To become a registered nurse (RN) students must graduate from an accredited nursing program and then pass the NCLEX exam. Students can become Registered Nurses with an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree.
When a person decides to become a registered nurse, they generally have three options. They can pursue an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN), or certification or diploma from an approved and accredited nursing program. Once they have pursued an education and graduated, they will then be required to attain a license.
What is a Registered Nurse?
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A registered nurse (or RN) is someone that is responsible for coordinating and providing patient care, educating and informing patients on their health conditions, assisting doctors in administering care to patients, and providing emotional support during hard times to patients as well as their families.
What are the Ideal Skills for a Registered Nurse?
Registered nurses need to have all sorts of qualities and skills on hand to perform their jobs. For example, they need to be forward and critical thinkers, compassionate, sensitive to detail, emotionally stable, patient, and gifted with communicating with others.
What Education is Required to be a Registered Nurse?
When a student begins education for nursing in their chosen degree path, they will encounter many courses along the way that cover subjects such as physiology, microbiology, anatomy, psychology, anatomy, and of course, nursing. The BSN program is typically a four-year degree path, while the ADN can take anywhere from two to three years. Specialized programs vary in the time required by the student.
In each student’s educational career path, they will see firsthand what the nursing world is like through supervised clinical experience. This experience can come from many departments including surgery, maternity, psychiatry, and also pediatrics. A student pursuing a bachelor’s degree can expect to receive more in-depth training in communication, social sciences, critical thinking, and leadership. If the student wants to eventually move on to a management position, they should strongly consider a BSN.
Where Can You Work After Graduatation?
Whichever educational path a student chooses to take, all three prepare them for entry-level positions in healthcare settings. Graduates of nursing programs can, of course, move on to pursue their master’s degree in nursing. The more education an aspiring nurse has, the more likely they will land a job. Furthermore, the better their chances will be for advancement at their prospective place of employment.
How Do you Obtain an RN License?
In order to practice in the United States (all states, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia), all applicants must obtain a nursing license. To begin the licensing process a person must be able to present a valid degree or diploma from their approved program. Then they can apply to take the NCLEX-RN.
Passing the NCLEX-RN exam will result in a nursing license that will consider the applicant a registered nurse. Then, you can start to search for employment at medical institutions such as hospitals, insurance companies, or pharmaceutical manufacturers.
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