Tag Archive for 'nursing schools'

Job Market too tough? Stay in School

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on December 11, 2009
in Nursing Seniors
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nursing schoolAt 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

Incentives for Nurses to Teach

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on November 19, 2009
in Nursing Schools
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Nursing InstructorUnlike many medication dosage formulas, the math about how to fill the gradually growing number of available nursing jobs is simple.  In order to graduate nursing students into the workforce, nursing schools need to be able to accept more students.  And in order to make a dent into those increasingly common nursing school waiting lists, schools need nursing instructors.

The main challenge faced by understaffed nursing schools, is making instructor jobs attractive enough for nurses to leave (or cut back to part time) hospital and clinical jobs with higher salaries.  Some U.S. states are providing financial support for nursing schools by offering additional financial incentives for nurses who choose to teach. In Rhode Island, a legislative commission created to find solutions for that state’s nursing shortage, has proposed a $3,500 tax credit for nursing instructors.

The idea is that with the tax credit, the salary disparities between being a clinical nurse and a nursing instructor would be much less. In Texas, lawmakers have already passed a bill that gives nursing schools financial incentives that would help them hire more instructors.

Although many new nursing school graduates are having trouble finding their dream jobs at the moment, industry forecasts predict a need for significantly more nurses to keep up with health care demands in the coming years. But, in order to translate those waiting lists into actual nurses who can meet this demand, there need to be enough nursing instructors to meet the mandated ten to one student to teacher ratio.

While educators and lawmakers are doing their parts to make this happen, the best thing aspiring nursing students can do is get on the waiting list.  Then, use that time to gain as much health care experience in other positions (such as certified nurse’s aide), so that when your school of choice does have an opening, you are the most qualified applicant to fill it.

The Nurse as a Walking Wikipedia

Published
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on October 20, 2009
in Nursing Education
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“You’re a nurse, right?”

Nursing CareerThis is how a recent conversation with a relative who was seeking medical advice started. I’ve always found it amazing how those series of letters after my name (RN BSN) translate into a combination of “webmd,” “ask jeeves,” and “wikipedia” all in one. Of course with the intensive curriculum, covering everything from nutrition and sociology to pathophysiology and microbiology, it is easy to feel like a walking encyclopedia.

I feel proud to have earned the knowledge and nursing experience I have and I am honored to share what I know to help others. The warning I would give to nursing students who are just beginning to realize their perceived role as “ask a nurse” is this: Do not overstep your boundaries, especially from a legal standpoint.

As much as you are eager to share all your new found knowledge with anyone who asks, remember that this is not a casual conversation you have entered into. These are not friends and family members asking for dating advice. Whether they indicate it or not, they are looking to you as a “medical expert” of sorts when it comes to the medication, illness, surgical or any other type of advice that you are so eager to share.

Here is the remedy. Feel free to share what you know.  If you want to really show off, feel free to whip out your nursing school textbooks as visual aids.  But always, always, always strongly advise the advice seeker to check with their doctor (or health care provider) for a definitive answer. It doesn’t matter if you are absolutely confident that the advice you are giving is solid – cover you license, cover your reputation and cover your conscience. Make sure that whenever you give your best medical words of wisdom, it comes with a disclaimer.

Why you need such a diverse, intensive education – because patients and their families (and your family and friends) will ask you EVERYTHING – the nurse as a walking, talking resource – legal liability – being careful to refer to MD or resources.