Nursing Degrees and Programs: Understanding Degree Types and Schooling Options
Nursing is a rewarding and noble profession. Career opportunities are expected to grow and outpace most other job classifications as our nation experiences an aging and growing population. Nurses are vital to our community, competitively paid, well-respected and much valued members of the family of health care providers.
Online or in-class, nursing degrees of all types abound. CNA, LPN, RN - it all sounds like a veritable alphabet soup of nursing designations. Understanding the differences between the varying levels of degrees and carefully examining the advantages of individual programs is an important first step. Many excellent schools and programs exist, all ready to assist any prospective student in acquiring a quality education.
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Bricks and mortar school nursing degrees offered at universities, community colleges and teaching hospitals present everything from certificate programs to advanced degree curricula. An entry-level position into the health care field, the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), is fairly basic training and quickly completed in a matter of a few months. A more dedicated individual may wish to pursue a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) degree, usually requiring a one-year commitment. An LPN will take direction from a Registered Nurse (RN), the next step up the ladder of nurse hierarchy. An RN occupies a position of seniority and is often responsible for assigning tasks to others. RN degrees require a minimum of two years specialized schooling, culminating in an Associate's Degree. Lastly, many registered nurses will continue further in their educational ambitions, pursuing Bachelor's Degree diplomas or even a Master's or Doctorate.
Online schools are a newer breed of delivery, and require some forethought and serious evaluation. A growing number of nationally accredited schools offer nursing degrees in an attempt to assist in meeting the growing need for professionally trained nurses. Well known universities have designed top-notch programs, targeted for the working individual where attendance needs to be variable. Just as important in filling the yawning nurse shortage gap as classroom-based schooling, online programs offer value, a wide range of degree types, and perhaps most important to the web-school advocate, flexibility of schedule.
Be aware, however, that there are non-accredited online nursing degree plans that are packaged and sold by internet companies as legitimate programs of study. A prospective student should investigate the accreditation of any online school, and verify legitimacy. Termed 'diploma mills', schools without the stamp of accreditation should be avoided. A quick check with the U.S. Department of Education's database will verify any enterprise's claims of accreditation.
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A nursing student who chooses the online path must remember that their education is not complete with the finishing of their last assignment. Clinical duties, or something akin to an internship, must be arranged and completed prior to applying for graduation papers. Most internet schools will assist in finding a local health care facility willing to allow the student to complete this degree requirement at their place of business.
A nurse's life can be demanding, rewarding, heartbreaking and wonderful all at the same time. Nursing degrees and school options are plentiful and varied, and many are formatted to suit a busy schedule. Within a relatively short period of time, nursing degree aspirants can find themselves amongst the specialized few, serving their communities and contributing their skills at hospitals and clinics nationwide.
