How to Become a Nurse

How to Become a Nurse

Registered Nurses (RNs) and licensed practical Nurses (LPNs), also called Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs), provide physical and emotional support to people who are ill, disabled, injured, or recovering from surgery. There are significant differences in how one prepares for every one of those occupations.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Nurse?

While formal training provides nurses with the technical skills needed to perform their jobs, There are qualities, called soft skills, that play a large role in their success. Before deciding whether to pursue this occupation, it’s a decent idea to judge whether you have these personal characteristics.

Both RNs and LPNs need what’s called a service orientation, meaning they’re willing to actively hunt for ways to assist people. They also should be socially perceptive or alert to others’ reactions. Nurses must have good listening and speaking skills, be detail-oriented, and have good organizational and significant thinking skills. they must wait and be emotionally stable.

Required Education

The educational requirements for registered and licensed practical nurses differ greatly. To become an LPN, one must complete an educational program that lasts one year and combines classroom study with supervised clinical practice. Some practical and vocational schools, community colleges, high schools, and hospitals provide these programs. Often, credits earned in an LPN program may be transferred to an RN program.

RNs train between two and four years, earning a bachelor of science degree in nursing (four years), an associate in nursing (two years), or a diploma in nursing (three years). Students get classroom instruction and supervised practical training in the hospital sector. Some schools offer bachelor’s or degree programs for college students who have associate degrees or diplomas in nursing. Regardless of the sort of program, you propose to attend, confirm it’s approved by the state during which you wish to practice.

If it’s not, you will not be able to get licensed. You furthermore may consider searching for a college that’s nationally accredited by either the Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Accreditation from one in every one of these U.S. Department of Education-approved firms indicates that a nursing program has met certain standards.

Since these agencies sustain with state requirements, you’ll be ready to get the license in another state do you have to move. The CCNE accredits barely bachelor’s degrees and more new degree programs. Shorter programs including associate’s degrees, diplomas, and LPN programs will be accredited only by the ACEN.

Getting Into a Nursing Program

Admission requirements and procedures differ by school and by the form of the program. Confer with the institutions where you’re interested to be told about their policies. In general, most institutions require a high school diploma or GED. A criminal background check, case history, physical exam, and a minimum of one professional reference.

Generally, when applying for admission to an associate’s or degree RN program, you always must follow the regular admissions protocol for the institution. which means they likely will fire your high school transcript and scores from college entrance exams like the SAT or ACT. Some nursing schools require applicants to take the National League for Nurses Pre-Entrance Exam.

If you’re applying for an academic degree in nursing or a diploma. In the nursing program, you furthermore may also be required to take prerequisite coursework, including chemistry. Anatomy, physiology, English, and math. You will be allowed to take a number of these courses. While you’re enrolled in the school of nursing, you’ll need to take others before you start. You also may take a test for admission to a practical nursing program. Additionally, there are also prerequisites like high school chemistry.

Nurses Ratio:

Image Source:journalofhospitalmedicine

Procedures After You Graduate From the School of Nursing

After completing an RN or LPN program. You’ll need to apply for a license within the state where you would like to live. State boards of nursing are to blame for issuing licenses and may be consulted for specific requirements. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing incorporates a directory of all their member boards on its website. A core part of licensure inserts taking the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX). There are different exams for RNs (the NCLEX-RN) and LPNs(the NCLEX-PN)