A Career In Nursing

Nursing is a career filled with endless personal and professional rewards. If you choose nursing, you are choosing to spend your life helping others, using skills that blend scientific knowledge with compassion and caring. There are few professions that offer such a rewarding combination of high tech and high touch.

What is a nurse?

A nurse is a professional in the health care field who combines the fine art of caring and compassion with scientific skills and knowledge. Nurses are the backbone of our nation's healthcare system as they are the largest single component of any hospital staff and are both the primary providers of hospital patient care and of the nations' nursing home care. Nurses work closely with doctors and other health care professionals and serve as the advocates for patients and families. They touch people's lives at a time when they are most in need. A common misconception about nursing is that the profession consists only of caring for the sick and needy; however, nurses do much more than that. A registered nurse (RN) also works on health promotion, disease prevention, and on helping families and individuals cope with stress and illness. Nurses can also be educators, managers, administrators, researchers, legal advisors, and leaders. The possibilities are endless!

What do nurses do?

Nursing is a blend of science and technology with the art of caring and compassion. Everyday a nurse steps foot into their job site, they use a combination of the science learned in nursing school with their compassion and caring to touch and save patients and families. When employed, nurses take continuing education courses on a regular basis to keep up with the latest advancements in the medical and nursing sciences. Nurses work closely with doctors and other health care professionals (nursing aids, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, pharmacists, physicians, etc.), and serve as the advocates for patients and families. Ongoing advances in technology —which are helping people live longer, healthier lives— have made nursing even more rewarding to those who like developing their skills in the area of technology.

Nursing is the nation's largest health care profession, with more than 2.5 million registered nurses nationwide. Nursing students account for more than half (52 percent) of all health profession students in the United States. Wages for Registered Nurses are above average, especially for nurses with additional education or training. Starting salary for entry level Registered Nurses varies from $30,000 to $45,000 per year, depending on geographic location, type of nursing, and level of education. Most health care services involve some form of care by nurses. Nurses work in the wide range of other settings, including private practices, health maintenance organizations, public health agencies, primary care clinics, home health care, nursing homes, outpatient surgical centers, nursing-school-operated nursing centers, insurance and managed care companies, schools, mental health agencies, hospices, the military, industry, nursing education, and health care research.

How do you become a nurse?

The first decision you must make is what kind of nurse you want to be. The employment future for Registered Nurses (RN) is slightly better than for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) but both groups will continue to be employable.

Students interested in the LPN degree will attend school for about a year, and are prepared to provide supervised direct nursing care to the patient population. Successful completion of the educational program qualifies graduates to take the State Board Exam to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).

The two most common ways to become a nurse are to attend school at a community college for two years and earn an Associate's Degree (ADN), or to attend a university for four years and earn a Bachelor's Degree (BSN). Three-year diploma school programs used to be how most nurses earned their education, however, many of these programs have closed as more nursing jobs have moved out of the hospital environment and into community settings and businesses. Typically, diploma schools remain affiliated with a degree-institution so that the graduate earns both a diploma and at least an Associate's Degree.

More About Types of Nursing Degree Programs

Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN): The Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a two-year program that teaches basic nursing skills and prepares a student to join the caring profession of nursing at the entry level as a registered nurse (RN). When a student graduates from an ADN program, he/she is eligible to apply to the Michigan State Board of Nursing to take the licensing exam to become an RN.

ADN programs are provided locally at area community colleges. The ADN program is a highly affordable way to enter the profession of nursing.

An ADN program provides opportunities for classroom, laboratory, and hospital experiences. Depending on the program, an ADN student will gain hands-on patient care experience by working in a variety of community practice sites from hospitals to doctor's offices.

Typically, an ADN program is a two-year sequence. A high school degree or GED is required. Applicants must complete an entrance exam that includes writing, reading, and numerical skills prior to admission to an ADN program. In most instances the entrance exam may be repeated as necessary until all parts are passed.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): A BSN prepares a professional nurse through a four-year program for more advanced roles and acceptance into the master's program. In addition to the liberal learning and global perspective gained from a four-year baccalaureate education, the BSN curriculum includes clinical, critical thinking, scientific, decision-making, research, and humanistic skills. The nurse is prepared in community health, patient education, and nursing management/leadership. Upon graduation a BSN-prepared nurse is eligible to apply to the Michigan State Board of Nursing to take the licensing exam to become a registered nurse (RN).

A BSN prepares professional nurses to meet the demands of today's high tech work environment by integrating critical knowledge, communications, caring skills, and information management. BSN students experience nursing care delivery in community settings such as schools, senior centers, and in a variety of clinical settings including area hospitals.

The length of a BSN program varies by student and school. A BSN program can be completed in four years and sometimes two years depending on whether or not an entering student has existing academic credits that qualify. Students may enter as college freshman in a pre-nursing curriculum and advance through a nurse education program over four years. Transfer or returning students with a college degree and/or existing college credits that apply to a nursing program may be eligible for faster track programs that take approximately 24 months to complete. These are referred to as accelerated second-degree option programs.

Each BSN program differs slightly in its admission requirements. Depending on the program you choose, admission can be a two-step process. Students must first be admitted to the college of their choice and apply for pre-nursing status. Once pre-nursing requirements are met, a student may apply to the nursing program at his/her college. Generally, an entering student will need a 2.8 or above grade point average from high school to apply for college and admission to a pre-nursing program. Two years of high school mathematics including algebra; one year of college preparatory biology; and one year of chemistry with a grade of 2.8 or above in each subject are typically required for entrance into a pre-nursing program. However, this may vary from school to school…so check out the school of your choice to verify their requirements.

Nursing is in the top five careers in Michigan. Therefore, with the unemployment rate in Michigan at an all time high right now, the nursing shortage is another reason why it is an excellent opportunity for YOU to consider a career in nursing.

Editorial provided by Carole Stacy MA,MSN,RN, Director, Michigan Center for Nursing, Okemos, MI.