Nursing School: Choose The Right One For You

Are you still starting out on your nursing career? Then the choice of a nursing school and nursing program is a crucial one. Here are some important things to remember when looking into nursing schools.

Many people these days are considering a career in nursing - and for good reason. The salary is good - generally starting in the $40,000s for a newly graduated nursing student with a degree in registered nursing, with plenty of opportunity for overtime and advancement. Not surprisingly, the high demand has also caused a massive shortage in nurses anywhere in the country you may be. A quick online search for the term "nursing shortage" will provide you links to news items and articles discussing this crisis.

Knowing about this shortage has encouraged a lot of individuals to pursue nursing. The first question is, which nursing school should you go to? And more specifically, how do you find one that's accessible to you?

The number one authority in this area is your State Board of Nursing. Most State Board of Nursing websites provide a list of approved nursing schools in the state. You can generally find them by looking for a link for "resources" which will take you to a page with different links, including a link for "education." Some state boards of nursing have a link directly to "education" on their home page.

You want to ensure that the nursing school that you attend is approved by your State Board of Nursing. If the school you attend is not approved, then when you graduate, not only may you find that you haven't learned everything that you need in order to be a competent registered nurse, but you may not be qualified to sit for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-LPN - the tests that you need to take to get your license as a Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse.

Another important thing to look into is to know whether your nursing school is nationally accredited. If it isn't, once you attend, you may not be able to transfer your credits elsewhere or use your Associate's Degree in Nursing to pursue a higher degree, such as a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.

To find out if a school is accredited, check the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission, Inc. through this website: http://www.nlnac.org/Forms/directory_search.htm, or check the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/ - just cut and paste those addresses into your browser and away you go.

To find your state board of nursing, go to your favorite search engine and type in your state name, and then the words board of nursing - for instance, New York Board of Nursing.

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