Tag Archive for 'college of nursing'

Job Market Too Tough? Stay in School

Published
by
admin
on December 11, 2009
in Nursing Seniors
. 0 Comments

i_student_3At the moment, many nursing school new graduates may not exactly have their pick of registered nurse jobs. I say “at the moment” because, just like the stock market, the overall job market and everything else currently in the midst of dynamic fluctuations, this too shall pass. And when it does, the need for new nurses will be unprecedented.  In the meantime, one option for job hunting new grads is to return to the classroom.

An increasing number of newly minted BSN nurses are going back to school for graduate degrees. A master’s degree in nursing is an excellent way to zero in on your preferred specialty area, gain teaching credentials and work towards a higher nursing career tier such as nurse practitioner, certified nurse anesthetist, nurse administrator, nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse manager.

While in an MSN program, you have the opportunity to gain targeted expertise in advanced nursing specialties including acute care, adult and family practice, geriatrics, neonatal, palliative (hospice related) care, pediatrics, psychiatric nursing, women’s health and more. There are accredited traditional classroom/clinical as well as online MSN programs in schools across the country to choose from.

Yes, you will need to eventually enter the workforce and gain the necessary clinical experience and on the job knowledge to meet clinical requirements.  However, returning to graduate school is a smart way of gaining the job searching edge and making yourself even more valuable as a bonafide expert in your field. And rest assured, while you are back in the classroom and diligently applying yourself to clinicals, the job market will continuing fluctuating and nursing job positions will continue to become available.

Resources to help you get started:

RNBuilder.com: Master Degrees in Nursing
Guide to Accredited Master’s in Nursing Programs: www.mastersinnursing.com
American Associations of Colleges of Nursing: www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation

Nursing School Competition

Published
by
admin
on April 4, 2009
in Nursing Education
. 3 Comments

Leader of the Pack

Nursing School CompetitionCongratulations, you have decided to pursue a career as a nurse! As you probably know, nursing is one of the few recession proof careers in these challenging economic times. The growing need for nurses to care for the steadily increasing population of aging baby boomers makes your decision to don the metaphorical white cap and dress (translation: colorful scrubs) an extremely important one.

However, you most likely also know by now that the nursing shortage is paralleled by a shortage of nursing school professors. This means that aspiring nursing students can look forward to a healthy dose of admissions competition when applying to nursing programs, whether your goal is an ADN or a BSN. Just like many of your other fellow students in other disciplines (including in those industries not facing shortages), this is the time to focus on what separates you from your fellow applicants.

Many of my fellow high school graduates seemed surprised when, at our graduation ceremony, I swept the nursing scholarships awards. I had good but not stellar marks in science, but overall I was known more for my writing abilities than my bedside manner and medical pedigree.  What they did not know, is that for the past two years I had been volunteering at a local hospital as a “candy striper” (I believe the politically correct term is patient care volunteer?). The scholarship committee had taken note.

While I’m not suggesting that every aspiring RN is required to log time as a hospital volunteer, I would like to emphasize the important of doing something – anything – to separate yourself from the pack of others competing for your nursing school spot.

Grades: Science and math grades are obviously very important, since as a nursing student you will find yourself immersed in stimulating subjects such as biochemistry, pathophysiology and medication dosages. Overall GPA is also key because it shows a capacity to learn and study.

Extracurricular Activities: Hospital, hospice, and nursing home volunteering, babysitting, pet-sitting and anything else that reveals the all important care giving gene.

The Essay/Cover Letter: Dreaded by many and embraced by few, this is actually a fantastic opportunity for you to shine a light on your accomplishments, special traits, why you want to be a nurse (hint: don’t say “the money”) and how you can contribute to the rapidly changing face of health care.

Nursing school can be a challenging endeavor and with the limited flexibility in nursing student to instructor ratios, recruiters are out to increase the odds that the students they accept will make it through, graduate, and make valuable contributions in the field of nursing. Keep this in mind as you complete your nursing school applications.

Is Nursing For You?

Published
by
admin
on April 1, 2009
in Nursing Career
. 2 Comments

Is Nursing for You?

Is Nursing For You?There is no one right path into the field of nursing. I learned this from experience, as I’m sure many other nurses have.  Somewhere around junior year of high school, I combined an innate need to nurture with a love of science and a writer’s natural curiosity about the human condition and voila – suddenly I was an aspiring nursing major.

Some people know what they want to be when they grow up at an early age and at the other end of the spectrum, some decide to study nursing in their fourth or fifth decade. My point is that no matter how you find yourself in nursing school, regardless of your personal motivation, the most important thing is to trust in your decision, move forward and embrace the learning experience in front of you.

But what if you aren’t sure? Like me, perhaps you have a love of science, health and caregiving and are perplexed by the many options available in the healthcare field other than nursing that also utilize these traits. There is a distinctive set of skills, traits and career characteristics that, for me, separate nurses from the rest of the equally valuable pack of healthcare providers.

Love of Medicine: Seems more like a medical school goal, right? Remember this: If a nurse executes a faulty order from a doctor, she/he is also likely to be named in the lawsuit. Nursing programs, particularly BSN ones, are extremely heavy on the science. You must love to learn the finer details of medicine.

Critical Thinking: Nursing is not regurgitating information; it is applying a vast bank of medical knowledge to unique patient situations and implementing the best possible solution to the problem at hand. It’s interesting that nursing school exams and subsequently the national boards are in multiple choice format, when the situations confronted by a nurse are the exact opposite. If you are a natural born problem solver and generally think quick on your feet, nursing is for you.

The Nurturing Gene: As far as nursing has come in terms of medical knowledge and additional responsibilities, the Florence Nightingale requirement remains at the heart of nursing. If you love caring for others, understanding what people need, doing your best to provide it and working at the most personal level of human connection, than run don’t walk towards your nearest nursing school recruiter!