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While each state has different requirements for how many hours of continuing education (CE’s or CEU’s) you must complete, all nurses have to participate in continuing nursing education classes in order to keep their licenses up to date by.

If you belong to an LNC organization, you can receive the CEUs from your national organization. If you are certified as LNC, you can receive the CE at a very reduced fee – some free as well. You can also attend either LNC convention (AALNC or NACLNC) to receive CEUs that way.

Medscape (http://www.medscape.com) that offers free nursing CEU’s on a huge range of specialties such as cardiac care, infectious disease, critical care, and dozens of others.

Many of these courses, particularly the free online courses  incorporate highly interactive seminars and assessment sessions. At the end of any course, the end user can take an assessment test and get his performance evaluated instantly. All these can be done at any time that is convenient to the end user.

As a nurse, meeting your licensing requirements is paramount, and earning free nursing CEU’s is one way for you to keep yourself informed and updated about important topics in nursing  at your convenience, while insuring your requirements and obligations are met.

Best Nursing Schools 2009

The health care industry is expanding enormously, and finding the best nursing schools 2009 is the objective of many who are looking to enter the field for the first time, or pursue an advanced degree in nursing. As technology continues to grow, nurses will be expected to provide care to patients over great distances via the Internet as well as by telephone. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, by 2012, the employment rate of Registered Nurses will exceed the growth rate of all other occupations. Therefore, if you are looking to apply to the best nursing schools 2009, you may want to begin your search by determining which schools are pushing technology.

There are several questions that you may want to ask yourself or examine in order to determine which programs are ranking as the best nursing schools of 2009. Firstly, do you want to attend school locally or are you able to travel or perhaps relocate? In the U.S., there are at least 739 nursing schools. Out those, 728 offer full-time programs and 478 also offer part-time programs. In its June 2009 edition, U.S. News and World Report lists top nursing programs across the country. However, this data was gathered in 2007, and is based on ratings by nursing educators, who essentially nominated up to 10 schools for each area of excellence.

There are many professional nursing sites and periodicals where you can get detailed information about programs as well as the most recent awards in your field of interest. One such site is The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), which in November gave out Awards for Excellence in Gerontological Nursing Education. The categories included:

1. Baccalaureate-Level Curricular Innovation at Harding University College of Nursing (Arkansas) and University of Southern Indiana College of Nursing and Health Professions.
2. Advanced Practice-Level Curricular Innovation at Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing.
3. Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion at the Elaine C. Hubbard Center for Nursing Research on Aging, University of Rochester School of Nursing.
4. Outstanding School of Nursing Communications at Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University.

For more information on this and other Best Nursing Schools 2009 go to http://www.aacn.nche.edu/index.htm.

Nursing Prerequisites

Whether you are enrolling in a higher education program for the first time, returning to school, transferring from one community college to another, or moving onto university, there are certain nursing prerequisites that must be completed in order to obtain your nursing degree. Although each college or university has their own set of course prerequisites, it is safe to say that almost all of them will require that a nursing candidate satisfactorily compete courses in:

• Anatomy and Physiology (6-8 credits)
• Chemistry (4 credits)
• Microbiology (4 credits)
• Nutrition (3 credits)
• Statistics (3 credits)
• Sociology (3 credits)
• Psychology (3 credits)

Some colleges or universities will however, allow certain courses to be substituted for others such as Economics, Psychology, or some type of Math class in exchange for Statistics. Most schools will also accept at least a minimum number of transfer credits from another accredited school, but it is your responsibility, as the student, to make sure those courses meet your new school’s nursing prerequisites.

The key is to avoid unnecessary obstacles and delays by planning your course of study with your guidance counselor, particularly one who is familiar with your program track – especially the nursing prerequisites. I’ve heard it said all too often by students that they were prohibiting from graduating as expected because, they overlooked a certain class or did not interpret a course’s description correctly. The unfortunate result was that they were required to spend the summer making up the courses that they had overlooked. And, they were the fortunate ones!

During the summer, most colleges and universities offer a limited amount of courses, and if the missing course is not offered in the summer, students often have to wait until the Fall or even Spring semester to fulfill the missing class. In such a situation, it would be wise for a student to consult with his or her guidance counselor to see whether a similar course or courses at another college or university would fulfill the missing nursing prerequisites.

Alternatively, many universities and colleges now offer online LPN Nursing classes, so it may be worth presenting this option to your guidance counselor. In either case, your guidance counselor or program director will have to give you written permission to attend an outside school in order for the class to count toward the missing nursing prerequisites. This includes schools that are in the same city or state system, such as (State University of New York) SUNY at Stony Brook or Albany – formal written permission is always required in order for the course to count towards your program.

NELRP is a competitive program that repays 60 percent of the qualifying nursing educational loan balance of Registered Nurses (RNs) selected for funding in exchange for 2 years of service at a critical shortage facility. Participants may be eligible to work a third year and receive an additional 25 percent of the qualifying nursing educational loan balance.

The NELRP is authorized by Section 846(a) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The purpose of the NELRP is to assist in the recruitment and retention of professional RNs dedicated to providing health care in facilities with a crucial shortage of nurses and to provide an opportunity for RNs to consider a career in such facilities. The program offers RNs substantial economic assistance to repay a portion of their qualifying nursing educational loans in exchange for full-time service at a health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses.

If you are selected to participate in the NELRP, you enter into a contract with the U.S. Government. There are serious consequences for breaching this contract. Please read the 2009 Applicant Information Bulletin carefully before deciding to apply to the NELRP.

You may be eligible to apply if you meet all of the following requirements by the next application due date:

• Has received a baccalaureate or associate degree in nursing (or an equivalent degree), a diploma in nursing or a graduate degree in nursing from an accredited school of nursing in a State;
• Has outstanding qualifying educational loans obtained for qualifying nursing education leading to a degree or diploma in nursing as specified above;
• Has completed the nursing education program for which the loan balance applies;
• Is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.;
• Is employed full-time (32 hours or more per week) at a critical shortage facility;
• Has a current permanent unrestricted license as an RN in the State in which he/she intends to practice or is authorized to practice in that State pursuant to the Nurse Licensure Compact (Please refer to the Nurse Licensure Compact State listing; and  has submitted a complete electronic application and banking information through BCRSIS, all required supplemental forms (including the “BCRSIS Receipt of Submission”), and all required supporting documentation by the NELRP application deadline.

You are not eligible to apply if you:

• Has any judgment liens against his/her property arising from a debt owed to the United States.  Debtors with judgment liens for Federal debts are ineligible to receive Federal financial assistance.  Please be advised that a credit check will be conducted as part of the application process;
• Has an existing service obligation (see Definition of Terms) that will not be satisfied by the application deadline;
• Has defaulted on any Federal payment obligations (e.g., Health Education Assistance Loans, Nursing Student Loans, FHA Loans, Federal income tax liabilities, etc.) or non-Federal payment obligations (e.g., court-ordered child support payments), even if he/she is currently considered to be in good standing by that creditor;
• Has defaulted on a prior service obligation to the Federal government or a State or local government, even if he/she subsequently satisfied that obligation through service, monetary payment or other means;
• Had any Federal or non-Federal debt written off as uncollectible or had any Federal service or payment obligation waived;
• Is currently excluded, debarred, suspended, or disqualified by a Federal agency from participating in a covered transaction;
• Works for nurse staffing agencies or travel nurse agencies;
• Works on an “as needed” basis (this includes PRNs, Pool Nurses, or other RNs who are not scheduled in a full-time capacity by NELRP definition);
• Has a temporary or inactive RN license;
• Is a licensed practical/vocational nurse;
• Is a nursing faculty member employed full-time in an educational institution; or
• Is self-employed.

The answer depends a lot on who you ask. Certain organizations have ranked schools based on important factors. Also, different organizations use slightly different criteria for each list. Below are two of the most widely recognized nursing school rankings from U.S. News & World Report and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as other resources. Each will help you understand what makes a school noteworthy and how you should decide on which nursing school  program to pursue.

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, regularly contributes funds to hospitals, schools, businesses and other organizations in order to promote important medical research. Money is extended to schools and universities that have proven to be effective and reputable institutions. Each year, the NIH releases nursing school rankings, reflecting which schools received the most funding from the NIH.

The NIH extends millions of dollars to nursing programs each year. It is an unbiased, peer-review process that leads to approval for funding, which is why the annual school rankings are held in such high regard. To be given medical research funds by the NIH indicates that a college or university is making great strides within the medical community. Naturally, such schools should be worth consideration by potential students.

The organization’s official Web site offers specific data in regards to annual award trends. There, you will be able to view rankings that are organized by state, hospital, medical school and more.

U.S. News & World Report

Each year, U.S. News & World Report releases a special set of college and university rankings. Entitled “America’s Best Colleges“, it collects many Top 100 lists. From “Best National Universities” to “Best Black Colleges”, each list is created using a different set of criteria. Nursing students can look to this collection of rankings for nursing school-specific lists.

U.S. News & World Report offers several annual rankings for nursing programs, including a general list for “Best Nursing Graduate Schools“. Other lists are more specific, ranking the best colleges for various nursing specialties. These specializations include nursing service administration, family nursing, adult nursing, pediatric nursing, geriatric nursing, surgical nursing and psychiatric nursing.

U.S. News & World Report compiles college and university rankings through a unique process. The publication uses peer reviews to determine which schools have the best reputation. Also considered is how students scored on standardized tests, as well as how many students were accepted to a given college. Other factors include available faculty resources, tuition fees, alumni donation rates and graduation rates.

The latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” should be available at all major bookstores and your local library. You can also purchase an online edition through the publication’s official Web site, which will grant you instant access to the many rankings from your home computer.

The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review (TPR), not unlike U.S. News & World Report, publishes an annual guide to America’s top colleges. Entitled “Best 366 Colleges“, this guide offers rankings in many different categories, from “Best Classroom Experience” to “Best College Newspaper”. These lists are compiled less scientifically than U.S. News & World Report’s rankings, as TPR’s annual guide is based on student feedback.

If you are in search of a more personable guide to America’s best nursing schools, you should consult this annual collection of rankings. TPR has found that nursing is one of the top 10 most popular college majors amongst today’s students and, accordingly, includes many colleges and universities with nursing programs in their annual guide. The latest edition of TPR’s “Best 366 Colleges” can be purchased online or found locally at a major bookstore or library.

OEDb

For those of you who are seeking an online undergraduate nursing degree, you should consult the college rankings at Online Education Database (OEDb). OEDb, an exhaustive guide to the nation’s top accredited online schools, features colleges with online nursing programs on their well-executed rankings list.

The combination of factors used to compile OEDb’s college rankings is unique and unbiased. The qualifying criteria includes acceptance rate, financial aid, graduation rate, peer Web citations, retention rate, scholarly citations, student-faculty ratio and years accredited. U.S. News & World Report combines similar metrics, though their process is more simplified.

StudentsReview.com

The rankings offered by StudentsReview.com are compiled from surveys taken by undergraduate and graduate students who have attended the schools in question. The site aims to provide “answers to the questions college students wish they had known to ask”. By simply specifying a college major, state, degree level or social interest, users will have instant access to personalized college rankings.

Prospective nursing students, by selecting “nursing” as their major of choice, will be provided with a ranking list of the site’s top-reviewed nursing schools. Though the methodology behind the site isn’t as scientific as OEDb or U.S. News & World Report rankings, it will afford you the chance to really know how students feel about their alma mater. Detailed reviews are available on the site and a simple grading system allows students to vote on a school’s overall performance, specific departments and campus social life.

Community College Week

Community College Week (CCW) is bi-weekly news source that focuses on two-year community, technical and junior colleges. Each year, CCW publishes a special report on the “Top 100 Associate Degree Producers”. Also included with this report are specific rankings for popular college majors. The “Top 50 Associate Degrees: Nursing” [PDF] should be of interest to prospective nursing students who wish to earn a two-year degree.

The rankings offered by CCW are compiled using only one set of metrics — the total number of degrees awarded by each college. Though degree conferral is important when considering a school, you may wish to use these lists in conjunction with another resource, as you will want to know additional details about a college before enrolling. However, these rankings are important in that they uniquely focus on associate degrees and they break down numbers according to gender, which may be of great importance so some students.

Conclusion

Deciding which nursing school program to attend is a serious decision, and involves more than just referring to statistics. Hopefully the rankings above will help you in your search for the best nursing program. Needless to say, what is “best” program will differ from one student to the next, as each person will have different needs. No two colleges offer the same programs, or have the same prerequisites.

Before considering any of the college rankings to determine which school you want to attend, you should consider how the rankings were compiled. For instance, a school’s financial aid program may be of more important to you than student-faculty ratio. You may wish to rely on a list that favors financial aid data. Comparing several lists side-by-side may give you the best perspective on nursing programs, which is why we have offered a variety of resources above.

If you have a bachelors degree, even if it’s in an unrelated field, you can apply to a school that offers an accelerated nursing program to get your BSN (Bachelors of Science, Nursing).  Instead of taking two years, these programs typically take only about a year and a half to complete.

Before committing to an accelerated bachelors of science in nursing degree, you’ll want to consider both advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantage of course, is that you will graduate with a BSN degree, which also means you will command a higher salary than you would with a two-year associate’s degree in nursing. And of course, you get your degree in less time than it takes to get an ASN degree. In either case, you will get your RN – once you pass the NCLEX – but nurses with a bachelor of science degree typically earn higher wages.

One potential disadvantage is that accelerated degrees are by their nature very intensive programs, which usually rules out doing anything else – like keeping a job – while you are attending school. The work load is such that you will end up spending virtually all of your spare time studying. In fact, most accelerated degree programs won’t accept you, unless you sign a commitment saying you will not work while attending school.

There will be a tremendous amount of math and science related memorization, and frequent tests and clinicals.

Accelerated nursing programs are generally quite expensive as well; $30,000 to $50,000 tuition would not be unusual.

Of course, as an alternative to waiting years to get into a typical nursing  school program, an accelerated nursing program warrant serious consideration. You should at least talk to the admissions counselors with some of the nursing school programs that offer accelerated degrees.

To be a good nurse there are some special qualities needed in nursing. You should be caring and compassionate. You need to be able to understand that people are not at their best when they are in pain or sick and they may take out their feelings on you. A good nurse does not become upset when someone is upset with them and they are always able to speak to their patients in a calm and rational manner. The same good qualities needed in nursing are shown by most people in their everyday life. You should possess the courage to always do the right thing. Empathy for others is necessary and will stand you in good stead when dealing with the many people that you will see in a day.

Some of the other qualities needed in nursing include the ability to listen and to be able to refrain from passing judgments. You should be able to accept any and all people no matter who they are or what they have done, and to be able to put their welfare above all else. You must be patient and offer kindness even when your patience is stretched very thin. There will be times when you must be firm, but you can still do this in a kind manner.

Dedication, dependability and the ability to change and grow are all fine qualities needed in nursing, regardless of what area of nursing you may be involved in. This is not to say that you have to have all of these qualities, it is just to point out some of the very important qualities that will stand you in good stead.

With the shortage of nurses continuing unabated, these programs are competing for students. As a result, nursing students find themselves with more choices, more flexibility in choosing a curriculum, more financial aid available. The competition for those considering a nursing career makes a good opportunity even better.

Regardless of whether you are just starting out with your career choices, returning to the workforce after raising a family, or considering switching from a different vocation entirely, there has never been a better time to go into the health care field, and in particular to become a nurse.

In order to help increase exposure to the Nursing School Programs website, the publisher sent out a press release.  The press release is posted below.

Analogy Marketing Launches Nursing School Programs Website

Great Neck, NY, November 30, 2008 – Nursing school programs have exploded due to the worldwide shortage of nurses. Careers in the health care field have never been more attractive, more rewarding, or easier to attain. Nursing-School-Programs.com provides information and resources to help those who are interested in a career as a Registered Nurse, LPN, Physicians Assistant, or other health care career.
Analogy Marketing Launches Website To Stem Nursing Shortage

Nursing-School-Programs.com provides information, resources to those considering health care careers in nursing.

Great Neck, NY, November 30, 2008 – Nursing school programs have exploded due to the worldwide shortage of nurses. Careers in the health care field have never been more attractive, more rewarding, or easier to attain. Nursing-School-Programs.com provides information and resources to help those who are interested in a career as a Registered Nurse, LPN, Physicians Assistant, or other health care career.

Nursing-School-Programs.com includes information about nursing school applications, online nursing programs, what you will need to know and how to apply, information about textbooks, credits, financial assistance, and all the other aspects of nursing school programs.

The website also offers information about the qualities needed to be a nurse, and the code of ethics in nursing.

“With the current worldwide shortage of qualified nurses, there has never been a better time to enter a nursing school program” says Michael Ullman, President of Analogy Marketing, “This website was designed understand and enter this exciting field.”

The website can be found at: http://www.nursing-school-programs.com/. You can also email the webmaster at: admin@nursing-school-programs.com.

The website also offers information about the qualities needed to be a nurse, the code of ethics in nursing, requirements for entrance, and more.

Topics include RN, LPN, and BSN online nursing degrees, occupational health nursing, mental health nursing, LPN travel jobs, nursing CEU’s, textbooks and uniforms, and specific nursing school programs.

With the shortage of nurses continuing unabated, these programs are competing for students. As a result, nursing students find themselves with more choices, more flexibility in choosing a curriculum, more financial aid available. The competition for those considering a nursing career makes a good opportunity even better.

Regardless of whether you are just starting out with your career choices, returning to the workforce after raising a family, or considering switching from a different vocation entirely, there has never been a better time to go into the health care field, and in particular to become a nurse.