Did you know that nursing is one of the fastest growing fields in the country and that there is a dire nursing shortage right now? How to become a nurse depends on what career path you are looking for and what educational path you are willing to pursue – there are a variety of different nursing careers.
How to Become a Nurse – Licensed Practical Nurse or Licensed Vocational Nurse
When you are researching how to become a nurse you will find that there are different career paths you can take. One path you can take is to become a licensed practical nurse. Training to become a LPN takes one year and involves a classroom component and a hands-on patient care internship. You will then get licensed by your state on completion of your training. Licensed practical nurses provide care for patients in a variety of settings and their duties can include monitoring vital signs, drawing blood, and changing wound dressings.
How to Become a Nurse – Registered Nurse
Another career path for how to become a nurse is to become a registered nurse. There are several educational avenues you can take to become a registered nurse, including getting your bachelors degree in nursing or participating in a hospital diploma program. Registered nurses are required to take a national licensing exam upon completion of their education. Registered nurses have a variety of career paths and many take on additional education to become specialized in areas such as midwifery, anesthesiology, psychiatry or administration. When you are researching how to become a nurse, realize that the demand is high for registered nurses and because the licensing process is national, it makes it easy for nurses who want to move or to travel to get jobs. Depending on what route you take to get your nursing degree, whether going to the best nursing schools in the country or local school, there should be ample opportunities to specialize in your chosen area of nursing with additional training provided by hospitals in conjunction with any college courses you may have to take.
Other How to Become a Nurse Resources
Nursing – the Basics Information on the education and career path of a nurse from discovernursing.com
About Nursing Information about nursing from the American Nurses Association
Nursing forum – discussion and advice
Premed Guide