Over the years, the healthcare job market has seen an incredible boom with its’ numerous openings for various healthcare positions. Even in these tough economic times, the healthcare industry is still managing to get by. One of the few job openings that never seem to be filled is the nursing profession. With the population of the elderly growing, the need for young, exuberant nurses almost seems quite palpable. Nursing is more than just a job to pay the bills; it is a highly rewarding career that offers job security and satisfaction at the same time.
There are several nursing opportunities available in the job market, each opportunity offers a different setting, salary and responsibility. But before you find what these nursing opportunities are, you’ll have to know the different educational paths you can take in order to become a nurse. The higher your educational attainment will be the better your chances will become in gaining job security and fast promotions.
A typical high school graduate with a diploma or equivalent can earn their associates degree in nursing by enrolling in a school with a nursing program. It typically takes two years to obtain an associates degree. If you’re aiming for a diploma, you’ll have to add one more year in that educational goal of yours. A bachelors of science in nursing takes four years to achieve. The main difference between the educational paths is that graduates with a bachelors’ degree in nursing can be promoted to the supervisory levels. Those who only have diplomas or associates degrees are called technical nurses and are restricted to several nursing paths.
In school, you will tackle a lot of health related subjects. The most prominent of which include psychiatric nursing, medical and surgical nursing, maternal and child nursing, pharmacology and basic anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology and social science. In order to survive nursing school, you must have a good memory and possess a keen eye for details. As far as lessons go, memory is all you need to pass. In the clinical area, you should be extremely cautious in providing care. Not only will you have to apply every theory you’ve ever learned in class, you must show genuine care and respect for everyone around you.
After graduating, you will take the Nursing Licensure Exam (NCLEX), which consists of 75-265 nursing based questions strategically adapted to your cognitive level. Different states have different educational requirements for taking the NCLEX. To check the requirements for your state, you can log in to www.ncsbn.org <http://www.ncsbn.org> for further details.
The starting point for any registered nurse is to work as a staff nurse. Staff nurses usually earn around $45,500 a year. Nurses who work in specialty area like the operating room or intensive care unit earn higher hourly rates than the nurses who work in the wards. Salary can also depend on the bed capacity of the hospital. The more patients the hospital caters to, the higher the nurses salary and nurse- patient ratio will be.
