Posts Tagged ‘registered nurse’

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The Advantages of LVN to RN Programs

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Since many Licensed Vocational Nurses (or Licensed Practical Nurses as they are commonly called everywhere outside of California and Texas) eventually want to become Registered Nurses, LVN to RN and LPN to RN bridge programs are incredibly popular. Developed for the express purpose of helping you to pass the NCLEX-RN test and become a Registered Nurse, many of these so-called bridge programs are filled to capacity. Coursework concentrates on the theories and clinical aspects of RN work, and can be studied through any approved online or on-campus program.

Why Become a Registered Nurse?

RNs don’t just earn more than LVNs, but they also have more job opportunities and options for career development. RNs also get greater flexibility in both their job environment and work schedules compared to LVNs. With more schooling, they even have the option to advance into BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) and PhD-level positions in the medical field.

What are the Requirements for LVN to RN Programs?

To be admitted to an LVN to RN bridge program, applicants have to be a Licensed Vocational Nurse, to have a secondary school diploma or GED, and to have recorded a 2.0 GPA or better on their post-secondary coursework. Some programs also require students to have completed certain classes (e.g. anatomy, physiology, etc.) in the last five years, or get a “recency waiver” excluding them from this requirement because of their relevant work experience.

How to Find the Perfect LVN to RN Program

Undoubtedly, the one most crucial thing you should consider when selecting an LVN to RN program is its accreditation. The institution operating the program must be accredited by your home state’s nursing regulatory body if you’re to be qualified to take the NCLEX-RN exam at the conclusion of your studies. If you are considering working in a state besides the one where you take your LVN to RN program, you should also remember that some states don’t recognize out-of-state degrees from these schools.

Selecting a program that will fit you budgetary and personal scheduling limitations is also critical. Remember, because you are probably already working as an LVN or LPN, you should think about how you’re going to fit school and its associated expenses into your life without turning it inside-out. It is because of this very issue that many individuals prefer to take online LVN to RN programs. This approach affords you the most flexibility, and is often significantly less expensive than attending on-campus courses.

One Last Word on LVN to RN Programs

Registered Nurses certainly work hard, but they also are paid very well for a career in Nursing that many people view as highly rewarding and exciting. By enrolling in an LVN to RN program you can cross the bridge out of your current role into one that offers even more room for personal growth and career development. Assuming you have previously completed an accredited LVN program, it should usually require just one year to finish the necessary coursework. It just might be the smartest thing you’ve ever done for your career.

If you’re looking for more information on LVN to RN bridge programs in California, then be sure to stop by www.lvnprogramsincalifornia.net!

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Professional Nursing: Financially And Personally Rewarding Medical Career

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

With employment totaling to about 3 million, registered nurses (RNs) comprise the largest health-care related occupation. Current trends show that registered nurse job opportunities will continue to be excellent seven to ten years from now. Firstly, the rate of turnover is good which means there is constant demand for nurses. Secondly, the rapidly growing number of baby boomers requiring medical care is sure to increase the demand for professional nurses. Registered nurse job opportunities will continue to grow in spite of advancements in patient care and ongoing thrust for disease-preventing management.

In the US, to work as a registered nurse you need to finish either an associate (ADN) or bachelor’s (BSN) degree and pass the NCLEX-RN. The brevity and practicality of an associate degree in nursing makes it a top choice among students enrolled in community colleges. Those who find the former route limiting in terms of potential career advancement opportunities can take up a four-year bachelors degree program. School selection should be guided by the cost of attendance and the curriculum offered by the institution.

The best nursing schools offer adequate clinical rotation time in a variety of patient care settings to better prepare students for future employment. An educational institution’s pass-rates in the NCLEX-RN are also excellent indicators of how well they prepare their students. Because career advancement opportunities and salary tend to be lower for holders of ADN, enrolling in a RN to BSN program is a wise decision. Most professional nurses with an ADN work in companies that offer tuition reimbursement benefits to help them complete such RN to BSN program.

RNs are indispensable members of the healthcare team who treat and educate patients and their families regarding various health issues. Their job description differs from different fields of expertise and the patient population they handle. They have independent, and collaborative functions which encompass drug administration, less invasive diagnostic procedures, as well as rehab. They are also trained in therapeutic communication and are expected to provide much needed emotional support during confinement and in times of grief.

Nurses enjoy good pay on top of a very personally rewarding career. A registered nurse’s salary, which ranges from $40,000 to $90,000, varies by employment type and geographic setting. Those employed by big medical surgical hospitals based in metropolitan cities understandably receive higher pay than those working in doctor’s clinics in the rural areas. Also, a registered nurse’s salary increases commensurate to educational attainment and years of experience. There are hundreds of reasons why becoming a nurse is a good decision. Having an active role in adding years to a patient’s life, or life to years is definitely one of them.

Demand for registered nurses will continue to be high in the next decade. Finish your RN to BSN program now and enjoy better registered nurse salary. To know more click here registered nurse job description

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Why Become A Nurse Practitioner? Achieve Professional Goals

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Nurse practitioners (NP’s) are high level nurses who are very important in the running of a hospital and clinic. NP’s are heavily responsible for the specialized care of their patients and in many hospitals or clinics act in a similar nature to a physician. They are certainly very high up in the nursing hierarchy, and often supervise lower level nurses. Some states even permit nurse practitioners (NPs) to use their education and judgment to act independently of an actual physician. If you decide to become a nurse practitioner, be prepared not only for more freedom but also for more responsibility in running the hospital or clinic, as well.

To become an NP, you will need to first obtaining your BSN (bachelor’s of science in nursing), have your designation as a registered nurse, and then go on to earn your master’s in nursing that comes with an accredited nurse practitioner specialization. Virtually every (if not all) NP programs will want you to focus on a specialty like children, adult, neonatal, or something similar.

The salary and benefits of being a nurse practitioner are also much higher than being simply a registered nurse. In 2008 the average income for a NP was around $81,000 although this profession certainly has the potential to earn much more. In fact, the highest average earning salary was a little over $90,000 in the specialty of hematology/oncology.

If you expect to work from 9 to 5 then being a Nurse Practitioner is not for you. NPs are often the ones who get called in at odd hours when there are too few physicians are available and the hospital (or clinic) requires someone higher up with physician-like authority to come in to help out.

However, there are some rumblings that much of the freedom Nurse Practitioners have gotten used to enjoying might be coming to an end. Many debates have raged in recent years over the validity of allowing an NP with less schooling to act like a physician, who has more training. On one hand the job outlook for NPs still remains very bright because of the argument that NPs will be able to act as a sort of “physician extender” for many situations, and leave the doctors to deal with only the truly serious situations that require their full abilities. The idea is that having this type of a role will still make job security even better than regular nurses, who still have very little to actually worry about. Some people still worry that NPs might have too much authority compared to education.

All in all, even after considering the cons versus the pros, it’s not hard to see how the decision to become a nurse practitioner can be an excellent one for you and your career. The requirements really aren’t that much since at the end of the day they only require a master’s degree above the usual BSN and registered nurse designation. But this one degree and designation means a salary that is 150% to 200% higher, and if you move high enough you could eventually hit six figures in your career. And in the additional job security and job control, and it’s easy to see why this is a winning proposition.

Marc Arlen, a contributing author for many years, has written numerous articles on becoming a nurse. His informative and stimulating articles cover the requirements to become a nurse practitioner and provide many options on his website.

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A Complete Career In Nursing Review

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

With practically 2.6M nurses (RN) in the United States, nursing currently is the largest health-related vocation within the country. If you think that private hospitals would be the only location a registered nurse could be found, you’re undoubtedly misled. Public health agencies, communities, ambulatory care centers and other places where health-related professional services are rendered also commonly have nurses currently employed.

1. The Nursing Practice

Nursing addresses a large region of practice. It consists of

- Childcare – Aging population care – Professional services for pregnant women – Assistance for newborn infants – Specialty area – trauma nurses – Specialty area – cancer malignancy nurses – Specialty region – forensic nursing

2. Choose Your Registered Nursing Training course

The 1st key to learning to be a nurse would be to graduate in a nursing curriculum. This would enable you to attend a state licensure examination. Inside the US, far more than one thousand five hundred nursing programs are provided. Three of these programs prepare you in assuming diverse tasks when you finally graduate.

A. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) This can be a four-year course load offered in colleges and universities. A graduate of this course has the advantage of studying health care settings that consists of leadership and management. A degree in BSN is preferred and frequently required in numerous fields of nursing.

B. Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) This can be a 2 to 3 year program offered in college as well just as junior collages. This plan preps students in coping with direct patient care.

C. Hospital Diploma This is a 2 to three year program which is based in hospitals.

3. Nursing Positions

Since you’ve discussed the fundamentals, let’s take a closer look on some of the nursing opportunities you can enjoy. These roles are determined by your practical knowledge and education.

A. Entry-level nursing position This is the Staff Nurse Position. The nurse assumes doing judgments determined by scientific understanding. You’ve got to depend on treatments and consistent care plans.

B. Certified Mid-wife This can be a specialty nurse career where the nurse aids childbearing ladies. It will begin during the preconception stage and goes by means of the prenatal, labor and delivery. Postpartum period care is also a part of her responsibilities. The nurse also offers family organizing counseling too as gynecological care for women.

C. Case Manager After some time, a nurse can turn into a nurse case manager. In this particular job, the nurse will be involved in the process of organizing too as corresponding the assets and services of an entire group of nurses, like an entire hospital.

D. Nurse Educator This can be a job a nurse could get affiliated with. Educating men and women about appropriate health care requirements and procedures could be the fundamental tasks for this position. A Nurse Practitioner on the other hand performs physical assessments on patients, performs medical determinations and offers treatments. A nurse practitioner can also write prescriptions and can also deal with patients with chronic disorders for example diabetics and people with high blood pressure.

E. Nurse Anesthetist A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist assists during operations. They give anesthesia to the patients prior to and after the operation.

You will find also different unique nursing programs that might aid you focus on a particular region. Radiology Nursing, Therapy Nursing, AIDS Care Nursing, and Forensic Nursing are handful of these specialty areas. Radiology Nurses are involved with patients that experience diagnosis in radiology imaging settings. It also includes Ultrasonography, magnetic resonance and radiation oncology. Rehabilitation Nurses or Psychiatric Nurses assumes offering physical and emotional support both to the patient and their families. They take care of patients having mental incapacities. An AIDS Care Nurse copes with the physical, psychological, spiritual and cultural needs of a patient experiencing AIDS. A Forensic Nurse works in any diverse environment with other nurses. They work with the law enforcement officials to assist in the investigation of crimes like sexual assault and accidental death. They also assist within the treating the victims of those crimes.

For more information on becoming a registered nurse visit RNregisterednurse.org

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Tips on How To Become a Nurse

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

In order to become a registered nurse, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Knowing this information will make it much easier for you to decide how you are going to proceed with the task of trying to get a new career in the medical field. As you begin your studies to get started as a registered nurse, there are a few things that you need to be aware of.

Probably the most important of all is to realize that you too can become a registered nurse if you are willing to put forth the effort and study, and if you have a sincere concern for the well being others. Having a desire to help others who are ill will help you to get through your training and enjoy a rewarding career in nursing.

Many skills are important to have for you to fully succeed as a registered nurse. Two of the most important are both people skills and communication skills. Normally the individuals who do the best as a registered nurse are those who really enjoy talking to people and helping to be a part of them getting the treatment they need in order to get healthy. While there are exceptions, very few nurses succeed who are anti-social and don’t like talking to people. A nursing job means spending a lot of time around patients, which makes good social skills critical for success, as well as patience and understanding.

If you are absolutely certain that nursing is the career that you are passionate about and want to pursue, then to become a registered nurse you will need to look around locally for a registered nursing program. Being a good RN requires a large amount of training and studying in addition to firsthand experience, so you need to find a program that offers all of this and helps teach you what you need to know in order to pass your state’s licensing requirement, which always includes state licensing exam. While online schools do offer some special opportunities, especially for parents who need to work around schedule issues, if you do decide to obtain your Associates or BSN degree online, make sure the program you are looking at is completely and fully accredited. Otherwise it’s not worth the time or cost. Most programs can last anywhere from two to three years, with additional time for specialized degrees.

In most situations and cases there are several different routes to take in order to obtain the required education necessary in order to become a registered nurse. One of the traditional ways of getting this education, and still one of the best, is by completing a nursing diploma program. However in many cases this shouldn’t be seen as the end of training, but only the beginning. Many employers today are requiring an Associate’s degree at the very minimum, and some areas are even competitive enough to require (or at least greatly prefer) the BSN. If you even have a specific specialty field of medicine in line, you might even need to look at getting a Master’s Degree. No matter which one of these paths you choose to pursue, they should prepare you to meet all the requirements needed in order to take the registered nursing license exam go on to a great new rewarding career.

The nursing field is hot and will remain so for many years to come, with positions available in hospitals, clinics, physician’s offices, and so many more. In addition, the traveling nurse program itself is an exciting and high paying field. We’ll go into this in more detail in future posts. So, if you have what it takes to become a registered nurse, we encourage you to take that first big step and commit!

Marc Arlen BM is an accomplished contributing author and has written numerous articles on the medical profession, primarily in Nursing and Nursing Schools. If you are considering becoming a nurse or specializing in some nursing field, you absolutely must read what he has to say about it. The information is Free and we encourage you to visit his website at http://www.become-a-nurse.com

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There Are Three Types Of Certifications For Public Health Nursing

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

A public health nurse provides different kinds of nursing services for entire communities. The services of public health nursing includes looking at the environment of communities for health issues, or potential health problems, and will then come up with education and plans for the prevention of illness. Nurses must become certified in public health.

American Nurses Credentialing Center

The ANCC offers certification in a number of nursing specialties, and they offer public health nursing certification for qualified nurses. Nurses must pass an exam in order to receive certification and must renew their certification every five years.

The exam is computer-based, so nurses can test at any time and from any location. The cost to take the exam ranges from $270 to $390 as of March 2010, with discounts available to nurses that are members of the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, or National Association of Clinic Nurse Specialists.

There are 3 options the ANCC offers for public health nursing.

Choice A

Registered nurses with graduate degrees in public or health nursing can apply for the Advanced Public Health Nurse – Board Certified (APHN-BC) credential. As a nurse (clinical) specialist you will have the option to receive your Public/Community Health Nurse Specialist – Certified, or (PHCNS-BC) certification.

Option B

Registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees in the public health nursing and master’s degrees in public health can apply for the APHN-BC credential. Several colleges offer master’s degrees in public health.

Option C

If you have 2,000 hours of clinic practical knowledge in public health nursing, with a graduate diploma, a nurse can apply for the APHN-BC. If nurses already have a graduate degree in something other than nursing, they must hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The Certification Need

Public health nurses who are certified command increased salaries, as this shows the mastery of the education needed to be competent in public health.

To get additional information about being a registered nurse go to Registerednurseblog.info today

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The Progress Of Nursing Careers Today

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

You have been thinking for some time now of whether or not to become a registered nurse or not. You would like to be familiar with the details of what becoming a registered nurse has in store for you and will you really be joyful doing it.

Take a journey to discovering what will make a nurse below. Below are several basic points of why a person may take a profession as an RN:

1) High returns on your investment. Because of the invaluable bestowal of the nursing staff to the health care field, administrators see to it that nursing personnel are highly compensated for the skills they bring to the table. The compensation can further increase conditional on the skills added and the tenure.

Also, a nurse is afforded with several benefits particularly in terms of health care for them and their family. More great news is that presently policy makers are working to increase the compensation of registered nurses to enhance retention and to abate the increasing turnover.

2) High demand for the registered nurse. There’s no denying that everybody at some point in their lives will have to have medical care. Especially today with the number of newer issues being discovered along with the kind of lifestyle that people lead, medical efforts need to be augmented more than ever before.

A registered nurse operates as a valuable part of the nursing team in managing the role of CNAs and LPNs to provide the greatest care possible. Furthermore, there is also an always increasing older community which needs constant medical care to maintain optimal health or to pass away in peace.

3) Employment with skills. As a registered nurse, you can practice in a range of settings from long term facilities to hospitals depending on what you want to do. For folks who want a chance to learn new things everyday and diversity, getting employment in the hospitals gives you an assortment of situations where you can increase your repertoire of skills and knowledge.

For readers wanting structure and constancy in their work, working in a nursing home will allow you a more relaxed position which will come with mastering the many nursing skills you need to function capably.

If you want to learn more about being a registered nurse salary go to RNregisterednurse.org now

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Ways You Can Get Free Nursing CEUs

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Nurses must renew their licenses every 2 years. So if you are like many nurses out there you would like free nursing Ceus. Well luckily there are many good resources to get free nursing Ceus on the internet. The web is so pervasive in our lives that it only makes sense we should use it for the purpose of doing our continuing education.

The best thing I could come up with about the no cost nursing CEUs available online, is that they are no cost! Doing things on the internet means I can take CEU courses at home in comfort. At the end of this short article I list several sources for no cost nursing CEUs, and you will be able to find CEUs on just about any topic conceivable.

Why wait until the very end to complete your free nursing Ceus? If you can do one short CEU course every few months then you won’t have to bother with rushing to get them done at the last minute. I was always looking up new topics or diagnoses related to my field of nursing anyway, so I decided to take a CEU on each topic I needed to learn about and killed two birds with one stone.

So instead of looking up information by doing a simple search for it, I started searching on several sites I had bookmarked that offered no cost nursing CEUs. It would sometimes take me 5 or 10 more minutes to learn information this way, but I would have so many CEUs after a short time of doing this that I could not use all of them.

As of mid 2010 many states are allowing nurses to get all of their Continuing education courses online instead of having to attend a class or seminar in person. This revelation is making getting free nursing Ceus from the web a great time saver.

Some of the more known sites that give free nursing CEUs are www.Powerpak.com, www.Procareone.com, Traumaed.com, and www.Cemedicus.com. There are many more out there that offer free CEUs of course, but these are the biggest and most popular, and should make you happy.

To get additional information about becoming a registered nurse click over to Registerednurseblog.info today

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Being A Pediatric Nurse Is A Rewarding Job

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Choosing to become a pediatric nurse requires high levels of caring, compassion, and knowledge in that particular field. These are universal qualities in all areas of nursing, but it takes a special kind of person to have the patience to care for the youngest among us.

Usually a pediatric nurse is responsible for a patient population that ranges from birth to 18 years of age. The pediatric nurse can work in such varied areas as hospitals, clinics, and even pediatric home health. Additionally, pediatric nurses are the front line educators to parents, in addition to their medical responsibilities.

The pediatric nurse usually has different qualities, in addition to those basic in nursing, compared with those of the traditional nurse. For one, the pediatric has to be a patient individual. Children become frightened easily, especially in a medical setting. Sometimes a little extra time spent with the child making them more comfortable with the situation is all that’s needed to make a difference.

The pediatric nurse must also be able to be compassionate to the parents needs, especially during an ill visit. The caregiver of the child can be just as upset, or more so, than the child during these times.

In a helping profession like nursing, the main benefit is caring for people, and problem solving. This reward can be intensified in pediatric nursing. Pediatric nursing gives individuals the opportunity to care for a population that generally cannot care for themselves. Pediatric nurses provide knowledge to parents on how to properly care for their children’s health needs, and they ease the concerns of new parents.

One of the common misconceptions about the job of the pediatric nurse is that their job isn’t as stressful as other areas of the nursing field. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. As a pediatric nurse you face stress on a daily basis in your job. For some the stress is greater. In any career where your job is caring for the health and well being of another human being, there will be stress.

As a pediatric nurse there are several certifications you can attain through training such as the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and the certified pediatric nurse designation from the Pediatric Nurses Association.

If you want to get additional information about being a registered nurse click over to Registerednurseblog.info today

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What Exactly Is The Registered Nurse Symbol And What Does It Stand For?

Monday, January 31st, 2011

To those in the nursing field, the registered nurse symbol signifies an accomplishment of finishing nursing school. It has stood as being a symbolic representation of caring in the nursing, and healthcare field in general, for nearly a century. The registered nurse symbol is ever present in nursing school and inside the profession as a whole. But do you know what the registered nurse symbol truly is and what it stands for?

The Caduceus, or registered nurse symbol, is a staff that is wing topped with two serpents winding around it to the top. This staff was, according to legend, carried by Hermes in Greek mythology. It was given to him by Apollo.

It was a symbol of fertility, wisdom, and was also a symbol of the sun gods. Carried by Greek heralds and ambassadors, this staff was meant as a symbol of neutrality pertaining to the Romans.

Since 1902 the Caduceus, or registered nurse symbol, has been the insignia of the U.S. Army’s medical branch. Much like any symbol that stands as a representation for things such as commerce, postal or any other government service, this symbol has stood for medicine since the sixteenth century when it replaced the staff of Asclepius, a one serpent symbol, as the image of choice for medicine.

Some people see the registered nurse symbol or Caduceus as a negative symbol for the profession, but even still, it’s a positive symbol of caring for those of us in the profession. No matter the connotation it may be perceived as, the public at large considers the registered nurse symbol as a good sign or image.

This goes on to give the public a comforting feeling as they know how it is linked to healthcare in general. We nurses don’t look at it and think of the negative connotations associated with it from ancient mythology, we regard it as being a image of pride.

A lot of medical organizations use the Caduceus, or registered nurse symbol, of two winding serpents around a staff, topped by two wings, which is the staff carried by the Greek god messenger Hermes. This symbol was the protector of merchants and thieves, and conductor of the dead. Its meaning is ‘heralds staff’ from the Greek word karykeion. Itself based on the word ‘eruko’ meaning control or restrain.

It is interesting to see that most of organizations using this registered nurse symbol are generally either commercial or military (or American). New Zealand examples include drug and pharmaceutical companies. A study confirmed that the connection of the caduceus and medicine was solidified around the 7th century A.D. A study by Friedlander confirms this impression.

This was around the time Hermes had come to be associated with the study of alchemy. Alchemists were referred to as sons of Hermes, or hermeticists. Cult associations can be found linked to the registered nurse symbol otherwise known as the caduceus.

The magic staff of Mercury, otherwise known as Hermes, was the Caduceus. Associated today as the registered nurse symbol. Back in the time of Hermes this symbol was an image for heralds and commerce, not medicine. The other words associated with this symbol were caducity, imply temporality, and senility. While the nursing profession touts vitality, renewal, and health.

To get more information about becoming a registered nurse click over to Registerednurseblog.info today

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