An Overview on a Registered Nurse

Nursing is considered a very noble profession as a nurse helps the one who needs it, protects the life, brings new life into this world and saves the millions. So if you wanna start your career as a nurse you ought to be familiar with various kinds of nursing jobs & careers, required education & salary prospects so that you can take your decision very easily.

Nursing jobs today is not limited to the hospitals but you can see registered nursing job as ambulatory care, cardiac care, in emergency, as forensic nursing, legal nursing, midwifery, psychiatric et at. But if we talk about registered nurse then registered nurse is the one who takes care of patient and also assign nursing task to the LPNs and unlicensed assistive nurse, also called nursing assistants. They have more education than the LPN or LVN (Licensed Practical Nurse or Licensed Vocational Nurse).

Registered Nurse Education

To become registered nurse one must go through the specific education. The education for nursing can be taken from the university, college of recognized institute of nursing. You can opt anyone of the education to become registered nursing & get the nursing job. So you can go for

• Nursing Diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Nursing diploma is the initial step towards the field of nursing. It is given in the hospital and of three years. At college or university level the students first of all take 30 and 60 credit hours courses in subjects like chemistry, nutrition, anatomy along with other related subjects. Then can join the hospital for the diploma in nursing. Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a two years degree in college that can be Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, Associate of Science in Nursing, Associate Degree in Nursing. But some additional courses that are taken before ADN & with ADN increase the degree from two to three years. Patient-centered nursing care is given by these nurses.

Another way of becoming the registered nurse is to complete Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) that is a four years degree in nursing. General education requirements are met in the first two years and the last two years specific courses are taken. Here the strong foundation for theoretical & clinical research is made.

After completing the initial requirement of education one can really opt for higher studies that include Master's Degree & Doctral Program in Nursing. Based on education registered nurse can be Registered Nurse- Associates Degree, Registered Nurse – Baccalaureate degree, Advanced Clinical Practice  Registered Nurse – Master’s and Doctoral degree, Registered nurses with advanced practice in Education, IT, Admin & Research - Master’s and Doctoral degree.

Nursing Institutes, Colleges & Universities

Across the world there are numerous schools & colleges of nursing that can give you the education. Today you can also enroll yourself in an online institute to get the degree or diploma in nursing.

Top Online Universities & colleges for Registered Nursing Education

• Kaplan University
• Ashford University
• University of Phoenix
• Liberty University
• DeVry University
• Westwood College

Top NursingColleges in India

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
• College of Nursing, Hyderabad
• College of Nursing, Visakhapatnam
• Santosh School of Nursing, Karimnagar
• Directorate General of Medical Services, New Delhi
• Institute of Nursing Education, Panaji

Top Universities in Nursing in US

• Adelphi University
• Boston College
• California State University - Bakersfield
• Case Western Reserve University
• DePaul University
• Florida International University

Where a Registered Nurse can Work?

Registered nurse or RN is not only limited to hospitals but can also work in insurance companies, private schools, ambulatory service centers, with physicians and attorneys et al.

Registered Nurses Career

Registered nurses career and also any type of nursing career revolves around patients & their illness. Nurses are not only the health educator to the patients but also educate the families of the patients regarding the disease their member is going through. Nurses work with the physician, get an up to date information on any latest technology. There are numerous career opportunities for RN nurses as it the largest health care career. Registered nurse can join clinic, hospital, nursing homes, home health, public health, leadership positions, teaching in hospitals & educational institutes, colleges & universities.

Registered Nurses Pay/Salary

Registered nurses salary or pay depends upon the level of education & years of experience. Like a registered nurse having 20 years of experience can have about $71k as annual salary. Where as a RN having one year of experience can get $ 38k to $ 55k per year. So from the salary point of view also the the career in nursing is very promising. Therefore the career in nursing is both lucrative & noble and a nurse can opt for the career in hospital & health care.