Nursing: A Job for the 21st Century
If you are looking for a fulfilling career and close to a guaranteed job, even in today's economy, you should consider training to become a registered nurse. Anyone can become a nurse. You can enter one of many hundreds of nursing colleges straight out of high school, or you can go back to school later in life. Men and woman all over the country are training to be nurses.
Today's college graduates face uncertain prospects. However, graduates from nursing school with a bachelor of science in nursing, a BSN, will find jobs. Students can find a regular four-year college or university with a nursing school, and still enjoy the benefits of a college education.
Others, out of high school for some time and looking for a better career, may have less time and less money. They can get an ADN, which is an associate degree in nursing, offered by junior and community colleges. The training takes possibly two but more likely three years.
There is also a third path to becoming a registered nurse, by diploma. These are earned in hospital-based programs.
Whichever path you take, you have to pass a certification exam at the end. You will then be eligible for an entry-level job as a registered nurse. This will most likely be in a hospital, but it could be in a clinic or a nursing home. Registered nurses with BSNs have a wider choice of jobs.
Other RNs can go back and get their BSN later, often with financial help from their employers. After the BSN, a master's degree in nursing gives yet more job opportunities, as does certification in various types of nursing. Advanced nursing degrees are also possibilities, which train RNs to be clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives.
If you want a great job for the 21st century in the healthcare industry, becoming a registered nurse may be the best choice. There are multiple ways to get there, and multiple paths to follow after you have your RN. There is potential for lifelong learning and career advancement, in a field that promises continued growth for many years to come.
Published: 2009-09-18
