Nursing School

If you are a caring person who has always dreamed of making a difference in the lives of others, a career in nursing may be for you. Understand what all of the nursing schools in your area have to offer before committing to a particular nursing program.

Arguably, there has never been a better time to pursue a nursing school degree. Working in the medical sphere has many benefits, including:

An excellent chance of obtaining employment:

While other job sectors are laying off employees at an alarming rate, the medical field is experiencing a critical shortage of nurses. By 2020, it is estimated that the U.S. will have a shortage of more than 300,000 nurses. For those currently entering nursing, this shortfall will likely translate into enhanced job security and possibly higher wages.

An impressive nursing salary:

Salaries vary depending on a nurse’s credentials and geographic location, but most earn a comfortable living wage. Currently, the average salary for a nurse in the United States is about $64,000, a figure that is only expected to grow.

The chance to have a meaningful career:

Nurses are on the front line of healthcare – providing support, comfort, along with essential medical treatment and advice to patients with a variety of conditions. Individuals who choose nursing as a career gain the opportunity to profoundly impact the lives of others.

The opportunity to start work fast:

Individuals can enter a career in nursing with a two- or four-year degree to a variety of nursing schools. The time that must be spent in nursing school is shorter than for many other professions. Completing training relatively quickly is a significant benefit, as it means lower student loans and more earning potential.

Feel free to browse the information on this nursing school site. Whether you’re planning to start a brand new career or want to obtain one or more nursing certifications to enhance your credentials, you may find the information you’re looking for right here.

Choosing a Nursing School

Congratulations on deciding that you want to become a nurse. Now with that big decision out of the way comes another, where will you attend school to receive your degree? There are many factors to consider when choosing a nursing school and some are presented here.

One thing that you need to decide upon is whether you want a two-year degree or a four-year degree. This decision is going to be based more on your individual circumstances than anything else. Some nurses get two-year degrees and are very happy with those. Other nurses complete a four year degree all at once, and others complete the two year degree, work for a while, and then go back to further their education. In general, two-year degrees are cheaper than four-year degrees. Not all schools offer all types of programs.

Choosing a Nursing School

The next step in choosing a nursing school is to think about whether you want to attend school close to home, or have your heart set on that special school farther away. Most of the time, in-state tuition costs are cheaper. If you attend school close to home, you may be able to live at home and commute to classes, further lowering the costs.

After you have made these decisions, you can begin to narrow your choices. Within the schools that you have in mind, start finding out information about each one.What have their most recent state board passage rates been? The school or the board of nursing in your state may provide you with this information. Is the nursing program accredited and, if so, by what organizations? Ask how well they did on those surveys. What is the student to instructor ratio? A lower ration means that the instructors should have more time to spend with each individual student.

Carefully check the degree requirements for each school you are considering. These requirements can vary and can affect total cost of your education. Do the degree requirements seem to be reasonable when compared to the others that you are considering, or do extra or excessive classes seem to be present? Sit down with the requirements of each program you are considering and add up costs by credit hour for your entire degree. This will give you a better overall picture.

After you have narrowed your choice of schools down to three or less, visit each school personally to get a feel for the atmosphere there. Look at facilities such as the library. Do they seem to be up to date and well equipped for the size of the school? Finally, try to meet and speak to one or more of the instructors in the Nursing Program.

Studying for state boards begins the very day that you begin nursing school, so you need to carefully invest some time and energy in choosing a nursing school that is right for you.

Nursing School Education

Currently there is a lot of concern about the high probability of a severe shortage of nurses in the upcoming years; part of that concern is fueled by the fact that there is fear that there will not be enough properly trained faculty to meet the teaching needs of students enrolling in nursing schools.

Now is an excellent time for anyone interested in a teaching position for nursing education to begin pursuing the career. The government is handing out grants to nursing schools to help train faculty in preparation for the upcoming needs, so financial aid may be easier to obtain or better deals may be found on student loans.

Nurses who choose to enter nursing education must pursue a master’s degree. Entrance requirements generally are that the nurse have a BSN degree from a National League of Nursing accredited college (although there are some Associate’s to Master’s degree programs available), must have completed the Graduate Record Exam, and generally a GPA of 3.0. The average length of study is 12-18 months, although this time can vary depending on whether the student is a full- or part-time student, and the degree requirements of the particular curriculum.

With the demand for nurse educators being so great, people entering the nursing education field should expect to see salaries rising and improvements in benefits, making teaching a more lucrative career for the nurse.