Becoming A Registered Nurse: Why And How

For people who enjoy caring for sick or injured individuals

, supporting them and their families emotionally, and educating the public about health-issues, a career in nursing is often the bridge connecting their interests and abilities to a world desperately-seeking people just like them.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects registered nurses (RN's) to generally enjoy excellent employment opportunities through 2018; RN's also had median annual wages of $62,450 in May, 2008. These higher-than-average earnings can be very helpful to nurses who prefer part-time over fulltime employment because of family responsibilities.

Many nursing jobs also offer a variety of different shifts, enabling nurses to work opposite hours from their spouses, so that one parent can always or usually be home with small children if couples want to minimize childcare costs. Some nurses have the opportunity to work three twelve-hour shifts per week, with four days off.

Educational paths are varied. Some RN's started out as certified nursing assistants (CNA's: training-length for this varies, but it can usually be completed in a few weeks or months) or licensed practical nurses (LPN's: training-length for this is about one year), and, through their experiences working under the supervision of RN's, became interested in continuing their educations in order to gain the additional knowledge and skills needed to do the work of a registered nurse.

For prospective students interested in a more direct route to becoming an RN, there are three basic options: pursuing a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) through a traditional or online college or university (this takes about four years), pursuing an associates degree in nursing (ADN) through a traditional or online community college or junior college (this takes about two to three years), or going through a diploma program in a hospital that offers one (this takes about three years).

The BSN program has a unique focus on communication, leadership, and critical thinking, which are important for those wishing to go into administration, research, consulting, or teaching.

RN's have a variety of different work settings to choose from, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, or caring for patients in their own homes. They also can choose to specialize in caring for a specific population; they may specialize by age or by medical condition. Just as there are a variety of different paths that can lead one to become an RN, so there are myriad options for job-changes within the field of nursing.

by: Christine Harrell

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