How to Become a Registered Nurse
There are three pathways to become a registered nurse. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. What route you chose may depend upon what your ultimate goals are and what you see yourself doing as a nurse. If you change your career plans later, you can always add to whatever training you already have, but some roads are easier than others.
Where you live affects what programs may be available, as does the amount of time and money you can devote to training. You also need to be accepted into the training program of your choice.
The first path to become a registered nurse is to go to nursing college for four years and get a bachelor of science degree in nursing, a BSN. These programs are administered by both colleges and universities. In 2006, there were 709 programs in the United States offering this degree program. 34.2% of RNs in 2004 had received a BSN from one of the nursing colleges.
A shorter path is to get an associate degree in nursing, an ADN. This is done at a community or junior college, and usually takes two to three years. There are approximately 850 programs offering ADNs at this time. 33.7% of RNs in 2004 had received their training via an ADN.
The third path is a diploma program. This training is hospital administered, and it usually lasts three years. There are approximately 70 diploma-offering programs. Whereas this used to be the main pathway to get an RN, it is much less common now. In 2004, only 17.5% of RNs had finished a diploma program. Some hospital-based programs are affiliating themselves with nursing colleges and programs. There may be more hybrid programs like this in the future.
Anyone who has received an RN through one of these programs can get an entry-level nursing job. Those who have a BSN have more choices. Many jobs and advancements are only open to nurses with a BSN or even an MSN - a master's degree in nursing.
If you have an ADN and you are working, you may qualify for a tuition reimbursement plan from your employer that would allow you to study for your BSN. There are approximately 629 RN-to-BSN programs at the current time. You can also get an accelerated master's degree in nursing, an MSN, by doing one year of an accelerated BSN program and then two years of graduate study. There are some 149 BSN-to-MSN programs in the United States. In 2004, 13% of RNs had a master's degree or higher degrees.
There are also ways to get into nursing from another field. If you have a bachelor's degree in another discipline, you can get a BSN in 12 to 18 months. How long it takes depends on how closely related your other field of study was, and how many of the necessary courses you have already taken. You can also get an MSN by getting nursing training if you already have a bachelor's degree or higher in another, related field.
RNs with BSNs and MSNs have the most chances for career advancement. One of these degrees is usually necessary if you want to do administrative work. If you have a BSN you can also go on to get graduate training in teaching, research, or consulting. If you think you would be interested in advanced practice nursing, you must have a BSN. The four fields of advanced practice nursing are clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists. There are also programs offering doctorates in nursing.
Whichever path you take to become an RN, you must be licensed. You must graduate from an accrediting program and then pass an exam called the NCLEX-RN. You will then receive your nursing license. In every state, you must renew your license after a set number of years, and you need to be doing continuing education along the way to keep up with advances in nursing. You usually only need to be licensed in one state, since many states accept the licenses of other states. You will generally find that you can use your RN to find a job anywhere in the country.
Published: 2009-09-18
