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Nursing School - Become A Nurse And Break Into The Exciting Medical Industry

By Jason Lom

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 18Feb2012 Word count: 589 Viewed: 64 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Nursing is one of the fastest growing professions in the medical industry, and the first step towards reaching that goal is to find a top notch nursing school. For anyone who wants to get into this exciting career, there are many quality nursing programs available to choose from, but first you have to have a plan of attack.

Nursing School Pre-Requisites

Some pre-requisites for getting into nursing school are having a high school diploma, or at least a GED. You have the option of either embarking in your journey to nursing immediately after high school, or you can begin as a nurse's assistant and then gradually work your way up, which is a great way to get valuable work experience. Either way, nursing school is a must.

If you are starting out as a nursing assistant before looking into nursing programs, you will first need to get your Certified Nurses Assistant Certificate. This usually takes about 6-12 weeks to finish, and it will teach you the basics of patient care-- such as taking vital signs, drawing blood and developing a bedside manner. These are all important practical skills to learn, and you will use them frequently in nursing school as well.

The next step is to become a Licensed Practical Nurse, or LPN. There is a huge demand for LPNs, and the process takes about 12 months at either a community college or other practical nursing school. This training entails both text book learning and also hands-on training, and once you complete this coursework you will need to pass a state issues exam in order to achieve your certification.

Becoming a Full-Fledged Nurse through Nursing School

Many LPNs then go on to become a Registered Nurse, or RN. At this point there are two different types of nursing programs. There is the BSN degree, which gives you a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. This is the most common degree taken by LPNs at a nursing school. You can also get a AND degree, which is an Associate's degree. This takes half the time of a BSN, but your job choices may be somewhat more limited. Depending on how much previous work you've done in school, you may be able to get your RN degree in 12 months, and with both types of degrees you will get a high level of in the field experience, and more work opportunities than a nurse's assistant.

Some people may prefer the old fashion college experience, which is still possible, but if you are bent on following this path, you may end up in school years longer than you'd need to spend at a more flexible nursing school. Once you have achieved a BSN, you have a world of opportunities open to you, including going into a specialization such as anesthesiology, or becoming a nurse practitioner.

In this time of economic upheaval, it can be comforting knowing that your job is secure, and nursing is one job that is certain to always have room for growth. Doctor's will need nurses for clinics, hospitals, and other medical facilities, and as the average lifespan grows, so too will the need to hire highly skilled nurses. If this seems like an interesting career for you, then why not join the best nursing school in town?

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