Licensed Practical Nurses

Introduction
Nursing is an industry that has been around for centuries. Nursing roles and education have progressed over time, now nursing programs are getting progressively more rigorous and harder to get into. The dropout rate for nursing majors is over 20% and this rate continues to increase, as this happens nursing programs are setting higher admissions standards in efforts to lower the dropout rate. Nurses can be referred to as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Registered Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners (NP or APRN). Licensed Practical nurses are nurses that have their Associates Degree, Registered Nurses are nurses that have their Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) or have gone through a two year Registered Nursing certificate program,

lastly, Nurse Practitioners have a Masters of Science in Nursing degree. Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners are in the highest demand. Employers are more opt to hire a Registered Nurse that has a BSN versus a nurse that just went through the two year certificate program because they have more education and experience. Nurse Practitioners are becoming more desirable than a Physician's Assistant because Physician's Assistants are required to practice medicine under the direct supervision of physicians and surgeons and Nurse Practitioners can work under their own supervision. The industry of Nursing is competitive, but worth it, nursing provides many field options. Nurses can work in different settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, community health centers, rehabilitation health centers, college campuses, educators, homeless shelters, prisons, and even sporting events, just to name a few. With all these locations and settings that nurses are needed it comes as no surprise that nurses have one of the highest projected job outlook rates. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, “the nursing outlook between 2016 and 2026 will be at 15% which is considered much faster than average.” This growth projection is based off of our nation’s needs with chronic illnesses, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and the baby boomer generation. Nursing primarily began as a female role, but over time as gender roles have evolved more and men have been joining into the Nursing Industry.