When looking for an online nursing education program you need to do some research. Of course it needs to be an accredited program. There are several accrediting agencies such as the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Some online programs require on-campus attendance as well as completing online courses. Others have cooperative agreements with clinical facilities and preceptors for you to complete clinical components. Others allow you to find your own qualified preceptor who is then approved by the school to supervise your clinical practicum. Other considerations include whether you can take a…
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RN to BSN Offers More Opportunities
There has long been a debate about the ADN vs the BSN also known as the 2-year vs the 4-year RN programs. Most of the hospital diploma nursing programs have faded into history although you can still find a few. For years there have been rumors that the ADN or two-year programs would be eliminated, or that graduates from these programs would not be “real” nurses; only the BSN nurses could become RNs. Throw the LPN/LVN into the mix and you can start a war! Then along comes a nursing shortage and these rumors fade in favor of staffing needs. All of these programs teach the basic nursing skills. BSN…
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Women’s Health & Midwifery Offer RNs Career Growth
As we all know, nursing is the largest health care occupation in the U.S. and the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that this trend will continue well into the next decade. The shortage of nurses will also continue to grow as Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) begin to retire. As health care costs have shifted, nurses and especially NPs have begun to play a much larger role in patient care. The field of Women’s Health has expanded tremendously in the past few decades and will continue to grow far into the future. Nurse Midwives (CNM) and Women’s Health nurse practitioners (WHNP) will be…
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Summit to Discuss Nursing Shortage and Faculty Shortage
On June 26 and 27, 2008, AARP, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor will hold a summit at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA to discuss the shortage of nurses and the shortage of nurse educators. The goal is to find solutions to the shortage of nurses and to improve nursing education capacities throughout the country. Every year thousands of qualified nursing students are turned down by nursing programs across the country due to the shortage of nurse educators. Many schools have long waiting list for nursing students. It will be very interesting to hear what ideas and solutions they come up with.…
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Are You Registered Voter???
I learned something very disturbing today at Healthcare United. Did you know that one in four health care workers is NOT registered to vote?! There are over 10 million health care workers in the U.S. Twenty five percent of them are not registered to vote. That’s 2.5 million potential votes!!! The shortage of nurses and physicians is not going to be fully addressed until we elect a President and a Congress that understands the health care crisis and is willing to DO something to fix it. Ten million health care workers united towards a goal of providing the very best health care possible is a force to be reckoned with,…