Colleges With Nursing Programs
There is no better time to be looking for colleges with nursing programs as the demand for the profession just keeps increasing every year which has equated to students having a much better chance of acceptance into a college nursing progrm to fit the high demands for nurse employment.
With the high demands for employment it offers an excellent chance for nursing program graduates to have a job right when they are done with their training.
Once you have completed a college nursing program, you will be entering into a feild where the average salary for a basic RN is over $65,000 per year which is substantialy higher than the $62,450 average posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008. More experienced nurses can earn well over $100,000 per year, especially in metropolitan areas like San Jose California where the median annual salary is $116,150.
So completing a college nursing program right now can ensure an excellent salary in a profession that offers stable and steady work, as well as can be attained in just a couple to few years. It also gives you various options when it comes to gettin a job, as nurses can work no only in hospitals but a host of other work places like; physicians offices, nursing homes, schools, traveling nurses, as well as offering their care in peoples homes, also known as hospice nursing among many more.
Top 10 Colleges With Nursing Programs
There are over 600 different locations in the United States where you can receive a nursing degree, all of which are accredited programs and send graduates into the field of nursing with the knowledge needed to have a flourshing career. Below is a list of the top 5 colleges with nursing programs, which the list is based of the selected schools is based off of a compiled list that was written up by the USA News.
John Hopkins University – based out of Baltimore, Maryland.
University Of Pennsylvannia – based of of Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia.
University of Washington – based out of Seattle, Washington.
University of California – based out of San Francisco, California.
University of Carolina – based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT NURSING SCHOOL
The above colleges with nursing programs have been ranked the best in the country, but if you are not near one of these, or are looking to attend another one, all is well but you want to make sure you pick the right nursing school for you, as you will be attending the campus for at leat 2 years, possibly more. A couple tips to follow when setting out tof find the right college with a nursing program is to:
First and foremost, you need to find out if the college nursing program you wish to attend is accredited, as if it is not you would waste your time and money attending because an accredited degree is a requirement to take the certification examination. You can find out if the school is accredited by contacting your states Board of Nursing, or the states Board of Nursing if you are looking to attend an out of state school. Accredited programs have been given accreditation status by the National League for Nursing or the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) along with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the last two are for the most part accreditation statuses given to graduate and post graduates nursing college programs.
Scout out a couple different schools and feel out the environment to make sure you will be confortable learning there for the amount of time it takes to get your degree. This is especially the case if you are going to be moving to attend a college nursing program. Are you looking for a smaller or larger campus? Public or private? In the city or a more rurual area?
Find out what the prices are for attendence as not all tuition cost packages are created equal. You can also consider knocking out prerequisite courses at a community college instead of paying 10 times more for the same class at state or university.
Consider whether you are looking to attend full time or part time, and if you have other responsibilities, can the nursing school schedule fit into your schedule?
If you are staying local, is the nursing school program close to where you live or far away, as the cost of gas must be factored in. Would it me more economical to move closer to the campus?
Find out what kind of repuatation the nursing school has built up in the nursing community as employees network with schools, as well as try to talk to some of the students and find out if the teacher is a good teacher, as you want to find the best teacher you can to teach you the knowledge you will be using for the entire time you spend in your nursing career.
It is also a suggested that you apply for grants ahead of time as they can help pay for some or most of your training, leaving you with the same education at a much smaller price.
Requirements For Colleges With Nursing Programs
If you intend on attending a school with a nursing program, you will have to meet certain requirements that are set for acceptance, which differ depending on what type of degree your are looking to go for. All programs offer slightly different prerequisites, but tend to follow a pretty similiar list of requirements, which below is a list of the potential ones you may have to meet in order to get into the nursing college that you intend on attending, detailing requirements for Associates Degrees, Bachelors Degrees as well as Masters Degrees. Schools with nursing programs can be found at community colleges, vocational schools as well as universities.
Associates Requirements For Colleges With Nursing Programs
Attaining an associates degree in nursing (ASN) is by far the most popular route that has been taken when it comes to degrees that nursing students go after, and provides an excellent stepping stone to a bachelors degree if one chooses to pursue higher education later on. Getting an associates degree from a college nursing program will give you the chance to either become an LPN and/or RN and is a relatively inexpensive way of starting a nursing career, as an associates in nursing through a community college can run on only a couple thousand dollars for the two years of schooling.
A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 in your college courses.
A minimum of a high school diploma or GED.
Certain prerequisite courses that can include; Human Anatomy & Physiology, Humanities, Chemistry, English, Psychology,
Algebra, History among others. GPA requirements can range anywhere from a cumulative 2.0 to 3.0.
Certain ACT and COMPASS scores.
Bachelors Requirements For Colleges With Nursing Programs
The great thing about attaining a bachelors degree in nursing is the fact that there are schools dedicated to taking an RN with an associates degree and administering the training needed to become a RN with a bachelors, which these schools are know as an RN to Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The requirements out of schools with nursing programs for bachelors degrees can consist of the following:
You must have an eligible nursing license.
An associates nursing degree that is completed with certain GPA requirements, usually ranging from 2.0 to 3.0.
Official transcripts as well as a photo copy of the students nursing license.
Certain Graduation Record Exam (GRE) scores.
Masters Requirements For Colleges With Nursing Programs
A masters degree form a college nursing program will allow one to enjoy top tier nursing income as well as open up the most opportunity for employment. These nursing programs are designed to provide preperation to students for advanced practice in nursing, like a nurse practitioner (NP) and usually run 18 to 24 months. Like a bachelors degree in nursing, these programs are refferred to as RN to Masters of Science In Nursing (MSN) programs. In order to get into a college with nursing programs that offer masters degrees in nursing, the requirements may include:
A bachelors degree in nursing with certain GPA requirements.
Letters of recommendation, that can include letters from professional as well as personal resources.
Being working as an RN or be licensed.
A certain amount of clinical experience is required, the total number of hours varies for each program, but can range into the thousands of hours.
Post Masters Certification
Once can also choose to go above and beyond and attain their Post Masters Certification, a certification status that is administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) who offers over 30 areas of nursing that one can choose to specialize in. The certification can be completed after completing a masters degree at a college with a nursing program, and is set for those who want to gain the highest credentials in the field to both differentiate themselves from most all other applicants as wells as attaining the highest salary possible.
Colleges With Nursing Programs Curriculum
The above are the major requirements for colleges with nursing programs, which one attained, can mean acceptance into nursing school. As far as the college nursing class curriculum goes, one is taught the knowledge needed to pass the NCLEX which is that certification test for aspiring nurses which is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Below is a broad overview of curriculum taught in collges with nursing programs, as one advances through the ranks of nursing degrees, the curriculum becomes more accelerated with more advanced theories of nursing. These subjects are all based of certain standards that are set by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The training will most likely consist of both in class training also known as didacic, as well as training in a clinical setting to provide students with a feel for what the real thing is like.
Human Nutrition
Chemistry
Human Development
Health Promotion
Pathophysiology
Leadership and Management In The Healthcare System
Intro to Microbials
Pharmacology
Intro to Nurse Practice
Assessing Patients Health
Professional Communication
Risk Reduction
Epidemiology
All the above nursing school degrees will allow one to enter the field of nursing and be able work in multiple different specialties. Upon completion of a nursing school degree, one must then pass the certification exam. Once they pass their exam, they will become certified, which then to maintain this certification, one will need to attain a certain amount of continuing education, the number of hours being based off of the requirements designated by your state.