It has become a know fact that the United States need nurses. More than 1.7 million nurses by the year 2020 according to the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions. However there are only 635,000 expected to be available by that time; currently there is also a shortage of registered nurses. Nursing has become a growing career opportunity and online licensed nurse education institutions make it easier than ever to get the required training.
Online licensed nurse education institution and online schooling in general has seen a great growth spree in the last couple of year so much so that now about seventy-five percent of colleges offer online degree programs of any type, whether they are bachelor's degrees, master's or PhD degrees. The nursing programs available through the online licensed nurse education institutions will require their students to learn from educational materials as well as through training in the field. The non-clinical part of the nursing courses will of course be taken online. It is obvious that to get a good licensed nurse education you'll need clinical training, and since this training can't be completed over the Internet, clinical training is usually held at a medical facility close to the student's residence.
After they've completed their licensed nurse education, nurses are properly licensed through the Board of Nursing in the state they live in. Each state has the freedom to determine the requirements for nurses to be able to practice within that particular state. The boards use as their main criteria the Model Nursing Practice Act, the Uniform Core Licensure Requirements and the Model Nursing Administrative Rules created by the NCSNB (National Council of State Nursing Boards). Those individuals that have successfully completed their licensed nurse education will have to renew their licenses periodically and continuing their education is required in some states in order for them to renew their licenses. Online licensed nurse education institutions make it easier for the busy, working nurses to fulfill the continuing education requirements.
When it comes to licensed nurse education, just like in any other type of education or profession there are different type of degrees to choose from. Like the Licensed Practical nurse or LPN, the Registered Nurse or RN, or the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). And then an advanced practice nurse can also specialize as a nurse practitioner, a certified nurse specialist, a certified registered nurse anesthesiologist (CRNA) or certified nurse midwife.
For those students that attend traditional licensed nurse education institutions it will take eighteen to twenty-four months worth of studying to complete the LPN program, two to four years of study to complete the RN program and a doctorate degree with additional certifications, possible six to eight years of study, to complete the APN program.
The online licensed nurse education institutions offer their students unmatched flexibility regarding course completion time; some online schools will require students to follow a traditional calendar, while others will allow their students to either accelerate or slow their pace according to their personal preference or capabilities.
Nurses can work in many types of environments, such as hospitals, clinics, schools, private practitioners and any other type of health facilities. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics the average income of a registered nurse is of about $57,000.
The ability to study nursing online is offering students the opportunity to study for one of the most rapidly growing professions in the United States today. |
