As of May 2006, the average hourly wage of a nurse within the United States was $28.70, while the average annual income was $59,710. Today, in 2010, the average annual nursing salary has already risen to between approximately $62,450-$65,130, with an average hourly rate of roughly $31.31. The states with the highest ranking annual salaries include California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York. These states pay annual salaries ranging between $73,160- $83,040 and hourly wages between $35.17- $39.92. Wages such as these make nursing a viable and very much sought after career field in today’s work force, and the wages are only getting higher as demand for trained nurses increases. With nurses in such high demand and earning such enticing salaries, many men and women and considering formal schooling in these fields, however, many are not only unaware of the skills required to become employed in the nursing field, but also uncertain of how to tell if they themselves fit the profile for a nursing position.

Nursing is a demanding field both physically as well as emotionally. Nurses are required to deal with a wide range of situations from the mundane and ordinary tasks of everyday medical offices, to the frightening and shocking events witnessed by those in emergency rooms. They therefore must possess a wide range of skills, of those pertaining to both educational as well as personality or character trait qualities. They must be prepared not only to handle life or death situations, but also synonymously be able to help others through the crisis. Nurses must therefore have well honed people skills, be able to experience and fully express empathy, and compassion, comfort a patient, and be able to deal with crisis situations while remaining calm. Nurses must also be patient, willing to continuously learn and well adapt to teaching others skills and methods of handling patients, or dealing with situations. A study in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” by Linda H. Aiken, PhD, RN, also sites that 40% of nurses experience burnout during their careers. Likewise it can also be noted that nurses must be well aware of the stresses of their positions, and well educated in how to deal and cope with these stresses.

Aside from personality or character traits, candidates for nursing also must possess a certain nursing prerequisites to be eligible for enrollment in nursing programs. While prerequisites for nursing programs may differ from school to school, those looking to be accepted into nursing programs in the United States must have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. Average to above average marks in science and mathematical skills are also often required for acceptance to most programs. Those looking to be accepted into baccalaureate programs often require more courses than associated degree programs as well. While enrolled in post secondary programs for nursing, individuals will also cover subjects of study such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, medication administration, ethics, and nursing theory. Depending on the level or degree of specialization within the nursing field, one may also have to pursue several years of prior post secondary preparation courses in order qualify for the intended field.

The Pro’s

Programs such as online nursing classes provide huge perks for both students and professors alike. Schedule flexibility is one;  distance learning emphasizes an asynchronous method of learning, meaning two people do not have to be available at the same time to be able to interact with each other. Nursing students which couldn’t make it to the web cast that day can easily watch its recorded version or read the professor’s documentation about it later.

Another benefit would be transport issues. Due to the fact that lessons take place in the virtual world, students can just simply stay at home and learn without going to have to go to the college’s campus especially if it’s a state or two away. The students are also provided with easier access to information. Being online, a student can easily get research information on homework or coursework activities through wikis, blogs, e-books and forums. Online Nursing School Programs also provide the benefit of clinical activities when you’ve reached that part of the program. Usually the online institution will find a medical facility near your home where there they’ll send staff to teach and assist you on your clinical requirements.

The Con’s

Although the advantages mentioned above are quite enticing, there are those who remain skeptical with this kind of approach to learning especially with hands-on, in-the-field degrees like Nursing. One disadvantage of online nursing school programs would be the student’s interest. Many complain that they have a hard time comprehending such long and dry lectures made by professors with complementing documents which are just as dreary. Clarification usually takes time to be made unlike in the campus were professors are easily available for the student and can quickly provide an answer to any of the student’s inquiries about the topic.

Another disadvantage of online school nursing programs would be the student’s ability when it comes to the clinical requirements. Research made by the U.S. Department of Education show that although students of online nursing school programs tend to excel in lectures, on the field performance sometimes leave more to be desired.

In all of this, it really depends on the individual as to which method to utilize in order to obtain his Nursing Degree. If you believe that you’re a self starter and can work without easily being distracted, then you should enroll in an online nursing school program. Some schools who offer this kind of service are the Indiana State University, The College Network and Ashford University. Otherwise, stick to the traditional on-campus learning, the vast temptations on the internet might get in the way of your learning.

Online nursing classes are offered by Chamberlain College of Nursing, Kaplan University, Saint Xavier University, and Loyola University. These four colleges comprise the top four online colleges in the nation for providing nursing school education in the United States. There is a current shortage of registered nurses so you may want to start out by getting an entry-level nursing degree. There are three different types of entry-level nursing degrees, and each one is offered by a different nursing school. There is the 4-year BSN, 2-year Associate Degree, and diploma. They are listed in order from highest demand to lowest in priority, and having the one at the top of the list can ensure you the highest job placement.You can also consider one of the various accelerated nursing degree programs.

A BSN is required for many jobs, and you can certify this by looking in your local newspaper. This is the primary entry point for professional nursing practice in the United States. The 2-year Associate Degree, on the other hand, concentrates more technical skills than theory, and this will allow students to earn money more quickly than they could otherwise. This is the entry-level nursing program for technical nursing practice. The diploma was the more common entry-level nursing program prior to the 1970s, and there were hundreds of diploma schools in existence at that time. There are now less than 100 such schools because demand has gone down sharply. A nursing diploma can prepare students for work in a hospital or other inpatient facility. Depending on whether you have certain career aspirations or not, this can seem limiting to you.

Different types of nursing school programs take place in different settings. The diploma is usually a 3-year program, the associates degree is usually a 2-year program, and the Bachelor of Science is usually a 4-5 year program. The diploma is oftentimes located in a hospital that often works with a community college. An associate’s degree is usually located in a community college, and a Bachelor of Science (BSN) is usually located in a college or university.

Choosing an entry-level nursing program is a very personal choice, and it can take some time to make up your mind. It is often best to simply look through the job listings before applying for a nursing school program so that you can take part in a nursing program that is more amenable to your needs as a job seeker.

Nursing school programs are nothing without the jobs that will follow them so make your decision about applying for a nursing school program based on the job that you expect to get. Otherwise, you might have a degree that gives you a sub-par job. Or, you might get a job that you might not have a good chance of being successful in.

The job involves a lot of serious responsibilities and you really need to be well trained to meet all the necessary criteria and help people get better treatment. At the same time, there are myths about the difficulty of nurse training. It is definitely worth asking the question: how hard is nursing school really?

You have to get good literacy and numeracy skills in order to do well in nursing school. You have to be able to do basic math problems. This is a major concern for a lot of people, but the reality is that the prerequisites for nursing are not particularly hard. Moreover, you will get additional support from teachers and tutors if you have difficulties in this area of study.

Generally, apart from the good literacy skills, it helps if you are a fast learner. You will have to take serious science subjects that need a good level of understanding of chemistry and biology. The good news is that you will not get overly involved in these disciplines as part of your training. In addition, you will have to do plenty of exercises and preliminary tests as part of the course in order to get prepared for any exam so you will certainly learn your lessons. As long as you did well in high school and are determined to study seriously, you will find the nurse training not difficult.

How hard is nursing school in terms of training and study hours? In order to become a nurse you will need to learn a lot of things, but more importantly you will need to practice. The standard classes are not a lot, but they are sufficiently many to make your life a bit harder. There are practicum classes as well. These are much like unpaid internships. You will get to put the skills you have acquired into practice. These practice hours will also make your schedule busier. The good thing is that you can rely on some flexibility when you need it. All teachers are aware of the fact that the people on the course have a job that they go to and in most cases children to raise. In turn, they are quite understanding and helpful when you have hard time juggling with everything.

Overall, how hard is nursing school? It is not hard. You will do great as long as you are committed to studying and improving your skills. The training process will not be easy, but your efforts will certainly pay off eventually. The important thing is that you will receive the understanding and support you need as well as some flexibility when necessary. The teachers are certainly willing to aid you through the process. More importantly, given the specifics of the training the students get to form very string bonds between each other from the start. This means that you will receive even more help with studying and great support in general.

A licensed practical nurse (LPN) also known as a vocational nurse is what some may consider the entry level area of nursing. Any one considering a career as a LPN must have a general education diploma or have successfully completed high school. Training for a position as a licensed practical nurse can usually be obtained through a community college or a vocational school. With full time study most students are able to complete training within a year. After completing a practical nursing program students must complete and pass a state licensing exam. LPNs make a decent entry level salary starting anywhere from $35,000 annually for a year’s worth of training. Licensed practical nurses are trained to provide daily living maintenance to patients, dispense medication to patients, start IVs and in some medical facilities maintain medical paperwork.

For those individuals looking for higher pay and more professional responsibility seeking licensure as a registered nurse is the ideal. A registered nurse (R.N.) completes an associate of nursing degree (A.S.N.) at a local community college. With the full time study most A.S.N. programs can be completed in two years and this includes both classroom and clinical portions of the program. Nurses with a two year degree are eligible to take the NCLEX test which is the nursing certification test to obtain a license to work in their chosen state. Obtain passing the NCLEX a person is officially a registered nurse and has an unlimited amount of opportunities to work and any medical facility as a nurse. The pay for a registered nurse is higher than those of the practical nurse with starting salaries beginning as high as $50,000 a year depending on the employer. Registered nurses have the training to provide a vast amount of patient care and they can specialize in many different areas such as neonatal care, intensive care and medical surgical nursing to name just a few.

Registered nurses can further their education and receive a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (B.S.N). Many hospitals are willing to assist their registered nurses in furthering their education by offering tuition assistance and reimbursement. Likewise, there are many nursing programs that offer R.N. to B.S.N. programs to aid current nurses in obtaining their bachelors degree. For an R.N. bridging their education to a bachelor’s degree it can take anywhere from two to four years to finish the program depending on full time or part time study. For those without previous nursing experience a traditional B.S.N. program is four years in duration. A bachelor’s degree in nursing helps to expand on the clinical skills already obtained and then offers a core in nursing foundation such as the history of nursing and the application of nursing on a broader level such as in administration.

Finally, there are a number of advanced practice degrees that can be obtained by nurses with a four year degree. The Master’s of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) can be obtained in a variety of specialized fields such as nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetists. Advanced practice nurses are highly trained in their chosen areas and earn a much higher income because of the additional education and training. Most master’s degree programs can be completed in two years if attended full time.

Anyone considering nursing as a profession has a variety of pathways to beginning their nursing career.

The NCLEX is made and administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. It comes in two forms the NCLEX-PN for those seeking licensure as a practical or licensed vocation nurse and the NLCEX-RN for those seeking licensure as a registered nurse. This test is given and overseen by each state separately.

There is a cost associated with taking this exam and it is professionally monitored. If the exam is failed you have to wait a grace period of about 45-90 days before you can retest. Each state decides how many times an applicant can take the test after failing it. Moreover, the test is varied in composition mixing multiple choice with fill ins and rankings, and it is time limited. The exam is what is called CAT computer adaptive testing which allows the computer to choose the questions in a certain sequence based on the test taker’s previous answers. This provides an idea of the test taker’s knowledge of specific questions related to certain aspects of nursing. Because of the cost, time and significance of the NCLEX you should definitely prepare for this exam.

You would never want the many years of nursing school to go to waste all because you failed to pass the NCLEX so you should definitely prepare for this exam. There are nursing school programs that do devote time to reviewing for the NCLEX but given all that has to be covered within a nursing curriculum seeking an additional source to prepare for this test is vital. After graduating from nursing school it should be a priority to take this test as soon as possible since much of what you have learned is still fresh. Seek the support of NCLEX study groups; purchase the many NCLEX review materials and study, study, study. Review everything especially triage information and pharmacology because there is a good chance there will be questions related to these topics. This test will determine whether you will be able to work so it is in your best interest to prepare!

The NCLEX is one of the most important tests you will take as a nursing school graduate. Showing competence on this test by successfully passing it shows that you have truly taken the steps needed to become a qualified licensed nurse.

The right to choose treatment sparks debate amongst many medical professionals and plays a great part in nursing ethics. A nurse ultimately wants the best for a patient at all times. When a medical professional presents a patient with a medical option it is up to the patient to decide whether or not they want to pursue it. Some patients decide that they would rather forgo helpful medical treatment. Sometimes this decision is made because the patient has endured an illness on a long term basis and would prefer to stop fighting the disease. The patient has made the decision to stop treatment and let the illness overcome their body. No matter how troubling this may seem to the nurse caring for a patient ultimately the patient has the right to accept or deny medical treatment as they see fit. A nurse must be able to accept the decisions his or her patient makes and continue to provide optimum care.

Maintaining confidentiality is another part of nursing ethics that is vitally important. Many medical professionals are constantly being reminded of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of a patient’s medical information. There are specific forms that a nurse can have a patient sign to determine who can and cannot have access to personal medical information. Because there have been so many instances where people were discriminated against because of medical information it is important that a patient have the right to control who is privy to their medial information. Nurses are constantly placed in a position where they have to be very careful who they release a patient’s personal information to. Failure to maintain a patient’s confidentiality can result in major repercussions for both the hospital and the nurse who failed to uphold a patient’s right to confidentiality.

Informed consent is also a very important part of nursing ethics that is taught throughout all levels of nursing programs. Informed consent is when a patient signs a legal document detailing how they want medical treatment to be administered. This allows a patient to decide in the worse conditions what they would like to happen to them medically even if they are not able at the moment to decide because of deterioration in their health. A very well known informed consent is the DNR or do not resuscitate order which advises medical professions not to attempt life saving procedures. No matter how much a nurse or other medical professional would like to keep a patient alive to provide treatment, the proper ethical action is to allow the patient to die according to their written consent. Informed consents are documents that nurses push very hard to have completed in case of any complications while providing care. Informed consent makes adhering to nursing ethics somewhat less complicated as a person’s desires for his or health is clearly stated.

Following clearly defined ethical standards ensures that patients receive quality unbiased care.

When choosing a nursing school it is important to make sure that your school is accredited and has a good record in preparing its students to become future nurses. Accreditation is very important when deciding upon any school for higher education. When a school is accredited by a particular organization, in this case a nursing organization, it means that certain qualifications and standards have been upheld when teaching nursing students.

There are two main nursing organizations that provide accreditation. They are the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing and Education (CCNE). It is important to only consider schools that are accredited by either or both of these nursing organizations. This will ensure that you will receive a quality nursing education. Similarly, when choosing a nursing program it is recommended that prospective students research the pass rates on the NCLEX which is the major test taken by nursing graduates to receive licensure to work as a nurse. The higher the NCLEX pass percentage for nursing graduates at a nursing school the more prepared the students were to take the test. This is a good sign that this school is preparing its students sufficiently to work as a nurse.

Convenience is also important when picking a nursing program. You should pick a school that is easily accessible and that provides convenient class hours and flexibility for your personal schedule. If you work full time and would like to pursue nursing school on a part time basis make sure that all schools you are considering offer evening and weekend classes and flexibility with clinical hours. Make sure that you are able to complete the nursing school program in the allotted amount of time stated by the nursing schools that you are considering. Most nursing schools mandate that the nursing curriculum be completed within a specified time usually no more than four or five years depending on the whether you are attending school full or part time.

Make sure that you can afford the nursing program that you choose. There are many quality nursing programs, some better than others, but it is always a good idea to balance a quality education with affordability. It is better to attend a good school that you can afford than a great school that is unaffordable and leaves you in a tremendous amount of debt or worse is so unaffordable that you have to halt your nursing education because of lack of financial aid. Apply for financial aid and choose a school that offers a quality nursing education at an affordable price.

Taking the time to consider a variety of different reasons why a nursing school may or may not be for you will ensure that you are ultimately satisfied with your nursing school choice.

Any current nurse considering the step to becoming a C.R.N.A. must be a licensed registered nurse with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree. Gaining these qualifications takes about four to six years depending upon which educational route you take.

After gaining these qualifications it is imperative to get as much acute and intensive care experience as possible. If you are a nurse you can request a change to work in the intensive care unit (ICU) to gain this experience. Having the familiarity of working with people who are in critical condition is detrimental to working as an advanced practice nurse performing anesthesia. It provides a firm foundation that ensures that critical nursing skills are learned and thoroughly used.

While gaining acute or intensive care experience you should apply to an accredited Masters in Nursing program. There are many of these programs throughout the country but if you are considering anesthesia work then should narrow your search to schools that provide a specialization in anesthesia. When applying for to a graduate nursing school program it is important to do your best on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). This is a test similar to the SAT but only for individuals seeking admission to graduate schools. When considering that being a C.R.N.A. requires a thorough knowledge of science and math and accuracy it is vital that you excel on these specific subjects to be considered a credible applicant to any nursing graduate school to become a C.R.N.A.

After being accepted into a graduate program for nursing anesthesia it usually takes about two to three years to complete the program. While completing the program it is highly recommended to continue working as a nurse in a hospital if only part time in a critical care unit. This experience will make you more attractive once your advanced degree is finished.  Upon completion of the C.R.N.A. program you must take a national certification test given by the National Board on Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). Once this test is completed and passed a nurse with the proper graduate degree and certification can then begin working as a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

You need to do some homework on the online school of your choice, and understand the nursing prerequisites .  It must be an accredited online school or it may not qualify you for the degree that you want.  Also, if it is not accredited you may not be eligible to take the state nursing board exam to get certified in the state you want to work in.  There are a number of online institutions offering online nursing degrees but verify their accreditation before you enroll and make any payments for classes.

Another good alternative  is that if you already have an associate’s degree and want to up grade to a bachelor’s degree and your place of employment offers tuition reimbursement then you can go to the human resources department and get a list of institutions that they will offer reimbursement for.  That way your choice can be made much more simply.  Just go through their list of online nursing degree schools and find the one that fits your needs the best.

If you already have a registered nursing degree you may want to pursue certification in nursing management.  One of the online nursing degrees offered by Excelsior College is a Nursing Graduate Certificate in Nursing Management.  This distance learning graduate level certificate consists of twelve graduate level credits with four required classes.  The rest can be taken as electives depending on what concentration in nursing management you want to pursue.  These classes are available only to those nurses who already hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  With this certificate you will be able to gain leadership roles or perhaps a position in executive management or even in nursing administration.

Once you have finished the program at Excelsior College registered nurses can take the necessary examinations to be certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Nurse Executive Board Certificate) and the American Organization of Nursing Executives (Certified Nurse Manager and Leader or Certified in Executive Nursing Practice).  To achieve the necessary course work you can transfer credits from other accredited programs and universities; set your own schedule based on work and personal time constraints; and earn credits in your own home, at your own pace without regard to the normal academic calendar.

Getting online nursing degrees to improve your education and ability for moving up within your health organization is a great way to spend your spare time at your own pace.