Joining the Nursing Profession

Nursing is a rewarding career for people who love to saves lives, however it requires people who are patient and critical thinkers because every life counts. Most of the people consider it a calling, but to be a nurse, good communication skills, and especially fluency in English, are essential to ensure understanding both orally and in writing (Buerhaus et al). A good memory is essential since a nurse is required to memorize drugs, uses and side effects, and standard doses. Nursing also requires one to be a good test taker to pass the nursing licensing exam.
To join the nursing profession, an individual can take one of three educational paths. Either a diploma from a recognized and certified nursing hospital or program, a two-year (ADN) associate’s degree in nursing or a four-year (BSN) bachelor’s degree in nursing. Bachelor’s or associate‘s degrees are more preferred for their versatility and availability. Finally, before nurses can practice, they have to sit and pass a licensing exam. Once licensed, a nurse can work wherever a doctor works: this includes clinics, hospice, and emergency rooms. Nurses can also work in areas where there are no physicians for instance in schools and home health.
Nursing has many specialties to choose from, one can choose to work as a vocational or a registered nurse. Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), who are also known as, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) are nurses required to have obtained about one year of coursework after the completion of high school. Registered Nurses (RN) on the other hand are those who have completed a BSN or ADN and have passed the licensing exam. AN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is an RN who has a higher degree such as masters. APRN’s focus their higher learnin...

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.... Each day your will leave a lasting impression on the people you interact with. By providing care and communicating with your patients, you will foster not only trust but also you will heal not only your patients’ bodies but their minds too. The sense of gratification felt from such service is unparalleled.

References
Aiken, Linda H., et al. "Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction." JAMA: the journal of the American Medical Association 288.16 (2002): 1987-1993.
Buerhaus, Peter I., David I. Auerbach, and Douglas O. Staiger. "The recent surge in nurse employment: Causes and implications." Health Affairs 28.4 (2009): w657-w668
U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistics. “Occupational Employment Statistics: Occupational
Employment and Wages, May 2012". US Department of Labor Website. March 2013. Web. November 18, 2013.