RN Nurse Schools

A general registered nurse treats and educates patients, provides emotional support and advice and many times educates the public about many medical conditions. They require a large knowledge base, which they use to evaluate, plan, prevent disease, promote good health, and help not only patients but also their families deal with illness and injury. This includes home care needs, teaching patients how to administer the ir own medication, exercise and diet programs and physical therapy.

A general registered nurse records their patients symptoms, keeps the patients medical records up to date, operates medical equipment, often helps with diagnostic tests, give medications and treatment, and do follow up visits when necessary.

Over the years a general registered nurse has seen a considerable change in his or her nursing responsibilities. They are a highly valued and respected members of the healthcare profession. They work alongside physicians, specialists and other healthcare providers and are an extremely important and valued member of the team.

Registered nurses assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. They also administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients. Registered Nurses may advise patients on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management. Registered Nurses are required to be licensed and registered. RN categories include: nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists. Advanced practice nursing is practiced by RNs who have specialized formal, post-basic education and who function in highly autonomous and specialized roles.

As of May 2007, the median annual earnings for registered nurses was $60,010. The middle 50% earned between $49,810 and $73,170. The lowest 10% earned less than 42,020 and the upper 10% earned more than $87,310. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of registered nurses in 2007 were:

• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals $63,820
• Offices of Physicians $61,740
• Home Health Care Services $59,140
• Nursing Care Facilities $56,410
• Employment Services $67,570

Whether your nursing school tuition fund is half full or half empty, chances are you can always use financial aid. Nursing school is expensive, but there are many grants, loans, scholarships, work-study and loan forgiveness programs available to hard working students—you just need to know where to find them.

Nursing School Grants

Grants are a smart way to finance your education because it’s “free” money — you do not have to pay back a grant! With over a thousand federal grant programs in the US, worth more than $400 Billion, securing a student grant can save you hundreds or evan thousands of dollars. It takes time and energy to apply for grants, but the payoff is well worth the effort. Often, schools automatically consider you for grants when you complete a FAFSA and apply to school.

Nursing School Scholarships

Scholarships generally recognize a students academic achievement, athletic ability or artistic accomplishments. Scholarships can be very competitive, but they do not need to be paid back and are an excellent way to help finance your education.

For nursing students, the professional association for your specialty may give scholarships to qualified individuals. For example, the Oncology Nursing Society offers scholarships to students pursuing a master’s, doctorate or a post-master’s certificate. Some of the best scholarship resources, however, can be religious organizations, private and public schools, small businesses, large corporations, community groups, generous individuals or philanthropic foundations.

Nursing School Work Study Programs

Work study programs help students finance their education by working on-campus jobs, community related jobs or assisting teachers. Work-study programs typically depend on factors such as level of financial need and school funding available.

You can work with professor’s on-campus or work with a non-profit agency off campus. Often students choose work-study programs that are related to their field of study which, not only helps them finance their education, but also gives them resume experience.

Work-study programs pay at least the federal minimum wage, and often more, depending on your level of skills and experience.

Nursing School Loans

While no one likes to take out a loan, college loans are an investment in your future. The investment you make now will pay big dividends later in higher income, better career opportunities and job satisfaction.

College loans have lower interest rates because the federal government regulates the interest that lenders can charge on federally guaranteed student loans. This helps make the loans easier to pay back, which encourages people to attend school. In addition, loan repayment does not begin until six months after graduation ( or when enrollment in school is less than half time).

Stafford Loans

There are different types of loans, including a Stafford Loan, the most common federal student loan available. The Stafford Loan includes the Federal Family Education Loan (FEEL) program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. Both programs are dispersed directly to students, and can be subsidized or unsubsidized, depending on the student’s financial situation. Loan amounts are need based and will be distributed accordingly.

Private Loans

Private loans offer higher limits and no payments until graduation, but interest starts to accrue immediately after the loan is distributed. Private student loans can be made out to either parents or students and are a nice alternative to credit card dept.

Plus Loans

There are also Plus Loans. These loans are geared toward parents. These loans are through FEEL and Direct Loan programs. In order to qualify for this type of loan, you must be a dependent student enrolled at least half time in your undergraduate education, and your parent’s must apply for the loan.

Nursing School Loan Forgiveness Programs

Loan forgiveness programs help students pay back their nursing college loans as they work in a nursing setting. These programs are an ideal type of financial aid, because you gain valuable nursing experience in a hospital setting, get paid for your work and get reimbursed for your nursing school education.

There are many loan forgiveness programs available in response to the growing nursing shortage throughout the US. The loan forgiveness program is funded by government agencies to help areas around the country that are desperate for nurses. So, in exchange for nursing services, the program offers to pay back or forgive student loan debt. Usually at least one year of student loans is forgiven for each year the nurse serves in the area of need. This is a great way to get out of debt while gaining valuable experience.

Overall job opportunities are expected to be excellent for registered nurses. Employers in some areas of the country and certain job markets report difficulty in attracting and keeping an adequate number of RN’s, mainly because of an aging workforce and a lack of younger workers to fill the positions.

Evan though overall employment opportunities for all nursing specialties are expected to be excellent, they can vary by employment settings. Despite the slower employment growth in hospitals, job opportunities should be great because of the relatively high turnover of hospital nurses. RN’s working in hospitals frequently work overtime and night and weekend shifts and also treat seriously ill and injured patients, all of which can lead to burnout and stress. Hospital departments in which these working conditions happen more often- critical care units, emergency departments, and operating rooms- generally have more job openings than other departments. To attract and keep qualified nurses, hospitals may offer signing bonuses, family friendly work schedules, or subsidize training. A growing number of hospitals are also experimenting with online bidding to fill open shifts, in which nurses can volunteer to fill open shifts at premium wages. This can decrease the amount of overtime that nurses work.

Although faster employment growth is projected in physicians’ offices and outpatient care centers, RN’s may face greater competition for these positions because they offer regular working hours and more comfortable working environments. There also may be some competition for jobs in employment services, despite a high rate of employment growth, because of the industry’s relatively high wages and the flexibility of the work in this industry.

Generally, RN’s with at least a Bachelor’s degree will have better job prospects than those without a Bachelor’s degree. In addition, all four advanced practice specialties-clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and nurse anesthetists-will be in high demand.

There are three major educational paths to registered nursing-a Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing (BSN), an Associate degree in nursing (ASN), and a diploma.BSN programs , offered by colleges and universities, take about 4 years to complete. In 2006, 709 nursing programs offered degrees at the bachelor’s level. ADN programs, offered by community and junior colleges, take about 2-3 years to complete. About 850 RN programs offered associate degrees. Diploma programs, administered in hospitals, last about 3 years. Only about 70 programs off diplomas.

Many RNs with an ADN or diploma later enter bachelor’s programs to prepare for a broader scope of nursing practice. Often they take an entry level position and then take advantage of tuition reimbursement benefits to work toward a BSN by completing an RN-to-BSN program. In 2006, there were 629 RN-to-BSN programs in the United States. Accelerated master’s degree in nursing (MSN) programs are also available by combining 1 year of an accelerated BSN program with 2 years of graduate study. In 2006, there were 149 RN-to-MSN programs.

Registered nurses constitute the largest health care occupation, with about 2.5 million jobs. Close to 59 % of the jobs are in hospitals. The three major educational paths to Registered Nursing are a bachelor’s degree, an associate degree, and a diploma from an approved nursing program. Registered nurses are projected to generate close to 587,000 new jobs over the 2006-2016 time period, one of the largest numbers among all occupations.

As the largest health care occupation, registered nurses held about 2.5 million jobs in 2006. Hospitals employed the majority of RN’s , with about 59 % of the jobs. Other industries also employed large shares of workers. About 8 % of the jobs were in offices of Physicians, 5 % in home health care services, 4 % in employment services, and 3 % in outpatient care centers. The remainder worked mostly in government agencies, social assistance agencies, and educational services. About 21 % work part time.