Do You Want to Change Your Career to Nursing?

Nursing is one of the fastest growing careers today.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 587,000 new registered nursing jobs to be created through 2016, which is one of the largest numbers of all occupations.  What does it take to become a nurse?  Get educated and licensed and choose your nursing career specialty.  Read on for more details.

Education and Training to Become a Nurse

To become a nurse, there are several major educational paths:

Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) This degree is offered by colleges and universities and takes about 4 years to complete.  If you already have a bachelor’s degree in another field, there are accelerated programs available to get your BSN in 12-18 months.

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) This degree is offered by colleges, universities  and community colleges and takes 2-3 years to complete.

Diploma Hospitals typically offer diplomas and it takes 3 years to complete.

If you already have an ADN or Diploma along with your RN, there are accelerated programs to get your bachelor’s faster.

Master’s Degree in Nursing (MSN) Also offered by colleges and universities, this degree takes about 2 years to complete.  Graduate study can be combined with an accelerated bachelor’s degree to get both your BSN and MSN in 3 years.  If you hold a bachelor’s or master’s in another field, there are also accelerated programs to get your MSN quickly.

The higher the degree you achieve, the more nursing career and specialty opportunities are available.  Remember you can start out at the associate or diploma level in order to get an entry-level nursing job.  Then work towards your bachelor’s or master’s degree at night or online and take advantage of tuition reimbursement and gain valuable work experience.

Licensing

Along with your education, you must pass licensing tests in order to practice as a nurse.  The national licensing exam is called the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).  First, apply to your state board where you want to be licensed.  After the board has confirmed your eligibility to take the exam, you are notified of your registration window.  Register at an approved testing site and then take the 6-hour test.  You will receive your scores within a month via mail; pass rates for 2008 first-time test takers exceeded 86%, according to the board that administers the test.

If you are specializing in certain areas, particularly in advanced areas such as nurse practitioners, additional licensing tests may be necessary before you can practice.  Check with your state’s board of nursing to confirm the requirements.

Nursing Career Specialties

• Ambulatory care
• Critical care
• Emergency/trauma
• Transport
• Holistic
• Home health care
• Hospice and palliative care
• Infusion
• Long term care
• Medical-surgical
• Occupational health
• Perianesthesia
• Perioperative
• Psychiatric/mental health
• Radiology
• Rehabilitation
• Transplants
• Addictions
• Intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Diabetes management
• Genetics
• HIV/AIDS
• Oncology
• Wound, ostomy and continence
• Cardiovascular
• Dermatology
• Gastroenterology
• Gynecology
• Nephrology
• Neuroscience
• Ophthalmic
• Orthopedic
• Otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose & throat)
• Respiratory
• Urology
• Neonatology
• Pediatrics
• Getontology/geriatrics
• Case managers
• Forensics
• Infection control
• Legal nurse consultants
• Nurse administrators
• Educators
• Informaticists
• Health care consultants
• Public policy advisors
• Pharmaceutical and medical supply researchers and sales
• Medical writers and editors

Advanced Nursing Career Specialties

• Clinical nurse specialists
• Nurse anesthetists
• Nurse midwives
• Nurse practitioners (family practice, adult practice, women's health, pediatrics, acute care, geriatrics)

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook; National Council of State Boards of Nursing