Posts Tagged ‘Registered Nurse’

What It Takes To Become A Registered Nurse

March 13th, 2010



If you like helping people, you might have considered looking into nursing schools for a career you truly enjoy. But did you know that becoming better educated can have a dramatic impact on your personal bottom line? Getting a college education, whether an Associate’s degree, bachelor’s or master’s degree can lead to significant gains in lifetime earnings. Someone with an Associate’s degree can usually earn almost twice what a high school graduate can. A bachelor’s degree will help you gain over twice as much, and if you add a master’s degree it often jumps up to two and a half to four and a half times as much as those with a high school diploma. Looking at nursing schools online can help you find the right fit in schools so that you can complete your education to become a registered nurse. Registered nurse jobs provide a perennially excellent career outlook for a professional nurse. Here is some of what you could expect if you enroll in a nursing school.

To become a registered nurse typically requires two years of higher education. Once you have attained an Associate’s degree in Nursing, you are prepared to take the exam to earn your license to practice as a registered nurse. This test is called the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, which is often shortened to NCLEX-RN. There is also an NCLEX-PN, which is a test administered to practical or vocational nurses. These tests cover the ability, skills and knowledge of nursing in order to ensure that you are prepared to enter the nursing field at an entry level. A nurse may hold a license to practice the profession of nursing in more than one state, and to keep his or her license current, they often must take a number of continuing education classes.

In terms of the course work you will take on the way to becoming a nurse, several areas are covered. Nursing theory, anatomy, human growth and development, physiology, biology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, medication administration, pharmacology, psychology, legal issues and ethics make up the majority of classes that you will enjoy. There are also clinical parts of the training as well, when you will assist working nurses to acquire skill working with patients.

As far as locations where you would work at registered nurse jobs are concerned, there are many. You might want to work in a hospital, and there are certainly many great opportunities to do so in that venue, including in the emergency room, intensive care, the operating and recovery room, labor and delivery rooms, as well as outpatient offices. Other sites where registered nurses are employed can include patient’s homes, nursing homes, workplaces, schools, community centers, and even camps for children and homeless shelters.

Nursing schools offer you the opportunity to learn the skills needed to participate in an interesting and much-needed career as a professional nurse.

By: Susan Slobac

Distance Learning – Higher Education – Advantages and Limitations

December 11th, 2009



Without a doubt, distance learning for higher education has opened up an opportunity for people who, in the past, were unable to realise their educational dreams. Their difficulty was not just about money. Some people just did not live close enough to reputable learning institutions to attend classes there. Even if they did live close enough, their busy schedules (which often included taking care of their families and working full time jobs) made it impossible for them to attend classes during regular school hours.

Now, thanks to distance learning, students can pursue a higher education no matter where they live. And they can set their own hours so that, no matter how busy their schedules are, they can make time to study when it is convenient for them.

The Advantages

The Internet has made it easier than ever. And, more and more, reputable learning institutions are embracing the concept.

The biggest advantage of learning by long distance is the convenience. You do not have to make time in your busy schedule to travel to a campus so you can take a required class at a certain time. Wherever your computer is, that will be your classroom.

Another big advantage is that, with distance learning, there is almost no limit to what you can study. Do you dream of being a teacher? Do you want to become a registered nurse? Do you want a business degree? You can do all of those and more online.

From home, you can earn an Associate Degree, or a Bachelor’s Degree. You could even go for your Master’s Degree. In fact, many people who have had to abandon their pursuit of a degree for one reason or another have been able to go back to school online and finally complete their studies, earning the degrees they had already worked so hard for.

The Limitations – Is Distance Learning Right for You?

Studying for a degree by long distance will take a bit of discipline and organization. You will not have teachers or professors there to remind you to do assignments. And you will be responsible for knowing when certain work needs to be done, knowing where certain paperwork needs to go and when it needs to be there.

However, if you have the motivation, and the desire to succeed, you can make it work.

Distance learning and higher education go hand and hand. Location and lack of time do not have to be obstacles anymore. With all of the options out there, there is nothing to stop you from pursuing your dreams of earning a degree.

By: Cindy Claire