For anyone wanting to become a nurse you must have a plan.
There are several ways to start a nursing career. Some start out as a nurse's assistant. This route lets you earn income while at the same time gaining practical experience as they work their way up. Others will go to school so they can start out as a registered nurse. To start off as a nurse's assistant you need to earn a Certified Nurses Assistant certificate. The next progressive step is the LPN or Licensed Practical Nurse. The demand for LPNs is huge. To become a LPN you must enroll in a one year program either at a vocational school or a local college.
To become a Registered Nurse or RN. There are two types of RN education programs. The AND program earns you an associates degree, and the BSN awards a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Once you have reached the LPN level of nursing there are several ways to become a RN. One common method is to continue working as a LPN and enroll in an online nursing degree program.
As a nurse you can expect to have the flexible work schedule like we mentioned earlier and also childcare, educational benefits and bonuses. Also medical is usually included. But how much does a nurse make? Well that depends on your certification, training and field of study. If you are just to look at a registered nurse, the income can vary greatly. On average nurses make about $48,000 a year. Some make under $30,000 and some over $60,000. Again it really depends on your concentration and field. With a little bit of research you can find the best nursing degree for you and figure out what fits your monetary goals.
What You Need to Know to Become A Successful Nurse
To become a nurse is one of the most rewarding things a person can do, both for themselves and for the future patients they will care for; but it really is not a profession for everyone. It is not a 9-5 job that you go to and work then go home and forget. Nurses live nursing. This fact is tantamount when you consider becoming a nurse.
While nursing remains much in demand, the recent economic downturn has slowed the shortage down considerably. Nurses who would normally be considering retirement find themselves working to keep the family afloat financially. New nurses are having trouble finding employment with little experience because older, experienced nurses remain available to work. Hospitals will always take experience over youth because it is financially sound practice.
It is true that nurses make a living wage. For those in financial difficulties, that fact makes nursing look very enticing. If you check nurse's salaries across the US, you will see that nurses make enough to support their families and keep up with all the payments that daily life throws at you. The other side of this coin is that nurses work long and strange hours to earn this salary. They work on their feet for most of the time. The potential for injury is high in this job. There is also the constant exposure to communicable illnesses and blood-borne pathogens that nurses deal with daily. So, the salary must compensate for these drawbacks.
This is a topic that is not discussed much in any literature about "becoming a nurse" but it needs to be. Nursing is not just a job. Nursing is a calling. To be able to withstand the demands of the field and to continue to get up daily and go to work, there needs to be something inside of you that makes you want to care for and give to your patients. If you look at nursing solely as a job, you will be doomed to fail. You need to be committed to the profession in a way that cannot be found in other professions. You need to know in your heart that you are a nurse. It sounds corny, I know, but it is still true. Nursing is a profession that is not easy and gentle. Nursing has been known to eat up and spit out those who join the ranks without feeling the total commitment required.
What You Need to Know to Become A Successful Nurse
