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A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has achieved their
master’s degree or higher education level. With the higher degree and
skill in a variety of medical areas, nurse practitioners work in a
variety of health care areas. One of the benefits available to a nurse
practitioner is the ability to specialize in a particular field if they
choose. Nurse practitioners may work in any number of different health
care fields and may further their education to become certified in
other areas at any time.

For example, a nurse practitioner
may specialize in pediatrics and work in pediatric offices, or a nurse
practitioner may specialize in psychiatry and can work in almost the
same capacity as a psychiatrist. Another advantage that nurse
practitioners have is that they can often write prescriptions for
medications where other nurses may not.

To become a nurse
practitioner will require that you follow the laws and rules as they
are set forth by your state. Each state may have different rules and
requirements for nurse practitioners and they may vary in the amount of
responsibility each nurse may practice. Some states allow nurse
practitioners to practice medicine on a level that is comparable to
physicians. Many of these nurses work independently and in their own
practice.

Nurse practitioners are Registered Nurses who then
pursue their license as a Nurse Practitioner. Depending upon the course
and the degree previously held, it may take an additional four years to
become licensed as an NP. There are two organizations that offer NP
certification programs. These are the Academy of Nurse Practitioners
and the American Nurses Credentialing Center. NPs offer assistance and
help people reach their health care goals. They are certified in
special areas and can provide personalized care to meet individual’s
needs. Many nurses feel that becoming an NP is the best route for their
nursing career.

The nursing field can be highly stressful, and often nurses work
very long hours. Sometimes, it may even seem that they feel like they
aren’t getting the moral or professional support they need. Luckily,
with today’s modern technology, there are plenty of places that they
can go where nurses chat with each other and talk about their problems,
questions, and concerns. Several websites offer forums where nurses
chat about the goings on of their day, medical issues, and general chat
so they can get to know one another. Many nurses form a strong bond
with each other since they all know what the job is like behind the
scenes. This kind of support can be extremely helpful to all kinds of
nurses, since the job can be extremely stressful. Aside from just
general talking amongst each other, there are also programs developed
where nurses can chat on a professional level.

Software
has been developed to provide a forum where nurses chat through
integration with the hospital’s software. Most hospitals have special
databases and software platforms that they use which are specifically
designed for medical personnel. This new interface provides a place
where nurses chat about different diagnosis, medical opinion, and more.
It allows them to post websites, ask questions, or provide helpful
information to other nurses. In addition, the session can be saved so
that the transcript is viewable later on in case the nurse needs to
refer back to it at a later time. This is a great way to interact with
other nurses and help each other through the use of the internet and
modern technology. Most hospitals and clinics are now adding this
interface to their employee web page and database, so that nurses can
communicate more freely with each other in order to help their
patients.

Nursing is an exciting profession. Yet, this field is not right for
everyone. Unfortunately, there will always be a demand for nurses. The
population continues to age, and many people suffer from a variety of
mental and physical health conditions. This leads to visits to the
doctor’s office and hospitals. Nurses help facilitate the registration
and check-in process. Doctors are extremely busy, and they need
qualified professions to assist with patients. If you have compassion
for others, and are capable of dealing with a multitude of situations,
nursing may be the right career choice for you.

People
choose a nursing career for many reasons. While the reasons vary, one
thing is true – nurses must enjoy caring for others. There are various
sub-fields within nursing. Some choose occupations in a doctor’s
office, school, or emergency room. Additionally, persons who enter
nursing school can opt to specialize in a medical field. Specialized
nurses include pediatric nurses, cardiac rehabilitation nurses, etc.
Because there is a major shortage of nurses, individuals who explore
different career choices, or those looking to make a career switch,
might consider the exciting world of nursing.

The rising
number of aging nurses contributes to the nursing shortage. Many nurses
retire; yet, there are few people available to take their places. There
is a worldwide shortage of nearly 300,000 nurses, and this number is
expected to increase within the next 15 years. When the number of
qualified nurses decreases, patients do not receive the highest level
of care. In this situation, nurses who work in doctor’s office,
hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers must juggle
several patients and stay current on paperwork. In an effort to find
qualified nurses, many hospitals and medical facilities offer
attractive packages such as a sign-on bonus, automobile, child care
assistance, and housing assistance.

Nurse education has undergone significant changes in most of the
countries. Today emphasis is laid on the practical aspect of nursing
rather than the conventional theoretical approach. Today the role of
nurses is not restricted to mere taking proper care of the patient, but
they are also members of the doctors’ core team, assisting doctors in
discharging their duties smoothly and efficiently.     

Nurse education courses are being planned in such a way that the
students do not face difficulty to cope up with the challenges involved
in the profession and moreover pick up both the theory and practice of
nursing in an effective way. Nursing students, therefore, are trained
by experienced nurses and educators.

Brief History of Nurse Education 

‘The Lady with the Lamp’ Florence Nightingale is credited with
bringing about this change in nurse education. She set up the first
nurse training school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London in 1860. Nursing
practice was the main theme of Nightingale’s curriculum, which
highlighted the significance of task ability and sanitation. Ethel
Bedford-Fenwick, noted nurse at that time, echoed that the formal
nursing courses must not be restricted to hospitals.

In the United States, nurse education courses have solely been
proffered by the university schools. In the year 1923, the Yale School
of Nursing became the first autonomous school of nursing in the United
States. The first European institution to provide a nursing degree was
the University of Edinburgh, but that was as late as 1972. 

Different Nurse Education Courses 

Nursing schools offer education courses like the Registered Nursing
degree (RN) to Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing (BSN), MSN programs and
even impart CAN training as well as Parish nursing. Students aspiring
to make a career in nursing must choose courses according to the kind
of nursing job he/she wishes to take up.

There are also advanced courses meant for registered nurses who want
to improve their skill. Almost every nursing school offers clinical
training to ensure that the students get much-needed practical
exposure. (Aspirants are advised to make sure that whichever nursing
school they choose, it must be NLN accredited).

If your hectic schedule or some other reason prevents you from
attending regular classes, opt for California College for Health
Sciences. The online nursing school offers online diploma courses for
both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, with specializations in
Nursing, Respiratory therapy, early childhood education, public health
and health care management and others.

Distance Nursing Education programs take the aid of technical
support and methods to impart students with quality nurse education.
These technical support comprise a different content-delivery methods,
like audio conference by telephone, audio cassette tape, videotaped
instruction, courier service, electronic mail, faxing, fixed computer
media (CD-ROM and floppy disk), Internet list-serves, room-based video
conference (interactive television), desktop video conference and World
Wide Web.

Future Prospects Of Higher Nurse Education Courses

Master’s program in nursing enables students to apply for higher
post in clinic. In addition, students can specialize in areas like
community health, adult health, family nurse practitioner and nursing
administration. Students having Bachelor of Science in Nursing or
Master of Science in Nursing, willing to become educational leaders in
academic and clinical establishments can pursue the Graduate
Certificate in Nursing Education.

The demand of nursing school graduates has increased considerably.
The United States is facing an acute crisis of nurses and if the trend
continues, the country will face dearth of 400,000 professional nurses
by the year 2020, posing a huge challenge for the country. To counter
this challenge and encourage nurse education, the national government
is offering financial aid as well as job placement assistance to
nursing students.

The high demand of nurses in the medical domain, is enabling more
and more nurse employment. A nurse has to perform assorted tasks, which
are considered indispensable for any medical unit. Providing medical
support, drawing blood or bodily fluid, rendering medical advice,
diagnostic testing, educating the patient or his family about the
illness, are few of the important duties to be performed by a nurse.

Nurse Employment – The Choices

Nurse
employment is gradually escalating, as because the choices are many. A
nurse can choose any specific field, from the various options available
like, hospital nursing, mental health nursing, clinical nursing,
elderly care nursing, family nursing, pulmonary medicine nursing,
pediatric nursing and many more. Besides, a nurse can also cater
services to health related communities, local blood drives,
immunizations, health screenings, and so on.

The online and
the traditional nursing schools are nowadays struggling to meet the
needs of the health care industries. The nurses are very much in demand
in almost all the countries and therefore, more and more aspirants are
streaming into the nursing schools.

Growth Opportunity for Nurse Employment

The
growth of registered nurses (RN) is expected to be very bright in the
coming few years. It is expected to create the second largest number of
new jobs in the world. With the advancement of technologies, the demand
for RNs will be on the rise, with special emphasis on preventive care. 

However, the nurse employment will get a boost because of
the increasing number of older people who are more likely to need
medical care. Units that provide long-term rehabilitation for stroke or
care for head injury patients or Alzheimer victims are likely to steer
the nurse employment growth. Since, students are seeking stable
employments, therefore enrollment of student is rapidly increasing in
the nursing program.

Since the number of patients is more
likely to increase, therefore the number of nurses attending them will
automatically tend to rise. However, the inpatient (that is, those who
remain for more than 24 hours), will grow at a slow rate. Therefore,
hospitals will witness a slower nurse employment growth compared to the
other medical arenas. However, hospitals are nowadays giving lucrative
offers, which incorporates amicable work schedule, bonuses and
subsidized training to attract nursing professionals.

Some Highly Pursued Nursing Jobs

There are many nursing jobs, which are high in demand. This includes:

• Pediatric nurse: Here the nurse has to specialize in childcare.
• Critical
  care nurse: These nurses attend those patients whose situation are very
  serious and are usually admitted in the ICUs (Intensive care unit) or
  CCUs (Critical care units).
• Cardiology nurse: This nurse has to provide assistance to patients with heart problems.
• Geriatric nurse: A geriatric nurse takes care of elderly patients.
• Anesthesia nurse: Here, the nurse has to provide anesthesia to patients who will undergo surgical procedures.
• Oncology nurse: This type of nurse takes care of patients who are afflicted with cancer.

Hence, with the growing demand of nurses, the nurse employment is surely going to leap frog in the advancing years.

Nurse jobs involve serious and toilsome dedication. The nurses work
with such sincerity and responsibility that they add a new dimension to
the arena of health care and medication. The nurse jobs include looking
after the patient and his entire family and the nurse meets with all
health requirements.

There has been an upsurge in the number of hospitals and health care
services and this has increased the demand and need of quality nurse
jobs. Nurses work systematically to provide the patients best care and
attention. In clinics and hospitals, the nurse jobs are done on a daily
basis.

With each growing day, nurse jobs are becoming more and more
popular. Nurse jobs are of several types. The soothing, caring yet
strict nature of the nurses makes the patients depend on them. There is
no doubt that contemporary nurses are more professional, but as their
job is all about care, affection and well being of the patient they
simply just cannot be ignored. They are the best in the profession.

According to the position of the nurses, nurse jobs can be divided into four basic categories.

• Registered nursing (RN)
• Licensed practical nursing (LPN)
• Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN)
• Nursing assistant

Among these, Registered nursing is the most important and a
registered nurse is liable to supervise the works of LPNs and assistant
nurses.

LPN and LVN nurses work under the guidance of a physician,
registered nurse or a nurse practitioner. The job of a nursing
assistant is to carry out the tasks allotted by the RNs and the LPNs.

There are other options for nurse jobs. These include full time
nursing, part time nursing, contract nursing, office nursing, hospital
nursing, private duty nursing, health or industrial nursing, public
health nursing, psyche nursing and travel nursing.

A nurse may work in office hospitals and homes and these are
considered as full time nursing occupations. A full time nurse works in
three ways:

• 40 hours and seven days in a week
• 18 hours within a 14 days duration
• 160 hours within a span of 4 weeks or 28 days

There are provisions for part time nurse jobs too who have to work
for 20 hours within a week and they can enjoy standard benefits and
salaries.

Registered nurses work on contract basis. Do you like traveling to
distant lands? If so then a travel nurse job is perfectly suitable for
you.

The role and the professional sphere of nurses are gradually gaining
space. Other than looking after the patients, nurse jobs also include
diagnosis of medical conditions, treating patients, taking notice of
emergency situations and a variety of other functions as well.

Have you ever heard about the lady with the lamp? Yes she was
Florence Nightingale who dedicated a major part of her life for the
sick and the poor. She was the one to set high standards in nurse jobs
and is regarded as the founder of modern nursing. In recent days, the
specialty and significance of nurse jobs are increasing in leaps and
bounds because being a nurse is both noble and lucrative.

It is extremely important in today’s society to have a professional
appearance when dealing in business affairs. That is why name badges
are a growing fashion among professional businessmen. These badges are
useful whether it be in a department store or government building. In
places such as hospitals, employees are required to wear their name
badges. These badges help people distinguish between doctors, nurses,
visitors, and patients. Creative designs on nurse name badge pins are
becoming popular because they make visitors and patients feel more
comfortable.

Recently the nurse name badge pins available in markets have been
increasing in variety. The most common material badges are made of is a
hard plastic, although they are also available in metal and a softer
plastic, some are even enameled for extra protection. They are also
available in unique shapes such as hands, stars, and hearts. Some
companies allow personal statements to be printed on the cards as well
as your name. Cards with exclusive designs can be also made ready to
order such as a nurse stations personal design. These designs will
allow people to distinguish which floor a certain employee works on
such as the Women and Children’s center or the NICU.

Badge holders are also useful items to buy when looking for nurse
name badge pins. Many come in the forms of clips or lanyards which are
available in many stores. Like the cards the badge clips can come in
numerous sizes, shapes, and colors. There are many different styles of
these clips, some of them are retractable and others are magnetic. Tie
tacks, safety clips, clutches, tack pins, and break away clasps are
some of the more commonly seen styles as well. Lanyards come in many
different designs and are relatively less expensive than most clips.
They can be made to commemorate special events or holidays and can also
be made out of beads. Another important item when buying nurse name
badge pins are card covers to protect them from being damaged.

Nurse programs are meant for those willing to serve the ailing, weak
people. Nursing as a profession is considered sacred and it is not
restricted to the corridors of hospitals. In fact, it is an oath to
serve every human being, who is in need of medical assistance.
Nonetheless, nursing is not all about altruism; you have great rewards
and endless opportunities attached to this profession. Those of you who
wish to join this noble profession would have to enroll in nurse
programs.

With various advanced courses to pursue, there is lot that you can
explore in this field. There are various courses offered by accredited
nursing schools; however, take care that whichever program you choose,
it must meet your expectations and lead you to where you want to be.

Different Nursing Programs

The many nurse programs give you different levels of knowledge and
expertise. You can start with PN program and end with PhD in nursing.
Now, have a look at the various levels of nurse programs that you can
pursue: 

• PN (Practical Nurse) Program – It is the
  elementary level program of one-year duration; after graduating, you
  would become a licensed practical nurse or LPN.
• ADN (Associate Degree Nurse) Program – This is the next level in nursing programs, which would take you two or three years to complete depending on your school.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program
  – It is a four-year program, which enhances your skills of professional
  nursing. This program has more complex curriculum and includes
  sciences, arts, nursing management and leadership training in separate
  settings. It will not only strengthen your basics for advanced
  practices, but also prepare you for the Registered Nurse licensor
  examination.
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program
  – After the completion of BSN program, you can enroll in this program.
  The working nurses can also take this course. In this program, you
  would be acquainted with advanced theory and practice for a specialized
  clinical area of nursing, such as nurse anesthetist or family nurse
  practitioners. However, the course must be completed in eight years.

Now, even if you have completed your graduation in other discipline
you are eligible for master degree in nursing through the special
program called SCAN – Second Careers and Nursing Program.

• Certificate Courses – There are various
  diploma nurse programs available such as parish nursing, Family Nurse
  Practitioner, nursing administration, nursing education, etc, which you
  can pursue after MSN. 
• The highest degree of the nursing level programs is doctorate level, i.e., PhD in nursing.

Special Nursing Programs

These programs are run by Hospitals at certain time intervals. In
these nursing programs, the staff nurses are allotted definite zip
codes and they have to take care of patients who are residents of the
same zip code.

Online Nursing Programs

Those of you who would like to engage in a nurse program, which has
no hassles of time or attending classes, can opt for the online
programs. The online programs for nursing are favored for their
flexible schedules and lower tuition fees when compared to other
standard nurse programs.

Nonetheless, before you decide to join any of the many nurse
programs, scrutinize things carefully in order to ensure a rewarding
career in nursing.

You got to have a systematic and well-written nurse resume because
it is one of the ways for you to make others understand that you are
better than others in the specified job. Competition in the field of
nursing is becoming tougher day by day and having an apposite nurse
resume can solve your problem to a great extent.

Tips to follow while writing a solid nurse resume

• Your educational and licensure qualifications should be properly highlighted
• If
  you have some experience in nursing you are free to make a reference to
  any completed clinical rotations in this particular section
• After
  you have completed the entire process you need to present the details
  of your license including the details of the state and the date when
  the license came into effect. However, you don’t need to mention the
  license number in your resume because the employer may ask for it
  separately when he places the job offer before you
• Apart
  from mentioning your nursing degree you must also let your employer
  know about any academic honors, grants, scholarships, or fellowships
  which you may be awarded during the course of your education
• In the resume you should put stress on your nursing expertise and special skills
• If
  you have completed your graduation in nursing with an impressive grade
  point average, you should mention their GPA properly in the Educational
  section of the resume

The nurse resume should be
written in such a way so that your employers receive an overview of
your qualification through a quick summary of your review. You should
also mention in your resume the total years of nursing experience in
each area. This is very important as based on this; the employer
decides your suitable job specification in the field of nursing.
Through your nurse resume try to convince your employer that you are a
top performer in the field of nursing.

The CV you are to present should have other details like your involvement in:

• Mentorship programs
• Community health screens
• Other matters outside education
• Committees and review boards
• Imparting patient or family health education
• Launching a new facility and program

What
you provide in your resume is a matter of great importance because a
better involvement and accomplishment will always help you to acquire a
better job.

Most of the resumes submitted by nurses are
comparatively formatted in a standard style along with several small
personal preferences.

Details of a nurse resume

• Your CV should come with full name, address, telephone number and email address
• Your
  resume should have an objective statement not more than one or two
  sentences. You should never write the statement in the first person and
  your approach should be entirely professional. You must be very
  specific about what you have to say
• Your nurse resume
  should have a qualification summary. This should give the employer a
  details of your skill suitable for the position for which you are
  applying
• Your nursing resume should have details of
  your nursing education. Make sure to mention awards, special projects,
  scholarships, or programs of training which you have received and which
  are relevant for the post you have applied
• Don’t forget to mention in your nurse resume your working experience as a nurse 

Remember, a good nurse resume makes it easier for you to get hold of a respectable and suitable nursing job.

Nurse salary has skyrocketed in the recent years, thanks to the huge
demand of competent and experienced nurses across the world. Countries
like United States and United Kingdom are offering fat salary to nurses
for attracting the best nursing minds. Moreover, the hospital and other
health services are offering Incentives like bonus commission etc. to
retain the nursing team.

The salary of nurses depends upon
several factors like the qualification, knowledge, and experience and  
of nurses. In addition to this the salary also depends on the place,
position of the facility where an individual is working.

Employees
willing to work at afternoon or night shifts get additional benefits
too. Those working in the afternoon shifts get about 10 -12.5% extra of
their salary and employees working in night shifts get 10-15% more than
their salary. Nurses working overtime can expect more salary.
Similarly, experienced and specialized nurse commands more salary.

In
Philippines, nurses get more salary in government hospital than private
hospitals. The contractual and fresher nurses rendering services in
government hospital get salary around $120 to $180 a month.    While
those working in private sector gets a meager salary between $40 to
$140 a month as per their job description. Nurses specialized in units
like the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), hemodialysis and surgical
departments earn more than $400 a month.

In the United
States, nurses having minimum of one year of experience get $17 per
hour in addition to  $2 per hour premium for evening shifts and $3 per
hour premium for night shifts. Besides salary, nurses get signing bonus
between $2,000 to $10,000 and a host of benefits like holiday pay,
annual vacation health insurance, pension plans and other benefits. In
New England, registered nurses get around $17.07 per hour while
licensed practical or vocational nurses receive around $14.65 per hour.

Salary and Benefits of Enrolled Nurses

Enrolled
Nurses are the core members of the health care team. The salary of
enrolled nurses depends on the knowledge and experience but it starts
around $39,500 pa. In addition to salary enrolled nurses enjoy leave
entitlements and work in healthy conditions. Enrolled nurses have the
opportunity of excelling their career by specializing in areas like
mental health, child and family health and intensive care.

Salary and Benefits of Registered Nurses 

Registered
nurses can be divided into three categories: full-time, part-time, and
casual. The salary varies depending on the category, in which they
belong. The part time and casual nurses receive equal vacation pay as a
percentage of their salary while full-time registered nurses enjoy full
benefit. Registered nurses working in areas like neo-natal intensive
care or surgery get higher salary.  To attract and draw nurses, many
employers offer profit-sharing plans and bonuses.

A
Registered nurse enjoys a gamut of facilities like group life
insurance, childcare, housing assistance accidental death and health
insurance facilities, vacation and holiday payments short and long term
disability benefits and others. In the recent years, the salaries of
Registered nurses have grown by leaps and bounds.

The
starting salary of midwives is around $45,000pa, depending upon the
experience and qualification. Nurse salary has been rising steadily and
the demand of competent nurses has outstripped supply, causing buzz in
the field of health care services.