Registered Nurse (RN) Training & Careers

1) What Is a Nursing Degree?

Nursing education has been around since 250 B.C., when the first nursing school was established in India. Saint Benedict founded the Benedictine nursing order in 500 A.D. Of course, it then took several more centuries for official nursing degree programs to appear. The U.S. itself didn't have its first nursing school until 1862.

So what is this ancient profession and why is formal training so essential? A registered nurse (RN) treats patients with all sorts of medical ailments. And in truth, a registered nurse's role is so vital that a recent study found that Americans scheduled for routine surgeries are 31 percent more likely to die if they go a hospital with a severe shortage of nurses.

To prepare for this responsibility, you can choose from three different on-campus or online education paths.

• Diploma Programs in Nursing The least common educational path is the 3-year diploma program administered by certain hospitals. Only about 70 of these programs existed as of 2006.
• Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) A 2-3 year ADN program qualifies you for an entry-level job. You can then often receive tuition reimbursement benefits if you wish to enroll in an RN-to-BSN program, enabling you to earn your bachelor's degree through an on-campus or online education program while working as a registered nurse.
• Bachelor's of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) Offered by colleges and universities, this nursing degree program takes approximately four years to complete. If you already have a degree in another field, then you can enroll in a 12-18 month accelerated BSN program. You need a bachelor's degree if you wish to assume an administrative position, go to a graduate nursing school, or teach.

Coursework in all three of these programs typically include anatomy, behavioral science, chemistry, microbiology, physiology, and more.

Whether you choose an on-campus or online education program, you should ensure that your nursing school offers clinical supervised experience in a hospital or other health care facility.

• Master's Degree in Nursing (MSN) A graduate-level nursing degree can help you move forward in your career. It's also a requirement to work in one of the four advanced nursing specialties:

• Clinical nurse specialist: cares for patients and provides expert consultations
• Nurse anesthetist: provides anesthesia, pain management, emergency services, and similar care
• Nurse-midwives: conducts gynecological exams, neonatal care, and assists in labor and delivery
• Nurse practitioners: primary and specialty care providers

Either an MSN or doctoral nursing degree can also help you advance to a management position or move into the business side of health care.

2) Registered Nurse Certification and Licensure

To work as a registered nurse, you must graduate from an approved nursing school and pass the national licensing exam, the NCLEX-RN. If you want to work in one of the four advanced nursing specialties, you often need additional certification in that field. You can also choose to get certified in a specialty area like medical-surgical nursing, occupational health nursing, or psychiatric nursing.

3) Career Skills of Successful Registered Nurses

Certain skills can't be taught at nursing school, but they can certainly help you succeed in your RN career. You should have a caring and sympathetic nature, a strong attention to detail, the ability to assess patients' conditions, and a talent for supervising others. You also must be emotionally stable in order to cope with both emergencies and the human suffering you may witness.

4) What Can You Do With a Nursing Degree?

Registered nurses make up the largest health care occupation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006, they held 2.5 million jobs. The majority of RNs, 59 percent, work at hospitals. The rest are divided among:

1. Offices of physicians (8 percent)
2. Home health care services (5 percent)
3. Nursing care facilities (5 percent)
4. Employment services (4 percent)
5. Outpatient care centers (3 percent)

The remaining 16 percent are scattered throughout other industries.

5) Career Paths in Nursing

All registered nurses have certain job duties in common, such as administering treatment and medications, operating medical machinery, performing diagnostic tests, and recording patients' medical histories and symptoms. Some registered nurses even run public seminars or immunization clinics.

A registered nurse can also specialize in one of four ways:

1. By the type of work setting or treatment, including critical care nurses who work in intensive care units, home health care nurses who work in patients' homes, or perioperative nurses who work in operating rooms.
2. Other nurses focus on a disease or ailment, such as addiction nurses, diabetes management nurses, or oncology nurses.
3. Certain nurses only work with specific segments of the population like newborns, children, or the elderly.
4. The fourth type of RN works with one or more organs or body systems like cardiovascular nurses, dermatology nurses, or respiratory nurses.

6) What to Expect from a Registered Nurse Career

According to the most recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average registered nurse earns $65,130 annually. While most of the jobs are found at hospitals or in offices of physicians, the highest paying nursing jobs tend to be in industries you wouldn't necessarily expect, including:

• The motion picture and video industries: $77,690 annually
• Business, professional, labor, and political organizations: $77,330 annually
• Federal government: $74,460 annually
• Investment pools and funds: $73,380 annually

Certain states also pay far more than others, such as California where the average registered nurse (across all industries) earns $83,040 annually. The other highest paying states are Massachusetts, Hawaii, Maryland, and New York.

7) Career Trends for Registered Nurses

You should have excellent job opportunities as a registered nurse, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting 23 percent job growth expected between 2006-2016. This is faster than the average for all occupations, and given the size of the profession it should create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

This job growth does vary among the most common nursing industries. For instance, jobs at general medical and surgical hospitals should increase by 22 percent, while jobs at offices of physicians and home health care services are expected to grow by 39 percent. Outpatient facilities should also experience rapid job growth, especially ones that offer rehabilitation, same-day surgery, and chemotherapy.

In certain parts of the country, demand for qualified registered nurses is particularly high, meaning hospitals may offer special incentives like signing bonuses, family-friendly work schedules, or subsidized training. Registered nurses with a bachelor's degree typically have better job prospects, as do ones in the four advanced practice specialties.