What Training Do You Need to Be a Nurse?
Nursing is the largest occupation in health care. Most nursing jobs are in hospitals, but registered nurses also work in skilled nursing facilities, clinics, long-term care facilities and schools. In addition, travel nurses fly around the country, can choose their assignments and receive benefits such as sign-on bonuses and housing. The requirements to become a nurse vary slightly by state, but the basics are the same no matter where you live.
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Prerequisite Classes
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Before you can even begin nurse training, many nursing schools and programs require candidates to finish prerequisite general education courses. The scores you receive may determine when and if you are admitted to a nursing program as many schools have long waiting lists. Each nursing program has its own set of prerequisites, but they include statistics, anatomy and physiology, chemistry and biology.
Nursing Degree
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In the past, may registered nurses graduated from hospital-based diploma programs. Few of these still exist and it's more common to attend a degree program for training as a registered nurse. You only need an associate degree in nursing to take the national licensure exam, but if you complete a bachelor of science or master's degree, it will open up more career opportunities in nursing.
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Clinical Training
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Part of the work involved to earn a nursing degree is hands-on clinical training. Some nursing programs schedule clinical hours at one facility, while others offer a rotation through different facilities. Clinical hours allow you to gain experience in patient care and working with a health care team before you graduate.
Continuing Education
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Even after you gain your license and are officially a registered nurse, you need to keep training. Most state boards of nursing ask all nurses, both vocational and registered nurses, to complete a certain number of continuing education hours before they can renew their licenses. The number of hours depends on where you live. In Alabama, RNs need 24 hours every two years, while Iowa requires 36 credits to renew a three-year license. Some states don't require continuing education credits as of 2011.
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- Photo Credit Nurse holding a young patient dressed up as a nurse image by Allen Penton from Fotolia.com
