Nursing Program and Schools

Nurses take care of the sick and the wounded, teach people about health and illness and advise patient’s family members. Nurses are responsible for maintenance within communities, families and population, health promotion and treatment of acute emergencies in an extensive range of health care settings. They also perform a wide variety of clinical and non clinical functions essential to the delivery of health care.

Nursing specialties comprise the following: Diseases like oncology or HIV/AIDS, hospital care such as critical, surgical or emergency, areas of physiology such as gynecology or genetics, home nursing such as hospice or visiting and education-focused nursing like public health.

Hopeful nurses must be naturally inclined toward helping people along with ample amounts of emotional stability and compassion. Skill to follow supervision, communication skills and wisdom of personal responsibility are possessions as well.

There are various paths that lead to a nursing degree:
• Practical nurse or licensed vocational through a one-year program
• RN or registered nurse through a two-year ADN (Associate’s degree in nursing), a two-three year diploma from a hospital program or a four year BSN (Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing)
• A nurse practitioner or an advanced practice nurse through a two year master’s degree of science in nursing with a bachelor’s degree

Before taking these courses, one must first consider the skills he wants and the degree to which he wants to go in his nursing career. MSN and BSN degree programs offer courses in communication, leadership and critical thinking. The coursework can guide to a career in administration, teaching, research or consulting. If one is already in the nursing career, he can consider an advanced nursing program like the LVN or RN to BSN. If one passes a degree in another field, he/she can consider an advanced BSN. To become licensed, one must pass the NCLEX-PN or the National Council Licensure Examination.