is true even if the student was essentially lied to by their school- even if the program claimed to have been approved by the Board of Nursing, it is up to the student to verify that claim with the Board prior to enrollment.

Any unapproved classes that are taken as part of a nursing degree program will not be counted, and students will need to re-take them in an approved setting before they can be allowed to take the NCLEX-RN. Without passing this examination and getting a nursing license, nursing graduates can’t practice.

Paying for Nursing School in California

There are several different financial aid programs available to California nursing students. The Nursing Scholarship Program offers some tuition money to registered nurses that are willing to put in at least two years working for an understaffed medical facility after graduation. “Taking Care of California,” offered by ALL Student Loan, is a loan forgiveness program designed to encourage more students to enter nursing programs. The Health Professions Education Foundation offers both scholarships and loan repayment schemes to nursing students who are willing to work in understaffed hospitals in rural or urban areas of California. There are many other loan and scholarship programs other than these, and the Board of Nursing can provide a comprehensive list of them.

California is hurting for nurses, so the state has made every effort to help students pay for their educations, and avoid being waitlisted for nursing degrees in California. The state has a very long list of approved RN and continuing education programs, so students should be able to find one that fits their needs.

Masters Degree in Psychiatric Nursing

A master’s degree in psychiatric nursing prepares nurses to handle some of the most challenging patients out there- the mentally ill. Nurses that go into psychiatric nursing can handle patients of all ages, and focus on dispensing psychiatric medication, coping with difficult behavior, and learning to interface with their patients.

Though many nurses, from licensed practical nurses all the way to advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), can work with psychiatric patients, a masters degree in psychiatric nursing allows APRNs to:

–        Assess and diagnose patients.

–        Create a mental care plan for their patients.

–        Prescribe medication (in most states, though regulations may vary).

–        Act as individual, family, and group counselors in a variety of settings.

–        Practice independently, or as part of a mental healthcare team.

In essence, these APRNs can perform most of the functions that a psychiatrist can, depending on the state in which he or she is licensed.

Obtaining a Masters Degree in Psychiatric Nursing

Psychiatric nurses with masters degrees are advanced practice registered nurses, which means that they must first start out as registered nurses. This can be by getting an associates degree in nursing and passing the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses before going back to school for a bachelors degree, and then the masters in psychiatric nursing. It can also be accomplished by getting a bachelor’s degree, passing the NCLEX-RN, and then going back to school for their masters degree.

After obtaining their masters degree in psychiatric nursing, some APRNs choose to go back to school again for a doctoral degree. By the year 2015, this will become a requirement to become a psychiatric nurse, so students who are not yet close to obtaining their masters should anticipate having to continue on to their doctorates afterward.

Once psychiatric nurses have completed their educational requirements, they can be board certified and given the right credentials to prescribe psychiatric medication to patients.

Psychiatric Nurses versus Psychiatrists

Psychiatric nurses are comparable to psychiatrists, but the emphasis with nursing is usually on non-medication approaches to healing. Psychiatric nurses may use more physiotherapy, psychosocial interventions, spiritual interventions, or other non-drug means to help psychiatric patients control their behavior and learn coping mechanisms for their condition. If necessary, APRNs can prescribe psychoactive medication as part of their patients’ care plans.

Psychiatric nurses may work in hospitals to help patients experiencing nervous breakdowns, or other crises. They may also work with patients individually, in private settings, as community mental health nurses. Some choose to go into forensic psychiatric nursing in prisons or medium-to-high-security hospitals, and work with mentally ill people who have committed some sort of crime.

Psychiatric Nurses and the Board of Nursing

As APRNs, all psychiatric nurses are governed by the Board of Nursing for the state in which they practice. The Board of Nursing covers things like entry requirements, continuing educational standards, licensure, scopes of practice, and more. It is the first place that any new nursing student or existing nurse should go for information on anything nursing-related. Students that want to find an approved nursing program should contact the Board for a list of them. Many colleges offer nursing programs (even advanced degrees) that aren’t approved, and are thus useless for nurses that want to be able to practice after graduation.

The Board of Nursing is also a disciplinary organization. It can suspend or revoke licenses of nurses that work outside of their scopes of practice, and also handles patients complaints. Though psychiatric nurses have a pretty broad scope of practice, it’s still important for them to avoid doing anything that falls out of the scope defined by the Board of Nursing.

Psychiatric nursing is a challenging degree program that may not always be easy to get into, but obtaining a  masters degree in psychiatric nursing is always worthwhile. With good psychiatric nurses, people can get the long-term mental care that they need to remain functioning members of society, elderly people suffering from dementia can pass their golden years peacefully, and prisons coping with mentally ill criminals can help lower their rates of recidivism.

Masters Degree in Nursing Requirements

Masters degrees allow nurses to expand their scope of practice, and even specialize in one of many new, exciting areas of nursing. Masters degree in nursing requirements are similar to requirements for other masters degree programs, with a few interesting twists.

These include:

–        Students pursuing a master’s degree in nursing must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and be a registered nurse.

–        Although students of diploma or associates degree programs may also be considered registered nurses after passing their licensure exams, they are not eligible to continue on to a masters degree in nursing.

–        Students who have obtained a bachelor’s degree in another discipline may enter an accelerated nursing program to get their second bachelors, and then continue on to obtain their masters degree in nursing.

–        Students who already have a masters degree in nursing can obtain a post masters certificate, which allows them to specialize without having to go through a second masters degree program.

Masters Degrees and the Board of Nursing

Every state has a Board of Nursing, though its exact name may vary. This organization is the governing body for all things nursing related, from education to licensure. Students looking for approved masters degree programs should contact their state’s Board for a list.

Because the nursing industry is currently suffering from a lack of qualified, masters level nurses, many states have special financial aid schemes set up for students pursuing advanced nursing degrees. If you’re contemplating going back to school for your nursing masters, it may be worthwhile to contact your state’s Board of Nursing, and see what tuition help may be available to you.

Going Beyond an RN With a Masters Degree in Nursing

There are several ways to enter the nursing profession, but the easiest one for students that plan to pursue advanced degrees is to either get an associates degree in nursing, become an RN, and return to school for a bachelors, or to get a bachelors degree in nursing from the get-go. Both of these paths allow nursing students to meet masters degree in nursing requirements.

After getting their bachelors, students can choose how they want their nursing career to progress- do they want to open their own practice as a nurse practitioner? Would they like to focus on working with the mentally ill as a psychiatric nurse? Would they like to focus on helping the victims of violent crime with a forensic nursing degree program? For a lot of nurses, becoming an RN are just a starting point, and a masters degree program is where things get interesting.

Is a Masters Degree in Nursing Worth it?

Masters degree programs can be long, expensive, and (due to a shortage of qualified nurse educators) difficult to find and get into. So, after an extra two years of school, tens of thousands of dollars, and months of waiting, is a nursing masters degree worth it all? The answer is generally yes.

As a byproduct of the nursing shortage, and the emphasis on pumping out licensed practical nurses and registered nurses, nurses with masters degrees aren’t always easy to find. As a result, they can command high salaries. Psychiatric nurses can earn up to $90,000 annually, while nurse practitioners can earn up to $120,000. They also help to fight the nursing shortage in their own way- nurses with masters degrees can essentially choose whether they want to be practicing nurses, or nurse educators. Nurse educators are in extremely high demand right now, as more and more schools struggle with getting new nursing students off of waiting lists, and into classrooms.

Unfortunately, a masters degree isn’t always going to be enough. New standards being put through in many states will raise the minimum education level for advanced practitioner registered nurses to a doctorate. So, nurses that wish to pursue their masters degrees should do so as soon as possible, so they have the chance to be grandfathered in when the new standards are made official.

Masters degree in nursing requirements are strict, but they’re necessary to make sure that only the most dedicated, qualified students can take advantage of these programs. With a masters degree, nursing students can take their nursing careers in any direction they’d like to go.

Masters Degree in Nursing Administration

Some people pursue nursing degrees so they can take an active role in bedside patient care. Others pursue a master’s degree in nursing administration so they can help improve a facility’s standard of patient care by acting in an administrative capacity.

Though all nurse administrators are nurses, there are a couple of other duties that fall to them:

–        Creating budgets for their nursing departments, and developing plans to make sure they stick to them.

–        Acting as an interface between nurses and other healthcare professionals in a facility.

–        Ordering new supplies.

–        Policy-making for their nursing departments.

–        Delegating duties to the nurses on their staff.

–        Maintaining records for patients, billing, and ordering.

Even though a nurse administrator has the same background in nursing as any other nurse, a nurse administrator may find him or herself spending more time doing paperwork and ensuring that things are running smoothly than actually seeing patients. Other careers for a graduate with a Masters Degree in Nursing Administration include being a Clinical Nursing Manager, Health Information Manager, Nurse Manager , Hospital Nursing Administrator and a Nurse Executive. Typically, graduates will be awarded either a Master of Science in Nursing Administration (MS in Nursing Administration) Degree or a
Master of Arts in Nursing Administration (MA in Nursing Administration) Degree.

Typical courses in these Nursing Administration Masters Degrees include Advanced Nursing Theory, Nursing Leadership, Financial Management, Nursing Research and Advanced Nursing Administration

Obtaining a Masters Degree in Nursing Administration

To get a masters degree in nursing administration, nurses must already have a bachelors degree in nursing, and have passed their National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. After that, they can enroll in a masters degree program to become nurse administrators.

After graduating with a masters degree, nurse administrators must sit for a licensure exam in the state in which they will be practicing. They may also choose to become a Certified Nurse Administrator through the American Nurse Credentialing Center. This is not required, but may make new nurse administrators more marketable to prospective employers.

Nurse Administrators and the Nursing Shortage

There’s a worldwide shortage of nurses going on, and it’s pretty bad. Experts predict that, by 2020, we will need anywhere from 800,000-1 million more nurses just to cover the demand. In the U.S. alone, we’re going to need an extra 580,000 nurses. Most of these are required to help tend patients, so hospitals don’t have to resort to things like mandatory overtime, cutbacks in bedside care, and reducing the number of patients they can serve at a time. Since it seems to be patient-tending registered nurses that are needed the most, how will this shortage affect nurse administrators? The answer is- a lot.

One of the biggest reasons why hospitals need more nurses is because their patient load is steadily increasing, while their staff is not. More people are alive now than at any point in history, and they’re living longer than every before. As hospitals require more nurses, they will also require more administrative staff to help manage those nurses. As a result, job prospects for nurse administrators are very strong, and likely to become even stronger in the future.

Other Reasons to Become a Nurse Administrator

If the nursing profession fascinates you, but you enjoy the administrative aspect of healthcare more, then a career in nursing administration may be the perfect balance for you.

Nurse administrators generally make very good salaries, depending on the state they work in, and what kind of health care facility they are employed by. On average, nurse administrators bring home between $60,000 and $90,000 annually, which makes nursing administration a pretty lucrative career path for nursing graduates.

The healthcare industry is hurting for nurses with advanced degrees of any kind. Since the emphasis has been on turning out hospital staff nurses for a long time, many schools lack the experienced nursing educators they need to teach graduate-level programs. As a result, nursing students with masters or doctorates are in high demand. It may make it tougher for students to get into a good masters in nursing administration program, but the end result will be well worth it.

Even though they don’t work directly with patients as much as registered or licensed practical nurses do, nurse administrators are a vital part of a hospital’s staff. If you enjoy nursing, but would like to advance your career in a more managerial direction, then obtaining a masters degree in nursing administration may be the first step towards a long, fulfilling career for you.

How Long Does a Nursing Degree Take?

One of the first things any prospective college student wants to know is how long it’ll be before they can graduate and get to work, and nursing students are no exception. So, how long does a nursing degree take? The short answer is, it depends.

There are three different routes of entry into a nursing career, and this is only for basic nursing:

–        Students can get nursing diplomas through a teaching hospital, which takes between two to three years.

–        Students can obtain associates’ degrees through a community college, technical college, or vocational school, which takes between eighteen months to two years.

–        Students can go for bachelors’ degrees through a college or university, which takes about four years (less for returning students enrolled in accelerated degree programs)

All of these routes will set students up to become either licensed practical nurses or registered nurses, depending on their states’ regulations. In every case, they will still need to sit for their National Council Licensure Examinations before they can practice.

Going Beyond a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN)

In some cases, students may wish to continue their nursing education to graduate and post-graduate programs. In that case, their nursing degrees can progress like this:

–        Students can go from having four year bachelors’ degrees, to getting their master’s in nursing (MSN) in subjects like nursing education or nursing administration. This takes another two years or so, for about six years total.

–        Students can then go on to obtain their doctorates’ (DNP or PhD in Nursing), to become advanced practice registered nurses (APRN). This takes about another two years, for a total of eight to ten years.

–        Students may also enroll in one of dozens of different continuing education programs, to allow them to further specialize their nursing education. This can take between thirty hours, to over a hundred, spaced out over a number of months.

Is More Education Always Better?

A lot of people have become convinced that a higher degree is always better, but that may not necessarily be the case. Students who wish to become, and stay, registered nurses can easily get by with a bachelor’s degree. In most cases, it doesn’t really pay to get anything less than that- though nursing diploma programs and associates’ degrees are both acceptable entry points into nursing, more and more employers are insisting on bachelors’ degrees for their new hires.

Nursing students should also be aware that educational requirements for them are constantly in flux, so what is considered a sufficient degree today may not be a few years from now. How long does a nursing degree take to fall out of favor? That varies. Some employers still prefer diploma program nurses over other nurses because of their programs’ greater emphasis on clinical practice, while others do not. For the most accurate picture of what kind of education is required for nursing jobs in their areas, nursing students should contact their states’ Boards of Nursing for industry information and educational requirements.

How to Speed Up Your Nursing Degree

If nursing degrees seem like they take a lot of time to you, there are ways you can try to speed up the process. For one, if you already have a bachelor’s degree in another subject, or you’ve taken liberal arts classes for another major, see if your school will offer you entry into an accelerated degree program. These programs are shorter than a traditional BSN, but offer the same core classes. They are intended for students pursuing nursing as a second career.

If you are still in high school, consider taking Advanced Placement coursework. Getting a good score on AP tests is a great way to waive certain college courses. This can help you get rid of some liberal arts classes for your nursing major, though it won’t waive any of your core coursework.

How long does a nursing degree take? It depends on the student, and the degree itself. It might seem like a long time before you’re able to graduate, but today’s nursing programs are designed to pack a lot of information into a short period of time. Don’t rush through your degree program- take your time to do well, and you’ll have a much easier time, a higher GPA, and a better chance of being accepted into a graduate nursing program.

Forensic Nursing Degrees

Forensic nursing degrees are one of the most important degree programs a nurse can choose to enter. These nurses help provide emotional support to victims of crime, medically stabilize them, and help with evidence collection.

Most forensic nurses work with victims of rape and other types of sexual assault, but there are several other roles that forensic nurses can play, such as:

–        Domestic violence nurses, for men and women suffering from abuse from a partner.

–        Child abuse and neglect nurses, for children who are being abused by their caretakers.

–        Death investigation nurses, to investigate deaths believed to be caused by foul play.

–        Elder abuse nurses, for elderly patients who are being abused by their caretakers.

–        Corrections nurses, for prisoners.

–        Emergency services nurses, who work with EMTs and in emergency rooms.

–        Mental health nurses, for patients in mental health facilities.

–        Public health nurses.

Though most forensic nurses start out as sexual assault examiners, they can end up working with a variety of victims of abuse, neglect, assault, and even murder.

How to Become a Forensic Nurse

Forensic nurses are registered nurses, which means that prospective forensic nurses must first obtain a nursing degree (usually a bachelor’s degree), then take their National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. After they pass their NCLEX-RN, they make take a forty hour long Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (or SANE) class, and perform forty hours of clinical work. Alternatively, they can take a Death Investigator course, if their state has one available. They may then pass a certification examination. There are actually two types of SANEs- SANE-As specialize in working with adult and elderly victims, while SANE-Ps work with adolescents and young children who have been abused, neglected, or assaulted. This is the most common way that nurses become forensic nurses.

Some nursing students get their bachelor’s in nursing, then go back to school to get advanced forensic nursing degrees. This may not be an option for all nurses, however, since not all schools have approved graduate nursing programs that specialize in forensics. When it is available, it’s a very good option that may give forensic nurses a stronger background in things like counseling, and greater job flexibility.

Forensic nursing is governed by each state’s Board of Nursing, just like all other nursing is. As a result, each state may have somewhat different requirements for what RNs must do in order to become certified forensic nurses. If you are considering any nursing career path, including forensic nursing, your first step should be to contact your state’s Board of Nursing for a list of approved nursing degree programs, educational requirements, examination requirements, and nursing-specific financial aid programs.

Forensic Nursing Schools

To get their forensic nursing certification, students can either attend an actual brick and mortar school, or enroll in an online degree program. Fairleigh Dickinson University, in New Jersey, offers a campus based MSN program that allows students to become forensic nurses, as does Xavier University in Ohio. As far as online forensic nursing programs go, Kaplan University has an online program that allows nurses to graduate with a forensic nursing certificate. The University of North Dakota also has an online program, but this school graduates online forensic nursing students with an MA in forensic psychology. Other online forensic programs, like those offered by the University of California and Fitchburg State University graduate students with MSNs that offer a forensic focus. It should be noted that certificates and degrees from these schools aren’t the same as SANE certification, and nurses who graduate from these programs will still need to follow the steps to become SANEs or Death Examiners.

Many cases of abuse and neglect go unreported until it’s much to late, either because the victim is ashamed of themselves, or afraid of their attacker. Well-educated forensic nurses can tell which injuries are accidents, and which are abuse, and can help establish a trusting dialogue with frightened patients to encourage them to tell the truth about the source of their injuries. Forensic nursing is one of the fastest growing fields for registered nurses, and forensic nursing degrees are an excellent way to get into this fascinating, vitally important area of healthcare and victim advocacy.

Distance Learning Nursing Degrees

Every day, colleges and universities are working with their home states to devise distance learning nursing degrees, accelerated nursing programs, and other measures that will help them turn out larger numbers of qualified nursing graduates. The healthcare industry is reaching a crisis point when it comes to nurses, as the current nursing population nears retirement and not enough new nurses are there to replace them. Estimates peg the nursing shortage to be anywhere between 800,000 to 1 million nurses by 2015.

There are several reasons why not enough new nurses are coming down the pipeline, including:

–        Miscommunication between the healthcare industry and the public.

–        Antiquated school systems that are only able to serve a limited number of students.

–        Students being put on waiting lists for classes.

–        Students being unable to afford high tuition costs.

–        A lack of qualified nursing educators to staff overcrowded classrooms.

Most of these aren’t anyone’s fault, and have simply arisen because of a complex interplay of factors like the age of the current nursing population, the fact that more people choose to become nurses than nurse educators, and the fact that the age at which advanced degree nurses are entering the workforce has been rising consistently for the past few years.

How Distance Learning Nursing Degrees Work

Distance learning programs allow nursing students to get their degrees without having to go to a classroom every day. For this reason, they’re good for working professionals that can’t fit classes into their work schedule, students that live far from a college campus, and other people who can’t get to an actual class. They rely on things like telecourses and other online learning tools to present material to students without the need for an instructor or classroom. Most of them still require textbooks and workbooks, and students may have to go to their campus regularly in order to take exams or present projects.

Distance learning nursing degrees work for students because they are more flexible, and frequently less expensive than traditional classroom-based education. They work for schools because they allow them to reach more students, without having to impact their classroom-based programs. Lastly, they work for hospitals because they enable schools to turn out more of the qualified nursing graduates that hospitals need for staffing.

It should be noted that most states’ Board of Nursing require students to put in a certain number of hours of hands on work before they can take their certification exams to become licensed practical/vocational nurses or registered nurses. Even with distance learning nursing degrees, students are still responsible for meeting these requirements before they can take their exams.

How to Avoid Being Scammed

Sometimes, things that sound too good to be true, are. Every state’s Board of Nursing maintains a list of nursing programs that meet their educational requirements. In order to be able to take a certification exam after graduation, all of a nursing student’s coursework must be done as part of one of these programs. Almost every state has nursing programs that are not actually approved programs. They may be offered by a fully accredited institution, but that doesn’t mean that the program itself is approved. What’s worse, many schools will attempt to represent their programs as being approved, when they aren’t. It doesn’t matter if a student was mislead into thinking a nursing program was legitimate, they will not be able to take their exams until they have passed an approved nursing degree program.

To avoid this mess, anyone considering any nursing degree, including a distance learning degree, must contact the Board of Nursing for a list of approved programs. The Board only sets the requirements, and schools only teach students- it’s the students’ responsibility to ensure that they are in the correct program.

Distance learning nursing degrees allow schools to educate students that they couldn’t teach otherwise. When these programs are approved by a state’s Board of Nursing, they generally have pass rates that are comparable to traditional, classroom-based instruction, and turn out nurses that are every bit as qualified to work in the healthcare industry.

Trauma Nursing Continuing Education

Trauma continuing education (CE) keeps nurse specialists of the trauma fields abreast with current knowledge pertinent to their field of practice. CE is offered by accredited nursing organizations and practicing nurses must ensure the school offering the CE is approved to do so.

Continuing education for nurses is also important as part of the registered nurse license renewal. Some states demands that a nurse provides proof of having taken continuing medical education (CME) before renewing their licenses.  Students can take their CE in trauma at annual conferences, nursing organizations, nursing universities and colleges or in vocational training centers.

What do Trauma Nurses Do?

Trauma nurses play the vital role of taking care of traumatized patients. They take care of post-trauma cases, critical care and support and other medical cases related to emergency response. They are involved in accidents, injuries, cardiac arrest, acute infection and respiratory complication cases. In this case, trauma nurses are advised to receive CE in this and other extended fields of health care.

Different CE Programs for Trauma Nurses

Different nursing education programs are available for the trauma nurse to choose from. For others, CEs are state specific and are a requirement to allow a trauma nurse to continue nursing practice. They equip the trauma nurses with the recent findings and new advancements in the trauma nursing field. Below are some of the most common continuing education units (CEUs) for trauma nurses:

Complications During Trauma

This a very wide bracket of continuing nursing education for the trauma nurse. Many health complications are bound to occur during traumatic conditions that would lead to the life of the patient being at stake. Such CEUs include acid- base imbalances; a common symptom in trauma patients. Nurses are trained on homeostasis and the buffering system of the body and methods of restoring the disrupted acid-base balances that result to acidosis or alkalosis.

Nurses also receive training on Acute Respiratory Distress syndrome (ARDS) care and management. In this course, RNs will be trained on how to perform oxygen delivery, mechanical patient ventilation and use of vasopressors to re-establish fluid flow.  These techniques are collectively known as fluid resuscitation and are aimed at monitoring signs, carrying diagnosis and monitoring pathological changes.

Hypothermia in Trauma

Ideal temperature is the key in supporting many cellular functions and as such, nurses are trained on assessing the differences between induced and spontaneous hypothermia in traumatized patients. This course train trauma nurses when to engage in thermoregulation to preserve cellular functions for the patient.

Cardiac Trauma and Tamponade

Acute cardiac arrest and heart attacks are a common phenomenon in trauma patients hence; this course covers the Pathophysiology, and clinical manifestation of this complications. Nurses are trained on devising the fastest care plan for both penetrating and blunt cardiac tamponade and traumas cases.

Neurotrauma and Brain Injury Trauma

This focuses on the care and treatment options for brain injury patients. The brain serves as the centre of coordination of the central nervous system hence, injury to the brain can compromise the neurosysytem leading to cerebral complications and intracranial pressure. Nurses are therefore trained on techniques to provide brain tissue oxygenation and maintenance of cerebral pressure.

Emergency Medical Trauma Procedures

Prioritizing treatment during trauma is the key to saving life during traumatic injury. As such, nurses receive continuing education courses on assessing the level of injury. Nurses must also be trained on the correct use of life support machines during emergency trauma events. Such including prepping the patients, setting up emergency surgery among others.

Other equally important continuing Education units for trauma nurses are

• Chest trauma management, diagnosis and care
• Mechanisms of injury and injury assessments
• Trauma during pregnancy, labor and childbirth, fetal injury and physiology during trauma
• Geriatric and end of life trauma intervention methods

Online Continuing Education for a Trauma Nurse

The online continuing education options are rapidly gaining popularity among trauma nurses. This means that nurses can be able to take courses using an online mode of study and testing. The online trauma nurse CE programs are tailored to meet the needs of the ever busy RN, who have little or no time to attend distance physical conferences or training workshops. Online trauma nursing CE programs must be approved by the relevant state authorities and the society of trauma nurses can help you with that.

rn refresher course

Who Do RN Refresher Courses Target?
Registered Nurse (RN) refresher courses are not only meant for inactive registered nurses who have not been practicing, but also for active Registered Nurses who want to acquire continuing education. For nurses who work in states that demand contact hours for license renewal, RN refresher courses are a great option.

RN refresher courses also targets RNs who wish to expand their nursing scope in the search of better paying jobs. Such can be the case when a RN is seeking employment from a state different from where they received their initial nurse training.

Objectives of a Typical RN Refresher Course

Refresher courses, just like the name suggests, are meant to re-introduce an already learnt skill to a registered nurse. This means that it is a kind of ignition for nurses who are re-entering the nursing profession having stopped to practice for a while. The refresher course aims at bringing back into light the skills that were trained during a Bachelors or Associate degree in nursing.

RN refresher courses are also used to train the re-emerging nurses with new nursing concepts and practices that might have come up during their nursing inactivity. Such includes the use of hospital equipment, new medications, new technologies that will help a nurse re-enter the field with confidence.

Course Information for RN Refreshers

i)        Didactic Portion

Usually, RN fresher courses start with standard theoretical classes on all nursing concepts. This part of refreshing, also known as didactic portion ensure nurse students engage in group discussions, instructed lectures and submission of individual assignments. These lessons have great emphasis on novel therapeutic approaches in the health care system and developments in general medical knowledge. For RNs who are taking the refresher course to fulfill the contact hours for license renewal, the refresher course will cover any new state laws governing the nursing profession.

Lecture Topics For the Didactic Portion

Refreshing RNs take lecture sessions from the following nursing topics:

• Novel Medications and Terminology

This is meant to keep the nurse abreast with any new medications that have come to the market and how they are used in treatment. The course also informs the RN of new approaches to disease management and any drugs whose use have been banned.

• Diagnostic methods

The refreshing of how to use medical laboratory equipment and how to carry out diagnosis is a must for the inactive RN. Training on how to use new medical equipment, and digitized medical technologies is done.

• Patient care and management

This includes nursing units ranging from the advanced care of patients to new medical ethics in medical care. RNs may be informed of new medical approaches and new strategies and decision making processes in health care.

• Documentation and charting of patient records

RN refresher courses must re-instill to the inactive RN the trending methods of medical documentation, billing and medical coding collection of patient records.

ii)      Clinical practicum portion

This part of the RN fresher involves re-assessing the hands-on-skills of the nurse. RNs must have a supervising instructor who leads them into the clinical sessions. This forms the great disparity between RN refresher courses from other forms of nursing continuing education units; which usually do not require direct patient contact.

Just like in normal nursing school, students are expected to show their abilities of working in a real hospital or clinical setting. It is important to note that RNs are only allowed to undertake the clinical practicum lessons only after successfully passing the didactic course. In short, theses two parts of refresher course do not go hand-in hand like normal nurse training.

Duration for RN Refreshers Courses

For RNs who have been completely inactive in nursing, the refresher course takes a relatively long time as compared to those who take the RN refresher course to get contact hours. In the former case, it takes between 3 to 6 months for a nurse to have the ability to re-enter nursing. For those who only require contact hours, 3days to a week is ideal for a particular refresher topic.

The usual requirement to complete the course is to have a minimum of 120 classroom/ didactic hours and an additional 100 hours for the clinical portion. This brings it a total of about 220 hours with variants on both sides depending on the nursing school and the state.

Mental Health Nurse Training

For mentally challenged patients and their families alike, much support is needed from the community and the medical practitioners. Mental health nursing is a demanding career that enables nurse to take care to this special group of patients. It is even challenging given that most mentally ill patients cannot make sound judgments on their own, hence the need of assistance in all aspects of their lives. Nurses must therefore be trained on handling the different aspects of their patients from giving medication to controlling their psychological disorders.

On the other hand, mental health nurses have a huge role of counseling the families affected by having such a patient. It is normal for families to get overly tormented and distressed over the issue and mental health nurses come in handy for psychological support. This makes it mandatory for mental health nurse to receive ample training in guiding and counseling.

Prerequisites to Become a Psychiatric Nurse

Mental health nurse/ psychiatric nurses are advanced practice RNs and hence they must have earned a masters degree. In simple terms, to be admitted for a mental health nursing specialty, one must have had at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. On the other hand satisfactory GRE scores may be mandatory for admission in most nursing schools.

Nursing graduate schools also tend to ask for an active, encumbered registered nurse license. However this does not lock out other non-nursing students from taking mental health nursing as a master’s choice. For such students, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is required for admission into nursing school. This kind of entry into nursing is referred to as direct MSN programs.

Mental Health Nurse Training- The Curriculum

As mentioned earlier Psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners are subject to master’s level education and training. Such are the fields expected to be covered in the masters of Science in nursing-mental health nursing class:

• Core Nursing Courses for MSN Students

These courses apply to all MSN students of all nursing specialties. They include:

Introduction to advanced practice nursing

Population based nursing

Research methods in nursing

Nursing theories

Ethics in the health care profession

Psychiatric/Mental Health Specialty Courses

In addition to taking the common MSN courses, Masters of psychiatric nursing students must take specialty courses that deeply cover all areas of mental health. These courses take the most part of the study program and include the following areas:

• General Psychiatry

Credits covered here include mastery of psychiatric disorders across all life-spans and population subsets. Students are trained on how to asses and diagnose the different mental disorders like dementia, bipolar syndrome, psychotic disorder, depression and schizophrenia. General psychiatry courses also inform nurses of preference rates in child, adult or old age mental disorders.

• Therapeutic Relationship Aspects of Mental Health Nursing

Mental health patients can prove difficult to understand and even control. For this reasons, PMHNP are trained on how to create lasting rapports with their patients. Creating such patient- nurse therapeutic alliances helps in better controlling of the patients who can sometimes be unruly. Student nurses are equipped with nine basic aspects of mental health nursing like being genuine, empathic and understanding, providing support, individualizing care, being available among others.

• Psychiatric Pharmacology and Medications

PMHNs as Nurse practitioners have the mandate to carry out diagnosis and prescribe medication to their patients. In this case, nurses are trained on pharmacology of mental health nursing. This includes the different classes of drugs like anti-depressants, antipsychotic drugs, anesthesia, anxiolytics and electroconvulsive therapy among others.

• Psychological Therapies

Many of mental health patients and their families are likely succumb to depression and distress issues. This makes it necessary for psychiatric nurses to get trained in counseling and psychology. Therapies directed towards calming the fast-pacing brain of patients are necessary. This bracket of courses also includes spiritual interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, situation therapy and psychotherapies.

• Nursing Ethics and Rights for The Mentally Ill Persons

This is an important aspect of mental health nurse training. Psychiatric patients have well outlined rights governing their rights over forceful hospital confinement and being forced to undertake serious processes without judgmental capacity. The mental nurse must be aware of such rights where bleaching them can be lead to harsh action upon them.

Among other credits nurses take while in mental nursing training include mastering of behavioral patterns, caring for the substance abuse patients and caring for patients with self-destructive disorders. As usual no nursing training is complete without comprehensive and supervised clinical practicum sessions. PMHNPs are no exception and they get involved in clinical rounds in home- based care centers, community care centers, psychiatric hospitals or adult centers.

Successful completion of mental health nurse training gives the nurse eligibility for sitting an exam that leads to entry into the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This membership exam is offered by the American nurses credentialing center (ANCC).

Masters in Mental Health Nursing

A master’s degree in mental health or as commonly known as psychiatry is the specialized field of nursing that enables registered nurses to become mental health specialist nurses. In this capacity, a nurse works as a nurse practitioner and has the roles of conducting therapy, administering psychotic medications and offering counseling to psychiatry patients.

Requirements for Admission into Masters of Mental Health Nursing degree Programs

Like all nurse specialist training programs, mental health nurses must be holders of a bachelor degree in Nursing. In addition, the nurse must have an active registered nurse license most of which must be unrevoked. For additional admission eligibility, some schools ask for GPA scores of 3.0 or higher.

It is also possible for non-nurse students to enroll into the masters in mental health nursing programs. For such students, the evidence of having completed a bachelor degree from an accredited university is a prerequisite for admission. The normal career shifters into mental health nursing are observed from social or community related degrees. For these students, they follow masters in mental health nursing known as direct entry MSN.

Students from other non-nursing degrees wishing to become Psychiatric/Mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) are advised to have competitive science scores in prerequisites courses. However, those who do not meet this requirement from their previous degrees can bridge this by taking post baccalaureate pre-nursing courses.

Directory for Masters in Psychiatric Nurse Programs

The curriculum for masters of psychiatric nurse programs is different for the two classes of students. While the non-nurses take three years to complete the degree program, the Registered nurses take the usual two years for masters programs. The following expansion can give the bigger picture for better clarity:

• The Direct entry MSN-Mental Health Nursing

This program, designed for non-nurse students enables them to earn a degree to practice as advanced practice nurses. Students being enrolled for this program have their common bachelors’ degree recognized and hence get some credits exempted from the curriculum. The study mode for these students takes an accelerated master in nursing study mode and save the student from taking a bachelors of Science in nursing degree.

Students utilize the first year of the masters program getting acquainted with core nursing units similar to those trained during ASN or BSN programs. In the second year, the non-nurse students are able to take advanced practice nurse credits, common to all masters of nursing programs.

To wrap-up the degree program, the third year is utilized on intense training on units specific to mental health nursing. These specialty courses cover all the aspects of psychiatric nursing and they range from patient counseling, psychology, psychiatric medications and other relevant therapies. Students spend the best part of this year learning psychotherapies, spiritual therapies, mental health pharmacology, population and lifespan based psychiatry among other courses. As usual, supervised clinical round to psychiatric patients is mandatory for program completion.

• BSN to Masters in Mental Health Nursing (MMHN)

This program is specially designed for Bachelor of Science in nursing degree holders. Students in this category are already RNs and only take a MMHN to become advanced practice RNs. They are able to choose the mental health specialty courses similar to those taken by the direct entry students at 3^rd year. As opposed to the former, the BSN to MSN students only take two years to complete their courses in addition to the mandatory clinical practical sessions.

• RN to Masters in Psychiatric  Nursing

To avoid ambiguity, the RN to MSN refers to the degree program designed for RNs who only have diplomas or associate degrees for licensure as RNs. It should not be confused with RNs who have BSNs and want to take the same masters degree. The RN to masters of health nursing enables ASN degree holders to become PMHNPs or mental nurse specialists without having to go through a BSN program.

It is also a form of an accelerated master’s n nursing degree as students are able to complete their curriculum in about three years. The best candidates for this program are fresh or recent ASN graduates. In some instances, taking a master in mental health nursing through this path enables ASN-RNs to be awarded a BSN in tandem with the MSN degree. However, this option is only offered by some and not all nursing schools.

Pediatric Nursing Continuing Education

With the ever changing methods of up-bringing children, changes in lifestyle habits and even more preferences of new illnesses, pediatric nurses need to keep abreast with how to handle new cases. Sticking with the nursing school bachelors of associate degree knowledge will do no more than lag you behind handling novel needs of pediatric nursing.

Continuing education (CE) is the only way a pediatric nurse will ensure they are up-to date with all advancements being developed towards the care of children. It is also a perfect way to earn contact hours needed for registered nurses licenses renewal.  Earning contact hours is great if you do not want to re-sit your NCLEX-RN exam in order to renewal your RN license.

Pediatric Nursing Continuing Education Units (CEU) Directory

There are hundreds of CEUs available for pediatric nurses and it is up-to the pediatric nurse to choose the best for themselves. However, you must check whether there are state specific CE courses that your state board of nursing requires as prerequisites for nurses who want to renew their licenses. If not, the pediatric nurses can take any courses and get certificates to prove their involvement in nursing continuing education.

Below is a simplified directory of the most common CE courses that pediatric nurses can take:

Pediatric Toxicology CEUs

This is a huge bracket of pediatric nursing CEUs a nurse can choose from. Children are very prone to poisoning when trying out new things and making growth development discoveries. Mostly, poisoning is expected from ingestion and skin poisoning from harsh chemicals and other household hazards.

Nursing continuing education units in this bracket will include care and management of poisoning resulting from lead and iron poisoning, asbestos, pesticides, detergents, carbon monoxide leakage among others. Courses cover the administration of antidotes, gastric lavage and the use of activated charcoal and ipecac syrup. Examples of courses include:

• Neonatal Abstinence syndrome
• Lead and mercury poisoning
• Dog an insect  bites management

CEUs on the Care For The Obese and Anorexic Children

Change in lifestyle trends and feeding habits has resulted to obesity being of high preference in the developed countries. For this reason, pediatric nurses must receive continuing education on how to deal with obese pediatric patients. Obese patients are at higher health risks of getting diabetes, heart failure, cardiac arrests and some types of cancer. The pediatric nurses are trained on how to offer health education to families of the affected children.

For the anorexic children, pediatric nurses are trained on how to deal with the psychology of anorexia. Anorexia is life threatening and nurses must effectively educate and counsel the suffering children and adolescents on such issues. Units include:

• Handling the picky eater kid
• Counseling for bullied obese kids
• Childhood Obesity and diabetes
• The vegetarian child
• Food allergies and intolerance

Pediatric Trauma Courses

Nurses receive assessment skills for pediatric trauma coma scale and score. Training is also focused on the most common forms of pediatric trauma cases expected in children and how to carryout diagnosis and treatment options. Specific units would include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Self injury and accidents
• Seizure resultant trauma

Respiratory and Cardiac Pediatric Anomalies

This area includes the most number of pediatric CEUs. Courses range from care of patients diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus, hypoplastic left heart syndrome to pediatric congenital cardiac anomalies. Dedicated units include:

• Asthma in children
• Pulmonary and respiratory pathologies
• Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia
• Pediatric ventilator and tracheotomy emergencies

Adolescents and Development Challenges

As children grow, they tend to be outgoing, experimenting on new things and tasting the new life of freedom. Pediatrics nurses must be equipped with excellent skills to handle the tantrums of the adolescent children. Wise guidance and counseling is the key to shaping the future life of the growing adolescent. Nurses are trained on:

• Guidance on responsible dating and prevention of dating violence
• Drug and substance abuse in the youths
• HPV vaccination for cervical cancer
• Rehabilitation and behavioral change management
• Down syndrome in teens

Where to Get Pediatric Nursing Continuing Education Courses

Like many other nursing CEUs, pediatric nursing continuing education is available on numerous online agencies. However, the RN must ensure the CEUs they choose are approved and certificates are recognized by your state. You can get the above courses and many more at an affordable fee on accredited CE provider agencies.

Online Nursing PhD Programs

Online learning modes have penetrated all professions and nursing is no exception.  An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who wishes to take a PhD degree in nursing can now do it at the comfort of their own home or office. Online nursing PhD programs enable busy advanced practice nurses to pursue the terminal education level in nursing without having to give-up their jobs.

Starting on an Online Nursing PhD Program

In terms of requirements, online PhD students need to be already advanced practice nurses. The most preferable candidates for online PhD programs are former nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, certified nurse midwives or nurse specialists. This means to enroll for a PhD in nursing program, you must have earned your masters degree.

On the other hand, there are special PhD in nursing programs that take-in students who only have a bachelors degree. These programs take a bit longer to complete as there are additional credits which BSN to PhD students have to take.

Generalized Program Guide for Online PhDs

Students enrolled in this program are expected to do the following to be awarded the following:

Take Online Classes

Online classes are facilitated using advanced online learning tools. The curriculum delivery is made possible using learning modes like live seminars, web conferencing, audio conferencing among others. Students take all their theoretical classes online.

Complete Dissertation

Dissertations are part and parcel of all phd programs including the online ones. Students are expected to research and write their dissertations and continually forward them to the in-charge faculty member for examination. The same should be uploaded online for assessment.

Develop a Clinical Defense

This is usually a prerequisite for completion of a phd in nursing degree. Online students are expected to develop a clinical project and defend it in a panel. Depending on your school, you can either present your clinical defense via a webinar or present it when making the annual end of year campus stay.

Attend a Research Conference

Most online nursing schools will locate and book their online PhD students to research conferences in their state. Attendance of one or two research conferences is usually part of the examination process of the PhD student. The research conference must be chosen and recommended by your respective nursing school to facilitate its recognition.

Attend Your Campus Annually For The Duration of Study

Online PhD programs demand that students make on-campus visits every end of the year. This enables the faculty members to do intensive assessment of concepts learnt during the online sessions. At this point, students can also have on-campus face to face lectures with their professors. For this reason, it is strongly advisable that students intending to take the online PhD program to consider enrolling in schools within their states or the most convenient.

What Does an Online PhD in Nursing Prepare You For?

Earning a PhD in nursing, either online or in a traditional nursing schools opens you to a multitude of opportunities. Firstly, the nursing PhD is the terminal nursing degree on the land, and therefore, it is obvious to expect the best pay for PhD nurses.

In addition to a smarter check, PhD students are able to operate at wider and more lucrative positions in the nursing field.  A PhD gives you an excellent opportunity to shape the future nurses by becoming a faculty member and an instructor to students nurses. There are also numerous leadership roles that PhD graduates can assume. They are able to utilize their honed advanced nursing skills to become policy and decision makers in the health care profession.

PhD nursing graduates are able to give more focus in nursing research leading to generation and dissemination of vital research findings into real nursing practice. Such research foci can include reducing the risk of vulnerable groups while promoting health, managing chronic and old age suffering among others.

PhD holders also have the mandate of expanding the scholarly basis of nursing practice via empirical and philosophical basis that lead to a better understanding of nursing by the society.

Duration of Typical Online Nursing PhD Programs

Usually, nursing schools offering online nursing PhD programs require students to take at least 4 years to complete their studies although some may take as much as 5 years to compete. During this time, students are expected to cover 75 to 90 nursing credits depending on the program chosen or nursing school. For MSN to PhD programs, nurses take about 75 credits while the 90 credits are applicable to the BSN to PhD programs.

LPN Salaries by State

The nursing field, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), is the largest employer in the health care field. This includes ranks of all nurses from the most junior staff like the licensed practice nurses to the highest ranked PhD holder nurses.  BLS indicates that there are close to 3 million nursing jobs in the US alone and more nurses are needed given the increasing needs of healthcare.

Just like any other profession, there is observed disparity between the lowest paid health care staff and those on the higher bracket. Salaries in the health care field differ from state to state and also within states depending on the experience of the nurses. Nurses who have advanced education also receive higher salaries compared to those whose academic levels are a bit low. Nursing salaries also vary from employer to employer where some employers pay the same ranks of nurses better than others.

However, there is an observed margin of salaries in each state that prevails. These averages regardless of which employers are involved have slight outliers on both the higher and lower margin. But most healthcare institutions follow a similar trend in paying nurses in a given rank.

Licensed Practice Nurse (LPN) – Salaries by state

The list below gives the salaries of licensed practice nurse or licensed vocational nurses as they are known in CA and TX. On a general note, LPN salaries range from $28000 to 46000 in all states. Credible companies have conducted research to determine the average LPN salaries by state and here are the outcomes.

Top Ten Highest Paying States for LPN

This list of the top ten highest paying paying states for LPNs and LVNs is extracted from the latest occupational employment statistics from the bureau of labor and statistics. The average salary figures have been obtained by calculating the hourly average of each and multiplying to the recommended 2080 hours of annual work.

i)        Connecticut

BLS data shows Connecticut as the highest paying state for LPNs with an average annual salary of $53280. This translates to $25.7 hourly wage for a LPN.

ii)      New Jersey

NJ follows it neighbor CT to be the second highest paying state for LPNs; with an annual average wage of $50950

iii)    Rhode Island

On third place comes RI, still on the same geographical location with an annual mean of $50900. All the three states above are located at the North-Eastern region of US and are border to border neighboring states.

iv)    California

California (CA) according to BLS is second from top with the highest employment levels of Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) professionals and comes after Texas (TX). In addition to being one of the highest employer of LVNs in the US, it is ranked 4^th amongst the highest paying state for LVNs. The annual salary mean for a LVN in CA is estimated to be at $50,490. It is the highest paying State on the Western region of US. By the way, an LPN is called an LVN in California and Texas.

v)      Nevada (NV)

Nevada comes after California as the top fifth highest paying state for LPNs. The trend can be compared to its immediate neighbor, California and has an annual mean wage of $50,150. The other five top states are:

vi)    Massachusetts with annual average of $49,620

vii)  District of Columbia at a mean of $49,400

viii)  Maryland with annual mean of $49,330

ix)     Arizona with an annual mean of 48,390

x)      Delaware at $47,800

Lowest Paying States for a LPN

From the same occupational employement statistics estimates from BLS, the following are the ten states which have recorded the lowest mean wages for LPNs:

i)        West Virginia

West Virginia records as the lowest paying state in the US with an annual mean salary of $32750. LPNs in WA receive an average hourly wage of $15.75.

ii)      Oklahoma

OK follows WA on the lower margin giving LPNs an annual salary mean of $33900. BLS on the other hand has also ranked OK to be the fourth state with the highest concentration of LPNs jobs in the US.

iii)    South Dakota

SD is ranked as the 3^rd lowest paying state for LPNs, where LPNs receive an average of $33910 annual salary.

iv)    Alabama

On the same geographical region with OK and AR, AL falls on the fourth poorest paying states for the services of Licensed Practical Nurses. LPNs in AL must expect to get a mean wage of 34170 annually.

v)      Arkansas

AK, the immediate neighboring state of OK has been ranked as the 5^th state with lower wages for LPNs in US. Just like OK, AR ranks 2^nd on the BLS occupational wages page on the highest concentration of jobs. The other five on the list of the poorest paying states for LPNs are:

vi)     Mississippi; giving its LPNs an annual average wage of $34930

vii)  North Dakota at $35320 annual mean salary

viii)            Montana at $35660

ix)    Missouri at 35870

x)      Guam Islands at 35950

Summary

LPNs salaries by states are observed to follow a geographical trend for both highly paying and lowest paying states. However, these are average figures and salaries within a state vary greatly from one employer to the next.

Historically Black Nursing Schools

Historically black colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established to offer higher learning to minority groups living in the United States of America during the era of racial segregation. During this time, Americans of African, Indian, Mexican, Latin, Asian and Hispanic origins were discriminated against and were not allowed in some institutions of higher learning.

The HBCU were specifically started to allow access of higher education to those considered to be of minority groups or multiracial origins. The schools feature highly competitive and high performance 4-year and 2-year colleges and universities. While they were initially meant for minority groups only, today, the schools admit both minority and Native American students. However, the minority group of students is always higher at any one such historically black college or university.

Advantages of Attending Historically Black Nursing Schools

With about 105 HBCUs in the United States, only about 36 offer nursing programs. The schools have devised comprehensive nursing curriculums that offer diplomas, bachelor degrees and PhD level nursing degrees. Such schools also offer professional nursing programs like LPN and CNA programs.

The advantage of studying at HBCU is that students have great financial aid opportunities as compared to non-HBCUs. HBCUs also offer nursing degree programs at a tiny fraction of fees as compared to non-HBCUs. Students of other non-native American origins also find a good learning atmosphere when their culture is instilled in the learning process.

It also becomes easier for blacks to interact well and freely with their black counter parts at an environment that feels like home. Cultural interests and ethnic orientation also flourish well in the HBCUs. Students also have a great opportunity of facing their challenges and helping to build a better future outlook for black nurses.

List of Top Historically Black Nursing Schools in the USA

There are few HBCUs amongst the 50 states that offer nursing programs. Below is a list of HBCUs with these programs:

Southern Atlantic Region- Home to Above 50% of HBCUs

This region boosts home to over half of all HBCUs in the country.  Nursing majors are available at the following HBCUs:

The Advancing Education in Nursing HBCUs

With the increased need of advanced nursing schools, historically black nursing schools have started offering accredited graduate nursing programs. The level of training and the curriculum for the graduate nursing programs are no different with graduate nursing programs from other universities and colleges. At the forefront of introducing graduate nursing programs, Hampton University in VA, introduced its masters program in 1976 followed by a doctorate in nursing program in 1999.

Prairie View A&M and Southern university A&M are the other two HBCUs that had introduced doctoral programs recently. Masters programs are quite popular in nursing HBCUs and by the end of last year, there were nine universities offering masters level degrees in nursing. Students who still prefer to attend HBCUs for their graduate nursing degrees have a lot more choices than it was ten years ago.

Future of Historically Black Nursing Schools

With America encouraging multiculturalism, some HBCUs have recorded high numbers of nursing students from the majority group. In fact, Prairie View University is on the highest verge with over 50% of the nursing school class being Native Americans and international students.

On the other hand, minority students are also freely eligible to study in majority institutions ranging from Ivy League institutions to white-dominated community colleges.

Difference Between LPN and RN

There are always questions about Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered nurses. In Texas (TX) and California (CA), a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) is called a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). Whether and LPN or LVN, the debate comes about when Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) feel they are doing almost everything a Registered Nurse (RN) does but receive a lower salary.

However, despite the heated debate, there are significant differences between practicing as a LPN and a RN.

i) Education

The big difference between a RN and an LPN is the training they receive at nursing school. To become a licensed practical nurse, it only requires graduation with a certificate as a licensed practice nurse. Training is usually done in vocational training centers, community colleges or in a hospital setting.

On the other hand, to become a registered nurse, one must enroll in a nursing school and get either an Associate of Science degree in nursing or a Bachelors of Science in nursing degree. Usually, RNs attend universities, middle level nursing schools or university hospitals.

ii) Duration of nurse training

LPNs receive a short duration of training: usually one year of practical nursing. During this time, the LPN gets training on basic nursing concepts required in the health care field. It is also worth noting that most LPN courses do not get deeper or have much detail, just the basics

Contrary, the RN receives two years of training for the ASN degree and four years for the bachelor degree. Training for both ASN and BSN is quite detailed and goes into deeper nursing concepts. Ultimately, the RN has superior knowledge on clinical practice, physiology, patient care, research methods among other nursing roles.

iii) Licensure of practice

After the one year of practical nursing, LPNs must take and pass the NCLEX- LPN exam while their counterparts the RNs take a different licensing exam; NCLEX-RN

iv) Scope of practice

This is where the greatest disparity between LPNs and RNs come in. Due to the difference in training; there are certain things an RN can do which a LPN cannot handle. The scope of practice of RNs and LPNs is outlined by each state’s board of nursing. But there are obvious tasks which show clear boundaries between the two nursing professions like:

• LPNs are not allowed to do first patient assessments-such must be done by RNs or a senior doctor. In that case, most states do not allow LPNs to administer the first push meds or IV prescriptions. For RNs, this is their work scope and should perform these tasks.
• Most states do not allow LPNs to hang blood, nor work in specialty departments like Critical care Units, or Emergency rooms. However RNs have the major mandate of performing specialized duties in the ERs, L&D or CCUs.
• It can be said that the LPN Scope of practice is confined at basic bedside patient care while for the RNs, it is very rare to find them doing the basic patient care tasks. LPNs do tasks like wound dressing, collecting samples, recording of vital signs and reporting the same to RN. RNs on the other hand, have superior roles like devising patient care plans, nutrition needs among other nursing plans. While RNs can diagnose and prescribe medication to patients, LPNs cannot.
• In many cases, LPNs do not have the mandate to take independent decisions in health care such as patient admission or referral. Such decisions must be consulted with the RNs or other doctors. Precisely, this means that LPNs are not likely to have leadership and administration roles as compared to most RNs who have higher health care roles like nurse-in charge.

Salary Difference for LPN vs RN

The other major difference between LPN and RN profesionals is the salaries they receive. Registered Nurses in all states have a higher salary than their LPN counterparts. RNs receive anywhere between $25 to $30/ hour, LPNs have a $10 less hourly figure with salaries of about $15 to $20/hour. However, salaries always differ from state to states or among different heath care faculties in the same state.

The Regulation of Nursing Scope of Practice

In the scope of practice mentioned above, it is not uncommon to find LPNs who largely practice those duties meant for RNs. In this case, one should get the disparity between what a LPN is legally entitled and licensed to do rather than what they actually do. Out of many years of experience, there are LPNs who have the ability to do more than RNs; in that they serve as walking resources for some new RNs. However, the difference between LPNs and RNs is always what is provided by the regulating authority: the state board of nursing.

Masters in Forensic Nursing

Forensic nursing is one of the newest nurse specialties recognized and accredited by the American Nurses Association. It is a nursing specialty that trains nurses on how to use biological evidence to come-up with perpetrators of crimes. They are important in helping on legal proceedings where anomaly of the real victims and perpetrators of violence have to be decided using biological tests.

Forensic nurses are trained on collection of evidence, its preservation and testing in the lab. They are involved in criminal investigations involving sexual assault and mysterious death incidences.

Prerequisites for Admission for Masters in Forensics Nursing

Just like any other nursing specialty, students wishing to take a masters degree in forensic nursing must have earned a Bachelors of Science degree in nursing. In addition to this, nursing schools may request students to have an unencumbered RN license before you are allowed to do the MSN in Forensic Nursing Degree.

For non-nurse students, a bachelor’s degree in any other field of study from a recognized university may be used to may be used to enroll for forensic nursing.

Expected Curriculum of the Masters in Forensic Nursing Degree

Students looking forward to take the masters in forensic nursing must be prepared with ample investigation skills. They must be well prepared to work in devastating case scenarios involving crime, assault, manslaughter among others. Students must also be well equipped with honesty and ability to tell the truth even in compromising situations. Usually, the courses take the normal requirements of any MSN degree but having a concentration in forensic nursing:

Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) Core Courses

This includes all the courses taken by all masters of nursing students; regardless of their areas of nursing specialty. Such are:

Theory in nursing

Introduction to advanced practice nursing

Research methods in nursing

Population based nursing

Nursing ethics in decision making in health care

Forensic Nursing Specialty Courses

These courses give the student the real skills to deal with the work needs of the forensic nurse. It trains nurses on carrying out relevant forensic procedures and laboratory testing. Courses in this nursing specialty category include:

• Introduction to forensic nursing
• Trial preparation and criminal law
• Forensic science in relation to civil law and the legal system
• Practicum in forensic nursing
• Forensic science technologies
• Theories of violence
• Forensic science: caring for victims and perpetrators
• Advanced practice forensic nursing

Scope of Training in Forensic Nursing

For all the specialty courses in the masters in forensics nursing degree, RNs are trained on various aspects of evidence collection. Such training includes the ability to pick biological samples from skin, walls, glass or clothing. Such samples, also known as DNA samples help in a process called DNA profiling.

The basis of forensic nursing and identity is based on the fact that DNA from one individual differs from any other individuals’ hence, only one suspect can be linked to any one DNA sample analysis result.

Nurses are trained to match DNA profiles from samples collected from crime scenes to suspects DNA profiles; an accurate method of ascertaining identity. Samples that nurses are trained to collect include urine samples, hair, skin cells, sexual fluids, blood among others.

What does a Masters Degree in forensic Nursing Prepare you for?

The main objective of study in the masters of forensic nursing degree is to prepare the advanced practice registered nurse in carrying out tasks like:

• Conducting forensic nursing assessment for cases of inflicted trauma
• Form part of the legal process as they can be called upon to testify in a court of law or act a medical witness.
• Become a sexual assault examiner, torture and death investigation screener
• Paternity assessment for conflicting paternity in children using DNA profiling methods
• Become an expert in criminal investigations which involves robbery, break-ins and theft.
• Working alongside attorneys as legal nurse consultants for cases with a medical base
• Forensic nurses also become counselors for both the perpetrators and (or) victims of crime

LVN Scope of Practice in California

Licensed practice nurses (LPN) or else referred to as Licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) in CA and TX are nurse professionals who assist registered nurses and other senior medical staff. They carry outpatient-based duties like recording of vital signs e.g. blood sugar levels, temperature, blood pressure, and taking care of patients’ hygiene.

It is worth noting that LVNs/LPNs in any state have laws that govern what they are legally allowed to do in their line of duty. It is not uncommon to find LVNs/LPNs carrying out duties that belong to RNs but which are not stipulated in their state’s board of nursing. In all cases though, LVNs are supposed to undertake all their duties under the supervision of a Registered nurse or physician.

Laws Governing LVN Scope of Practice in California

According to the bureau of labor and statistics, California is among the top ten highest paying states for licensed vocational nurses in the US. This record translates to a huge influx of LVNs seeking reciprocity from other states to work in California.

The LVN scope of practice in California is outlined by the Board of Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technicians: which is under the department of consumer affairs of the state of CA. These clearly written documents governing the practice of LVNs are known as the Business and Profession Code-Sections 2859 to 2873.

Definition of LVN by The State of CA

The board recognizes one as a vocational nurse only if you have taken a course in practical nursing from an accredited nursing school and thereafter licensed as an LVN. In addition, the state of CA gives the meaning of an LVN as one who has met all stipulated requirements for licensure as a VN and thereof receives compensation from his/her practice under the tag of an LVN.

Permissible Practices for LVNs in CA

According to the business code of ethics 2859, under the supervision of a doctor, a licensed vocational nurse in California will have the mandate to undertake the following:

i)        Have the ability to give medication via hypodermics injections and oral admin

ii)      Have the capacity to draw blood from a patient but only if they have priory been instructed to do so by an RN or a physician. The code continues to stipulate that such an activity can only happen if the LVN has shown competence to the doctor in blood drawing or has successfully completed a course in that area from an accredited school.

iii)    Is given the capacity to start and continue to give intravenous fluids medications but only if they have completed credit in such IV activity.

iv)    The LVN will, under the supervision of an RN or physician, have the authorization to carry out skin tests. Such mandate will include doing TB, Histoplasma, or coccidioidin tests and as usual, only possible if the LVN has recorded course coverage on the said tests.

v)      Will have permission to give immunizations if they are able to demonstrate to the supervising RN the knowledge of emergency reactions and remediation of the same following immunization with such agents.

vi)    Any individual who has served in the military as a medical corp. will be, after application given the license as an LVN as long they have good and honorable conditions to show during their service in the military. Such individuals must have served in the aforesaid government institution for not less than 12 months and are able to sit and pass the NCLEX-LVN exam.

vii)  Any LVN who, in good faith offers to help in emergency situations where nursing skills are required will be not be held liable for any civil damages inherent from such offering. This applies to any LVN who decides to render such emergency services outside their usual place of work.

viii)            Anyone can practice as a VN in CA in settings similar to those of religious establishments. But such individuals doing such voluntary work, have no legal entitlements to be called LVNs if they do not possess a license approved by the board.

Unauthorized Practices for LVNs in California

The LVN scope of practice in California has various limitations. As outlined by the business code of ethics of California, no one practicing under the title and license of an LVN will undertake the following:

i)        Have the authority to practice medicine and related surgical procedures

ii)      Will not undertake or independently without the consultation of a doctor get involved in the treatment of mental, pain, physical injury, or diseases. Undertaking such activities will be an outright violation of the provided CA LVN laws.

Colleges That Offer Nursing Degrees

Finding a first-time nursing school or even a place to advance your education can be quite a challenge. With different priorities and a lot of schools to choose from, it may prove to be a difficult experience.

While looking for colleges that offer nursing degrees, future student nurse should keep the following points in mind:

i)        What is your financial ability

ii)      What learning mode do you prefer?- traditional or online

iii)    How busy are you? Do you want to give-up your job?

iv)    What many years can you allocate for study?

v)      What level is the degree you want? 2-year ASN,4-year BSN, Masters or doctorate?

With these questions in mind, you can go about doing elimination until you get the best college offering your nursing degree of choice. Below are some of the choices you would have to choose from:

1)     Online Colleges That Offer Nursing Degree Programs

This category of nursing collges is designed for students who wish to have distance learning modes. If you are a RN or freshmen who still want to keep your day job while studying, these are the nursing colleges for you. Renowned and accredited online colleges in US include:

• University of Phoenix
• Kaplan University
• Keiser University
• Walden University
• Western Governors University among others

2)     Historically black nursing colleges

These are for students who want to have high quality education yet at an affordable fee. At the HBCUs, there are numerous financial aids, hence a good fit for students who would find much strain in paying college fees. Examples of such nursing colleges offering nursing degrees include:

• Prairie View A&M university
• Howard University
• Hampton University
• Tuskegee University
• Bowie University

3)     Colleges That Offer Accelerated Nursing Degrees

Accelerated nursing degrees are designed for students who wish to finish their study in a record short duration. They arrange crush programs for nursing students by offering highly paced curriculum. These types of nursing colleges usually discourage future students from having a side job as the curriculum is not easy. A few examples of such nursing colleges in the US are:

• Purdue University
• University of Wisconsin
• Marian university-Indianapolis
• Texas Tech University

4)     Traditional Nursing Colleges

These are the most preferred nursing colleges and universities especially among fresh nursing entrants. Their curriculum is designed to ensure students study on campus. Both practical and theory nursing classes are taken on-campus. Usually, these types of schools are university hospitals where students have ample time interacting with patients. There are hundreds of these in US but just to mention a few award winning colleges:

• Boston College for Best dual MSN/MA program
• John Hopkins University for best PhD
• University of California for best post doctorate fellowships
• University of Texas at Austin as best nursing school for male nurses
• University of North Carolina at Chapel hill for most specialty nurse masters programs.

5)     Nursing Schools with Graduates Programs

Not all nursing schools out there offer nursing programs up-to the postgraduate level. There are especially few colleges that offer doctorate degrees in nursing unlike masters programs which are quite numerous. PhDs in nursing can be found in the following schools:

• John Hopkins University
• University of Miami
• College of nursing at Rush University
• New York University
• American Sentinel University
• Regis University

What to Look For in Nursing Colleges

Before enrolling in any colleges that claims to offer nursing degrees, future nurses should ensure the college is accredited to offer the nursing degrees they list. Such information can be retrieved from your states board of nursing. The board of nursing can also advice the aspiring nurses on schools to avoid and the reasons for doing so.

For nurses who must be licensed, the board of nursing in each state is capable of providing the prerequisites a student needs before being eligible for licensure. The student must, in return confirm that the nursing colleges they want to enroll with meets all the boards requirements.

Curriculum coverage is also an essential part in qualifying a potential school. You can consult from alumni of the school about its ability to deliver the outlined curriculum in a comprehensive manner.

Clinical Nurse Specialist vs. Nurse Practitioner

While both are masters in nursing degree holders, there is some apparent difference in the role assigned and carried out by each. Clinical Nurse Specialists and Nurse Practitioners undergo similar training during their first year of graduate study but disparity between curriculums occurs in the second year. There are many similarities and differences that can be observed between a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNP) and a Nurse Practitioner (NP) from the point of nursing school to the ultimate professional work settings.

Below are the differences between the two nursing professionals.

Differences During Study

While nurse specialists and nurse practitioners receive almost the same training, some differences can be seen at the second year of study. Nurse Practitioners are trained on offering primary care to patients. In fact, they are trained to work exactly like physicians, hence can be referred to as physician extenders. On the other hand, Clinical Nurse Specialists are trained more on areas of management, consultation of being good resources for other Registered Nurses in the healthcare field. Their training has more focus on them being change agents, instructors and policy makers in their fields of specialty.

CNS vs NP –  At The Place of Work

Generally, nurse practitioners are trained to offer primary care. As such, they can be found at physicians’ offices working as physician extenders. They do diagnosis of patients and are also mandated to administer prescriptions.  On the contrary, Clinical nurse specialists provide minimal primary clinical care. They normally work as nursing consultants and are called upon when a patient in the area of their specialty develops complications.

On the scope of work, nurse practitioners are able to practice nursing in a large area of nursing care. They handle patients from all ages who fall within the bracket of their specialty e.g. acute care, family health, adult health etc. For clinical nurse specialists, their scope of work falls within a limited area of nursing where examples include cardiology, geriatrics and pediatrics among other streamlined areas of nursing.

It is also common to find nurse practitioners working in outpatient clinics where patients are expected to be served by one general practitioner. In these places, nurse practitioners offer a wide spectrum of nursing services by working collaboratively with the physician. On the contrary, clinical nurse specialists are usually found in large hospitals where they take care of hospitalized patients. Their services are more focused as compared to the broadened scope of NPs.

In terms of prescription authority, nurse practitioners automatically qualify to offer prescriptions to their patients after doing necessary diagnosis. Their counterparts the nurse specialists do not automatically qualify to give prescriptions to patients. In order to do this, the clinical nurse specialists must apply for prescriptive authority only if they meet the criteria required to offer prescriptions

Salary Differences Between a CNS and NP

Generally, there is no huge difference in the level of salaries of these two nursing professions. Due to the similar level of education, employers make no distinction between nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. Disparities in salaries are not significant. The average annual salary of a NP in the US is around $85000 while that of the nurse specialist falls at around$ 86900.

What Brings the Nurse Practitioner Close To The clinical Nurse Specialist?

Regardless of the above differences between these two nursing professionals, many people do not make a distinction between them. It is for this reason why this question crops-up every now and then. The biggest confusion comes when people know that both nurses are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) and they receive the same levels of clinical training.

The credentialing body for both NP and CNS nurses is the American Nurses Credentialing centre. The requirements for credentialing are almost similar and are actually difficult to delineate.

In essence, both nurses must work collaboratively to achieve the objective of nursing practice. Clinical Nurse Specialists can engage in research and teaching and management roles and work as valuable resources of nursing concepts. On the other hand, NPs must take up the research findings and resources provided by their counterparts to keep the dream of nursing alive. It is a parallel and mutual benefit approach-precisely.

Certified Nurse Assistant Continuing Education

It is mandatory for licensed nurses to undertake a given number of continuing education courses for the purpose of license renewal. Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) are no exception and continuing education is required by respective states boards of nursing. The actual number and type of Continuing Education (CE) courses however, vary from one state to the next. Some states have also stipulated Continuing Education Units (CEUs) required for re-certification for each nursing professional including every practicing CNA, Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

CNA Continuing Education Requirements

A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) must renew their nursing licenses every two years. In this case, almost all states require that the certified nurse aide take a total of 12 hours in-service CNA training each year. This totals to about 24 hours of continuing education contact hours for eligibility of license renewal.

As a matter of balance, CNAs are advised to take one continuing education course, equivalent to one contact hour each month. This translates to 24 months due for license expiration.

Featured CNA Continuing Education Courses

Although there may be state specific CE courses needed for licensure, not all CEUs are stipulated. The states may choose some while allowing the CNA to choose the remainder. Continuing education units range from advancing of practical nursing concepts and skills to learning of new state rules and regulations pertinent to nursing.  It enables nurse to get acquainted with the latest policies, ethics and legalities changes within the health care field. For most states, sample CNA CE courses include but not limited to:

• Blood Borne Pathogens

With emerging ailments, certified nurse assistants must stay updated with new blood borne pathogens. This is vital because Certified Nursing Assistants are the nursing professionals who always maintain the highest level of contact with patients. Nurse aides must be trained on how to ensure the highest level of hygiene among patients to prevent the spread of blood borne pathogens.

• Infection control

In their line of duties, nurse assistants come into contact with different ailing patients. While cleaning, feeding, bathing and handling other duties among patients, it is easy to spread new infections to other patients or themselves. It is therefore very necessary for nurse aides to learn ways of controlling new infections.

The areas dealt with in this course include airborne infections like multi-drug resistant TB, hygiene based ailments like cholera and diarrhea, viral, fungal and bacterial infections. Nurse aides are also taught how to deal with nosocomial/ hospital based infections that usually lead to drug or antibiotic resistance in admitted patients.

• Medical documentation and record keeping

This lies on the introduction of novel medical recording and documentation methods. CNAs must be updated on basic concepts of nursing informatics for purposes of medical data collection and storage. They are also trained on the use of digitized devices for recording of vital signs like temperature, pressure, blood sugar among others.

• Medical errors prevention

Since Certified Nursing Assistants maintain the most frequent and close contact with the patients, they are expected to learn ways of mitigating preventable medical errors. They can be responsible in making sure patients do not take overdose medication, or reporting urgent fatal signs to a Registered Nurse (RN). They can also be trained on monitoring blood hangs, glucose drips among others.

• Legal aspects applicable to Certified Nurse Asisstants

As part of Continuing education, all nurses must remain updated with new legal issues governing their scope of practice. Nurses must be equipped with latest policies and changes within the nursing field. Such laws include those outlined in the state boards of nursing.

• Resident rights

CNAs as well as their patients have rights bestowed to them by the code of medical ethics. As such, CNAs must get educated on changes in their rights or those of their patients.

Online CNA Continuing Education Vs Physical Classroom

It is usually convenient to take online continuing education rather than attending seminars or conferences. The latter requires absence from work or taking a short off. The employer may not be very compliant with that arrangement and it even costs more in terms of boarding and travel. While online certified nurse assistant continuing education courses are preferred, nurses must ensure the providing agency is accredited to offer CEUs. Such accreditation can be confirmed with the states board of nursing or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Licensed Practical Nurse Training

Licensed practical nurse training prepares nursing students for careers as licensed practical nurses, or LPNs. These medical professionals work under registered nurses and doctors to help diagnose and care for sick or injured patients, but their actual working environments can vary enormously.

Most licensed practical nurses are able to work in any area of healthcare, but other LPNs are specifically geared toward working in:

–        Hospice care facilities.

–        Mental health clinics.

–        Nursing homes.

–        Private specialist’s offices.

Though an LPN does not have the same scope of practice as a registered nurse, there are still a lot of duties that they are legally allowed to perform. This is especially true of LPNs that choose to specialize in a specific area of nursing. This makes them an invaluable addition to any medical team, whether they’re in a large hospital or a private setting.

Licensed Practical Nurse Training

Actual practical nurse courses are designed to give these nurses a good command of anatomy, physiology, pathology, medical ethics, and other subjects that relate directly to providing patient care. Practical nursing educational programs take about one year to complete, and are usually offered by community colleges, or vocational schools. In order to be eligible to be licensed in their state, practical nursing students must complete a Board of Nursing-approved licensed practical nurse training program.

Approved programs are generally offered by accredited schools, but not all accredited schools have approved programs, and vice versa. Therefore, prospective nursing students looking for a good LPN program should contact their state’s Board of Nursing, so they may obtain a list of approved LPN education programs before they enroll in one. In many states, prospective LPN students may be eligible for special financial aid programs for nurses. The Board of Nursing will also be able to point would-be nursing students in the right direction when it comes to finding tuition help, too.

Becoming an LPN gives nurses a lot of opportunity for advancement. Nurses that choose to remain LPNs can specialize in a specific area of medicine, like gerontology, or become supervisors for other LPNs in their medical facility. Nurses that want to may go back to school to become registered nurses, then advanced practice registered nurses or nurse educators. Some colleges have opted to streamline their nursing programs by providing registered nursing “bridge” programs, which make it easier for practicing LPNs to be accepted to and graduate from registered nursing training courses.

Licensed Practical Nurse Scope of Practice

Licensed practical nurses are responsible for recording patient’s vital signs, dressing wounds, preparing and giving injections, preparing and giving enemas, monitoring IVs and catheters, and helping to keep patients clean and comfortable. They also collect blood and urine samples for testing, and perform basic, routine diagnostic tests. LPNs also help complete patient records, by taking medical histories and discussing symptoms with patients.

Licensed Practical Nurses vs. Licensed Vocational Nurses

Licensed vocational nurses are often mentioned in the same context as licensed practical nurses. In reality, they are completely synonymous- the Boards of Nursing for some states simply prefer the terminology Licensed Vocational Nurse  (LVN) over Licensed Practical Nurse CLPN).  They are more less different job titles for the same job. Despite the difference in nomenclature, there is very little difference between the two in practice. Any discrepancies in training, examination, licensing requirements, or their scopes of practice are purely due to differences between individual Boards of Nursing, and not because LPNs and LVNs are totally different positions.

The states of Texas (TX) and California (CA) are the ones that issue LVN licenses instead of LPN licenses. So an LVN will only be recognized in Texas and California. Because of the difference in examination and nursing Board requirements in the two LVN states to the others, being able to practice from an LVN state to an LPN state may sometimes not be as straightforward as compared to transferring your certification within Texas and California.

Why You Should Become a Licensed Practical Nurse

If you are fascinated by medicine and enjoy the hands-on patient care approach that nursing takes, then becoming a licensed practical nurse may be a good career option for you. LPNs are heavily involved with providing patient bedside care, so you’ll have the opportunity to see the difference that you make firsthand.

Licensed practical nurse training is challenging, but the end result is a rewarding career that can take you just about anywhere you want to go. Regardless of the type of medical facility you’d prefer to work at, or the area of medicine that you’d prefer to specialize in, a good foundation as a licensed practical nurse can give you the basis for a long and happy career caring for patients.

Learning Disability Nurse Scope of Practice

Not all nurses work with people who are sick and injured- learning disability nurse training focuses on teaching nurses the proper approach to caring for children and adults with learning disabilities like ADHD.

Though it was discovered fairly recently, which leads a lot of laypeople to suspect that ADHD isn’t a legitimate diagnosis, modern medical research has found out some interesting things about treating the disorder:

–        Learning disabilities run in families, so researchers feel there may be a genetic component to them.

–        For most patients with ADHD, medication alone does not provide a long term solution. Behavioral therapy must be implemented to help patients get the most out of their pharmacological regimen.

–        Without behavioral intervention, a lot of patients with learning disabilities will go on to suffer from low self-esteem, behavioral disorders, and other problems as a result of their condition.

–        Many patients with learning disabilities notice marked improvement in their symptoms when things like dietary changes and new exercise regimens are added to their care plans.

Learning disability nurse training prepares nurses to support learning disabled patients and their families, and work as part of a multidisciplinary team in order help patients successfully manage their conditions. Good learning disability nursing provides better patient outcomes, and a lower instance of comorbid issues like depression and conduct disorders.

Learning Disability Nurse Training Requirements

Learning disability nursing is primarily a United Kingdom (U.K) phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean that nurses aren’t vital parts of learning disability management in the U.S., too. In the U.K., learning disability nurses are required to have a degree or diploma in the Learning Disability Branch of High Education in Nursing. Some learning disability nurses may be able to obtain a National Vocational Qualification Level III in Health through on the job training. Counseling courses are frequently a vital component to learning disability nurse training.

In the U.S., this form of nursing is most closely paralleled by Mental Retardation/Developmental Delays nursing, and psychiatric nursing. Though learning disabilities are neither mental retardation nor developmental delays (in fact, many people with learning disabilities have average to high IQs), some nurses with developmental delays nursing certification go on to work in behavioral treatment facilities. To obtain a Certification in Developmental Delays Nursing, nurses must have a bachelor’s degree, have passed a registered nurse licensure exam, have worked for 4,000 in a developmental delays facility within five years of applying, and then must pass a written certification exam. Licensed practical nurses and registered nurses may work in psychiatric care facilities after passing their licensing examinations, but advanced practice registered nurses must have a master’s degree in psychiatric-mental health nursing to act as a patient’s primary care provider.

Learning Disability Nurse Scope of Practice

Learning disability and developmental delays nurses have scopes of practice which are defined by the governing body in the state or country in which they practice. U.K. learning disability nurses generally work in schools, adult care facilities, counseling centers, and in homes. They assist people in developing life skills, social skills, and cultivating useful coping mechanisms for the long-term management of their learning disabilities. Adequate behavioral intervention often allows patients with learning disabilities to reduce their dependence on medication.

Developmental delays nurses and psychiatric nurses generally work with people with more severe impairments than learning disabilities. Whereas learning disabled patients need assistance with social skills, developmentally delayed patients may need help feeding themselves and learning to speak, and psychiatric patients may need help managing things like auditory hallucinations. In general, RNs and LPNs provide support to doctors and psychiatrists, while APRNs are able to act as primary caregivers for these patients. Many U.S. universities and hospitals have learning disability treatment and research centers that rely on qualified RNs, LPNs, and APRNs to help them serve learning disabled patients and their families. This includes places like New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine, home to the Center of Excellence for ADHD and Related Disorders.

Learning disabilities are a fascinating area of study for doctors and researchers, but they can be heartbreaking for patients and their loved ones. By receiving learning disability nurse training, you can put yourself in a position to help children, adolescents, and adults manage their disability, and lead full, productive lives.

ICU Nurse Training

A hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) is reserved for the patients that need the most intervention, and ICU nurse training programs teach nurses how to provide that level of care. Many intensive care units are combined with coronary care units, so some ICU nurse training programs are designed to teach nurses how to perform in an ICU/CCU. The demand for qualified ICU nurses is higher now than it’s ever been, and is probably only going to become stronger as time goes on.

A worldwide nursing shortage has left many intensive care units and CCU’s understaffed, leading to problems like the following:

– The current average age of practicing nurses has risen to 44.5, and is expected to continued to climb.

– Within the next ten years, nearly 40% of nurses are anticipated to be 50+ years old.

– Small community hospitals, urban hospitals, and rural hospitals have all reported significant difficulty in recruiting new nurses, including ICU staff.

– When hospitals have more RNs on staff, patients are less likely to require re-admittance within thirty days of being discharged.

– A recent study of hospitals with higher nurse-to-patient ratios found that patients in these hospitals had a significantly lower risk of developing nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections and other complications, including sepsis from IV lines, pneumonia from ventilators, and urinary tract infections from catheters.

Considering the critical condition that ICU occupants are in, these statistics are pretty frightening. A shortage of qualified ICU nurses puts a hospital’s most vulnerable patients at an increased risk of serious complications, and even death.

ICU Nurse Training Programs and Licensing

Licensed practical nurses or licensed vocational nurses can work in an Intensive Care Unit, but the majority of ICU, CCU, and ICU/CCU nurses are registered nurses. This means that they have received a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and have passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. Many critical care nurses choose to obtain certification through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, but this is generally not required.

ICU nurses must be comfortable maintaining and interpreting the data from a variety of medical monitoring devices, including SAT monitors, EKGs, and more. ICU nurse training programs are designed to teach nurses specific health assessment skills, pharmacological interventions, and diagnostic procedures that are used in a critical care setting.

ICU Nurse Scope of Practice

ICU nurses are also referred to as critical care nurses, which is a pretty accurate descriptor for what they do. All states have their own Boards of Nursing, which determine the scope of practice that nurses must follow. Since nurses in ICUs are generally registered nurses, they must adhere to the scope of practice for a registered nurse. This includes collecting data on patients, creating patient care plans based on this data and physician’s recommendations, implementing care plans, evaluating patients’ responses to care, and acting as a patient liaison. Unlike a registered nurse that performs these duties for regular patients, an ICU nurse must perform them for a hospital’s sickest, most injured, and most at-risk patient populations.

Why You Should Become an ICU Nurse

Staff nurses in intensive care units usually earn between $60,000-$73,000 annually. There are also a lot of positions open for staff nurses, particularly for those with advanced degrees. If you’d like a job in a well paying, virtually recession-proof industry, then an ICU nurse may be the job you’re looking for.

The nursing shortage is worsening by the year, and a hospital’s ICU patients are one of the groups that has the most to lose from it. If you want to help save lives that would otherwise be lost to hospital-acquired infections and careless mistakes, then a career as an ICU nurse may be extremely rewarding for you.

ICU nursing isn’t easy, especially when it comes to caring for patients in neonatal or pediatric intensive care units. As physically and emotionally demanding as it may be, these patients need qualified nurses if they’re going to survive. With ICU nurse training, you can become the difference between a healthy patient that get discharged, and a statistic for negative patient care outcomes.

Free CNA Training

Becoming a certified nursing assistant doesn’t take very long, and, with free certified nurse assistant training, it doesn’t have to cost anything, either. Medical facilities the world over are hurting for qualified medical personnel, including certified nursing assistants. Because of the worldwide shortage of nurses, there are a variety of ways that you can get your CNA training, without having to worry about expensive loans.

Some of these include:

–        Grants offered by the government for unemployed American workers.

–        Scholarships offered by individual schools.

–        Loan repayment or tuition reimbursement programs offered by hospitals and medical clinics.

–        Federal financial aid, like the Pell Grant.

–        Scholarships offered by nursing associations.

–        Programs sponsored by your state’s Board of Education.

–        Low cost CNA training offered by the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other charitable organizations.

–        Free courses offered by large, understaffed medical facilities, like hospitals and nursing homes.

Unfortunately, the majority of financial help out there is for students planning to become registered nurses or advanced practice registered nurses. The best way to find out what kind of help is available for you is to contact your state’s Board of Nursing. This organization is the governing body when it comes to nursing educational requirements, scopes of practice, and more. They will be able to point you to financial aid measures for nursing assistant students, and affordable community colleges with nursing assistant programs.

Nurse Assistant Training

Most CNA programs are approximately eight weeks in length, and cover the basics of nursing, like medical ethics, anatomy, and medical terminology. Most Boards of Nursing require nursing assistants to pass a certification exam upon graduating from the program, and then register as a certified nurse assistant before they are allowed to practice. In many states, nursing students that are currently in the process of becoming registered or licensed practical nurses are able to test and register as certified nursing assistants while they obtain their nursing degrees.

Fortunately, most nurse assistant programs are not very expensive. They’re usually less than a thousand dollars, so students looking for free certified nurse assistant training won’t have to worry about raising the thousands of dollars that regular nursing tuition usually costs.

Nurse Assistant Scope of Practice

All healthcare professionals have a scope of practice that they must adhere to. People who do things outside of their scope of practice (nurses who perform surgery, for example) can be subject to serious disciplinary action.

In general, nurse’s aides can perform basic tasks like helping patients to the restroom, bathing them, helping them dress, and assisting them with other small, daily tasks. They may also have to provide some physical therapy exercises, massage, and other gentle physical activity to prevent bedsores and joint stiffness. All nurse’s assistants report to actual nurses, and must inform them of any changes that occur in their patients. Nurse’s assistants are not nurses, and can not perform the same patient care tasks that they can.

Why You Should Become a Certified Nurse Assistant

There’s a worldwide nursing shortage, and it’s severely impacted many areas of the U.S. Many hospitals are understaffed, and every free pair of hands helps. Though nursing assistants can’t do the same things nurses do, they can help by performing minor tasks for them. This frees nurses up to focus on more important aspects of their scope of practice, without sacrificing patient care.

If you think you would like to work in a hospital setting, becoming a certified nurse assistant is a low cost, low investment way to gauge how well your interest lasts. Completing a nursing program is expensive and difficult, but being a certified nursing assistant is a great way to see how well the job “fits” you first.

Lastly, in this economic situation, workers are virtually unemployable if they don’t have some kind of training or job skills. Free certified nurse assistant training can allow you to get the skills you need in order to be able to find a job wherever you go, from hospitals, to mental health facilities, to reproductive care centers, to private doctor’s offices.

Flight Nurse Training

Flight nurse training is an extremely tough course load that’s designed to prepare nursing students for the rigors of working on a medical evacuation (medevac) helicopter or rescue plane. Working as a nurse in an emergency room situation is tough enough, but flight nurses have it even harder- they are confined to a working area in a plane or helicopter, and are generally dealing with patients that are in pretty dire straits. Many people walk into the emergency room without actually needing emergency care. Nobody gets loaded onto a medevac helicopter unless they really, really need to.

There are a lot of reasons why flight nurses need specific training, and why the number of available positions is a lot smaller than the number of would-be flight nurses:

– Being a flight nurse is one of the most mentally and physically demanding jobs in nursing.

– The patients on medical flights are universally critically ill or seriously injured, and should not be handled by inexperienced nurses.

– Flight nurses absolutely must have some practical trauma experience in order to be of value to a medical evacuation team.

–  On an medevac flight, every second counts. Nurses must be able to do everything as efficiently as possible, so absolutely no time is wasted.

Flight Nurse Training Courses

In order to become a flight nurse, candidates should already be registered nurses with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing. Additional training as an emergency medical technician doesn’t hurt, either. Generally speaking, medical flights are like stripped-down, mobile trauma centers. The ideal candidate to work on one is a nurse with a master’s degree, experience in a trauma center, and some kind of certification in life support techniques.

Though state Boards of Nursing have varying attitudes toward flight nursing with regards to their educational requirements and scopes of practice, in general there are no nursing degree programs that are designed to turn out flight nurses. Instead, the path to becoming a flight nurse generally follows a natural progression from registered nurse, to emergency room nurse in a trauma center, to continuing educational programs designed to give critical care nurses more skills when it comes to dealing with their sickest and most injured patients. Nurses can then take the certified flight registered nurse exam, and apply for one of the relatively few medevac nursing jobs available. Actual nursing examination and education requirements vary from state to state, so candidates for medevac positions should contact their local Boards of Nursing to find out what their state’s individual requirements are.

Flight Nursing Scope of Practice

A flight nurse has the same scope of practice as a critical care nurse, though some states expand their scopes of practice in order to allow flight nurses to perform all of the tasks they need to to ensure good patient outcomes. Nurses must be able to monitor patients’ IV drips (sometimes many at once), interpret readouts from instruments like EKGs, keep an eye on patients’ reactions to treatment, and assist flight doctors in performing any necessary lifesaving measures.

Flight Nursing Jobs are Limited

Despite an overall nursing shortage, there’s actually a limit to the number of flight nursing jobs available. Though flight nurses can work for either large, public hospitals or private companies, there simply aren’t enough medevac jobs available for all of the nurses that want them. This is due to the fact that flight nurses are only needed for a small percentage of patients, flight nurses don’t suffer from the same occupational burnout that a lot of hospital staff nurses do, and few flight nurses are choosing to leave their positions before retirement. This is bad news for nursing students hoping to become medevac nurses, but good news for those that make it- flight nurses generally receive excellent pay, and report a high degree of job satisfaction.

Why You Should Become a Flight Nurse

Flight nurse training can prepare you for one of the most difficult, rewarding, and prestigious careers in nursing. Being a fight nurse isn’t like being any other type of nurse, and most medevac workers wouldn’t give up their jobs for the world. If you want to be continually challenged and offered the chance to help the patients that need the most critical care, then flight nurse training may be right up your alley.

Emergency Room Nurse Training – Facts vs Fiction

Being a nurse in an ER setting is a high stress job, and emergency room nurse training reflects that. The stress that a lot of emergency room nurses experience can even end up compounded by the misconceptions that many patients and their families have about nurses, their scope of practice, and what kind of training they’ve received.

This includes myths like:

–        “Nurses aren’t as good as doctors, because they aren’t as educated.”

–        “Nurses are just doctors’ assistants, and can only do what doctors tell them to.”

–        “Hospitals have plenty of nurses.”

–        “ER nursing is for women.”

These are just a handful of things people tend to wrongfully associate with nursing, which can end up making the emergency nurse-patient relationship more difficult than it needs to be, and even discourage new students from wanting to become emergency nurses.

“Nurses aren’t as good as doctors.”

Emergency room nurse training takes a minimum of two to four years, depending on the state a nurse is practicing in. This only counts actual in-school instruction- after graduation, ER nurses are required to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, and then the Certified Emergency Nurse Exam. Some nurses choose to go beyond becoming RNs, and actually go back to school to get their master’s degrees or doctorates’ to become Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. All of these measures are designed to turn out nurses that are qualified to do all of the duties defined in their scope of practice, which is not the same as a doctor’s scope of practice.

“Nurses are just doctor’s assistants.”

ER nurses are trained to exercise their own judgment while performing their duties. Nurses are fully capable of questioning a doctor’s choices, and developing a patient’s care plan based on a doctor’s decision. An ER nurse’s ultimate function is to monitor patients, alert doctors when any changes occur, and make sure that any implemented care plans are in their patients’ best interest. Though they may assist doctors, that is not the sum total of their scope of practice.

“Hospitals have plenty of nurses.”

Most hospitals are hurting for qualified emergency staff. Many older nurses are leaving the profession because their facilities are shorthanded, leaving them to pick up mandatory overtime and cut back on patient care. Hospitals may have a lot of staff, but not all of the people that care for a patient are nurses- many may only be certified nursing assistants, which are not legally allowed to perform many of the duties that an emergency room nurse is responsible for.

“ER nursing is for women.”

It’s getting better, but many patients still think the “female nurse, male doctor” stereotype is in play, especially in hospital emergency rooms. In reality, the number of male nurses is steadily growing, as more and more young men choose to enroll in emergency room nurse training programs. Though they still make up just under 6% of the total nursing population in the U.S., that’s changing- by the year 2020, male nurses are expected to make up a full 25% of nurses.

Why You Should Become an Emergency Room Nurse

The world is facing a serious nursing shortage, and it looks like it’s only going to get worse if more new nurses don’t begin entering the workforce. By undergoing emergency room nurse training and becoming a certified ER nurse, you’ll be able to alleviate the current nursing shortage, and find yourself in an industry that will always have a job available for you. Nursing in an emergency setting can be stressful and hectic, but it’s rewarding and well-paying, too.

Each state has its own requirements for emergency nurses. If you are interested in enrolling in emergency room nurse training courses, you first stop should be your state’s Board of Nursing. The Board of Nursing can provide you with educational requirements, certification information, lists of approved nursing programs in your state, and even financial aid information. Many states are hurting for qualified emergency staff, so you may be able to find a loan forgiveness program that would allow you to attend school cheaply.

Dental Nurse Training Courses

“Nursing” doesn’t just apply to registered nurses and nurse practitioners- dental nurse training courses are designed to turn out medical staff that are equipped to work in a dentist’s or oral surgeon’s office. These settings provide a completely different set of challenges than a regular doctor’s office or ER visit. As a result, the educational requirements and licensing procedures are a bit different than they are for a typical nurse.

For example, in a clinical setting, a dental nurse must be able to:

–        Prepare and mix materials like amalgam and composite fillings.

–        Maintain an aseptic atmosphere during oral surgery.

–        Support the dentist or oral surgeon during patient visits.

–        Monitor patients during their dental procedures.

–        Take and process dental x-rays.

–        Advise patients about subjects like aftercare following a dental procedure.

Dental nurse training courses are primarily confined to the U.K., which has governing bodies that oversee the training and certification requirements for these nurses. In the U.S., the duties typically handled by a dental nurse are relegated to a “dental assistant,” which does not have the same training and certification requirements as their U.K. counterpart.

Dental Nurse Scope of Practice

In many instances, the difference between a dental nurse and a dental assistant is a semantic one. The exact scope of practice for a dental nurse or dental assistant is set by a state or country’s dental governing body. So, the things that U.S. dental assistants are allowed to do will vary from state to state, and U.K. dental nurses aren’t always able to perform the same duties as U.S. dental assistants.

In no case are dental nurses or assistants ever allowed to perform the duties of an actual dentist, even with a licensed dentist’s consent and oversight. Doing so can result in severe disciplinary action, including being barred from working as a dental nurse or assistant from that point forward. Avoiding this isn’t as easy as it sounds- in some places, things like tooth whitening and temporary crown making must be performed by a dentist. In others, they can legally be done by dental nurses or assistants. In every case, it’s important for dental staff to fully understand all of the regulations pertaining to what duties they are and are not allowed to perform.

Dental Nurse Training Courses and Certification Requirements

If you want to work as a dental nurse in the U.K., then dental nurse training courses are a requirement. Since 2008, all dental nurses must have a certificate from the National Examining Board of Dental Nurses, Certificate of Proficiency in dental nursing, course completion certificate for a one year dental nurse training program, and a National Vocational Qualification/Scottish Vocational Qualification Level three in oral healthcare. There are also additional certificates offered by the National Examining Board of Dental Nurses in subjects like “twilight” anesthesia and dental radiography, for dental nurses who assist oral surgeons and endodontists. In some countries in the U.K.,  such as Ireland, enrollment in the country’s Dental Council may be beneficial, but not mandatory.

If you want to work as a dental assistant in the U.S., you may or may not require a degree. This depends entirely on your state’s regulations. Dental nursing certifications from the U.K. are usually not sufficient to allow someone to work as a Certified Dental Assistant stateside. To become a Certified Dental Assistant, you must graduate from a two year dental assistant training program (or have two years of on-the-job experience), and pass a certification exam given by the Dental Assisting National Board.

Though both dental nurses and dental assistants provide the same kinds of support to dentists, they are treated differently in their countries of origin. If you’re a U.K. student working to become a dental nurse, then enrollment in dental nurse training courses is necessary. In the U.S., you may find that you’re able to receive in-house dental assistant training, and go on to become a Certified Dental Assistant based on your experience. In either case, your learning experiences will guarantee you a challenging, lucrative career anywhere in your homeland.