Do you want to become a nurse but don’t know where to start out? This 10-step guide will help you find your way. You'll learn about the nursing profession, find out about the educational requirements and certifications, and get tips on how to survive your first year as a nurse. This guide is meant for prospective, current, and second career nurses ...

If you elect to go the BSN or ADN route, here is a list of the prerequisites you most likely will be required to take: * General Biology * General Chemistry * Organic Chemistry * Microbiology * Anatomy & Physiology * Mathematics * Statistics * Nutrition * Developmental Psychology * English Composition * Multicultural Studies * General Education This list is ...

You’ve gotten through your prerequisites and you’ve gotten accepted to the nursing school of your choice. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part. Remember how challenging your Anatomy and Physiology course was? Now you have to deal with Pathophysiology and Pharmacology (Known as “Path” and “Pharm” to the seasoned nursing student). And on top of your courses you will be attending clinicals. ...

Did you know that there are different ways of becoming a nurse? How do you know which path to choose? Here is some information from the Department of Labor to help you decide: You can obtain one (or more!) of several degrees in order to become a nurse. The first of which is a Licensed Practical Nurse or Licensed Vocational Nurse. ...

While both Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are both required to work under the supervision of a doctor or registered nurse, LPNs are given greater responsibility and thereby receive higher salaries than their CNA counterparts. LPNs, referred to as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) in California and Texas, make the natural "second step" between CNAs and RNs. The ...

What happens after you get hired? How do you make a success of yourself? The first year on the job is often the toughest for new nursing graduates, especially those who work in hospitals. In fact, new nurse graduates account for more than half of the turnover rate in some hospitals, according to a study published in 2007 by Johns Hopkins ...

You will be happy to find out that getting hired is truly “the easy step.” In nursing school, the employers come to you. as you will find yourself at many career fairs, with nurse recruiters from local hospitals trying to entice you with their cool pens and magnets. Do not be dazzled! Decide what you are looking for before the recruiters ...

NCLEX stands for National Council Licensure Examination and The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) develops it. It is the exam you will need to pass in order to become a registered nurse. You will hear much talk of it during nursing school. Instructors often refer to exam questions as “NCLEX style questions.” Does this mean that they are ...

The good news is that you have a wide range of specialties to choose from. The bad news? You have a wide range of specialties to choose from. How do you make up your mind? Fortunately you will have lots of exposure to each one. In nursing school you will typically spend about a semester in each specialty. Here's a run ...

1. Be Prepared In your first semester of nursing school, the only way to be successful is to hit the ground running. The only way to hit the ground running is to be prepared. Make sure you've bought all the required books ahead of time. Make sure you have a plans in place to manage your time. Have kids? You better ...

From emergency-room and operating-room nursing to pediatric and orthopedic nursing and beyond, there’s no shortage of specialties for today’s ambitious nurse. Besides the traditional specialties – OB/GYN, nurse anesthetist and nurse practitioners – there are lesser-known subfields such as telephone-triage nursing, forensic nursing (the application of nursing science to public or legal proceedings) and correctional nursing (nursing in prison settings). [widget:career_profile_articles_rn_articles_] ...

So you've decided you want to advance your education. Now the question is which school is right for you? Some people make their decision based only on finances, but there is more to consider. It's important to consider which careers you are interested in and what the normal career path is. The degrees or certificates required for each career will vary ...