Nursing colleges are rapidly expanding their programs to fill a looming shortage of qualified nurses. For nurse candidates, picking the right degree and program is crucial to their success. With people placing their lives and their trust in nurses, it’s imperative for a nurse to have an excellent education.
A prospective nurse should choose what degree they are interested in before selecting from available nursing colleges. Among the types of nursing degrees are:
- Associate’s degree in nursing (ADN)
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN)
- Master’s degree in nursing (MSN)
- Doctoral degree in nursing
An ADN is a 2 year degree. It is most commonly offered at a community college or a vocational school. As the minimum requirement to become a registered nurse (RN), an ADN is a simple first step for a professional. Generally the professionals who take an ADN are unsure that they want to become nurses or may have had poor high school grades.
A BSN is becoming the standard requirement for most nursing jobs. A BSN usually takes 4 years to complete. BSNs may be found at community colleges or 4 year universities. Compared to ADNs, BSNs place students in supervised clinical settings so that they can have hands-on nursing practice more frequently.
A student must have a BSN before they can apply to an MSN program. Most students complete their MSN in 5 to 6 years on a normal course schedule. An MSN is necessary for a nurse to become an advanced practice nurse, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or nurse practitioner after some specialized courses. Nurses working towards their MSN can often specialize in certain areas of medicine, such as clinical nursing or forensic nursing.
Nurses must have both a BSN and a MSN before applying to a doctoral program. Doctorate candidates can pursue a doctor of nursing practice or doctor of nursing science. Nursing practice educates students about clinical nursing while nursing science is designed for students who would like to be professors or work in research.
After receiving their degree, nurses can choose to specialize further. The basic specialties include:
- Area of medicine
- Location
- Patients
Areas of medicine cover any number of medical specialties. For example, a nurse who specializes in emergency medicine will focus upon immediate medical care.
A nurse who specializes in location care may learn how to treat patients in a certain area. An example of location care could be flight nursing, where nurses must learn to treat patients aboard an aircraft or helicopter. Flight nurses must understand how to keep a patient alive during a flight with limited supplies.
Some nurses choose to specialize in treating certain types of patients. Treating the very old (geriatric) or very young (pediatric) are common types of patient specialization.
A specialization can allow a nurse to apply to better jobs. It may also improve the chances of a promotion or raise when combined with good work reviews. Specializations help nurses treat patients more effectively. Voluntary certifications sometimes can be taken at colleges as well.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that jobs for all nurses will grow at least 22 percent from 2008 to 2018. This is much faster than average when compared to all other occupations. The demand for some nursing specializations will grow faster than 22 percent. The nursing field will be one of the strongest growing job fields over the next decade.
With considerable demand for educated nurses, professionals can find many opportunities available. Nursing colleges can help a prospective nurse receive a quality education. For professionals who are serious about their career, nursing colleges can help to fully educate a nurse.