If you’re looking to get your Master’s degree in nursing and want to do so online, a website called Best Nursing Masters recently published their 2012 rankings for online masters programs in nursing. Leading the pack is Ball State University’s Online Master’s in Nursing.

Getting an advanced graduate degree is an important and costly decision and while college rankings aren’t a precise science, we do believe that they serve as a tool to help students make wise choices. As always, we recommend consulting multiple ranking sources in order to derive a consensus in your mind as to which program is the best fit for you.

Here are the 10 best online programs for a masters in nursing according to the site Best Nursing Masters.

#1 – Ball State University Online Master’s in Nursing
#2 – Benedictine University Masters in Nursing
#3 – Drexel University Online Masters in Nursing
#4 – Georgetown University Online Master of Science in Nursing
#5 – Gonzaga University Online Master of Science in Nursing
#6 – Jacksonville University Online Master of Science in Nursing
#7 – Johns Hopkins Online Master of Science in Nursing
#8 – Loyola University Master’s in Nursing
#9 – Saint Xavier Online Master’s in Nursing
#10 – University of Cincinnati Online MS in Nursing

Over the last decade, salaries for nurses have gone up much faster than most other jobs at about 48% – this growth is not only better than inflation but also better than the majority of other jobs which have either remained steady with inflation or lost ground.

Below, we include the starting salaries and averages salaries for some of the more common nursing positions:

Registered Nurse

Starting salary:  $50,000
Average salary: $64,000

Nurse Practitioner

Starting salary:  $75,000
Average salary: $87,000

Licensed Practical Nurse

Starting salary:  $35,000
Average salary: $43,000

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Starting salary:  $68000
Average salary: $76,000

Certified Nurse Anesthetist

Starting salary:  $125,000
Average salary: $140,000

School Nurse

Starting salary:  $26,000
Average salary: $48,000

Certified Nursing Assistant

Starting salary:  $22000
Average salary: $28,000

Source:  Nursing Salaries List (College Crunch)

Patients are held in-house for increasingly shorter stays and are going home sicker, precipitating a greater need for instruction and information than ever before. The information you provide them during their hospital stay will hopefully help them gain a full recovery and decrease the risk of readmission. So how do we educate our patients effectively? Taking these factors into consideration will help you to successfully convey the information needed.

Provide a hospitable learning environment: With all the distractions of the hospital it may be difficult to find somewhere that is free from excess noise, disruption, is private and conducive to learning. While we can’t always choose the physical location where the learning will take place, we can try to provide planned learning at a time of day when those disruptions would be minimal; possibly mid-morning after breakfast, morning hygiene, assessments and rounds. Each floor has a different rhythm, choose what will work best for you and your patient.

Help your patients decide who should be involved in the learning process. When considering a pediatric patient, ideally both parents would be present for the information as well as any potential caregivers to the child. However, a teenage mother who has just given birth may not be as receptive to you and what she needs to know to care of herself in the post-partum period, if her own father is present. Embarrassment and modesty may interfere. Without making judgments – help your clients decide who needs to know what.

Establish a baseline of knowledge. What do they already know? Is your patient a young woman newly diagnosed with breast cancer? Her needs will be vastly different than a sixty year older woman who was the care taker of her own mother with breast cancer and now finds herself diagnosed with the disease as well. Make no assumptions in what someone does or does not know. Ask.

Ask your client what they think they need to know. While the saying “we don’t know what we don’t know” (or unconscious incompetence) may apply, asking your patient what they feel they need to know to go home safely may provide you with a different prospective for your teaching plan. This is one way to involve people in the learning process, by allowing them to guide their learning they will be more invested and will increase their willingness to participate, motivation and ability to retain information.

What do they need to know to go home safely? Not only are patients staying in the hospital for shorter stays, our time with patients is limited as well. Staffing, complexity and resource issues all play a part in how much time there will be to educate. Establish your priorities. Decide what is vital for your patient to know upon discharge and get to that information first.

Are there any cultural, religious or beliefs and practices you should be aware of that may impact their learning or the information you are planning to pass on? Considering a family of Mexican heritage, it would be important to bear in mind that traditionally the man is considered the head of the household and any information pertaining to important decisions would need to be conveyed to him directly. Asking your client if there are any beliefs they hold that would interfere with what they are learning would be appropriate.

Assess a patient’s motivation prior to embarking on a teaching plan. With the best plan in place, no learning will happen if your client is wholly unmotivated. Remembering that illness, fatigue, depression and anxiety are all factors in motivation toward learning; they can also be readily present in a health care setting. Working with the patient and the patient’s family and team of health care givers to help promote the motivation to learn is essential.

Understand the different kinds of learners:

Visual learners learn best when presented with graphs and other illustrations, maps, written material, being close to the presenter of the information so that they can interpret their gestures and facial expressions. They like to take notes and ask for repetition of verbal instructions.

Auditory learners do their best when they can listen to a lecture or a fast paced exchange of information. They prefer group discussion where other’s point of view are discussed as well as hearing stories and/or jokes that reiterate the information; they rely on verbal cues (or pneumonic devices) for remembering information.

Kinesthetic learners prefer to “just do it” vs. discussion; they enjoy frequent breaks and hands on experience. They may shake a leg, rock in their seat or find other ways to move when being lectured to. They make hand gestures and prefer role play exercises over discussion groups.

Most people are believed to have a preference of one type of learning over others. While that may be true, information that is presented in all three ways will provide the learner with the most opportunity and the greatest retention. Keep in mind all three types of learners when creating your teaching plan as well as during informal teaching moments. Find out what kind of learner you are by taking this online test.

In considering the different kinds of learners, ask your patient in which way they prefer to learn. Do they learn best by watching a video? Returning a demonstration? Reading a handout? Do they like group discussion? They may not know which way they are most likely to remember what you’re teaching them. If not, observe them as different methods are presented. Do your best to accommodate their learning needs.

Establish special needs of your patient. Outside of the needs of different learners are other learning challenges. Is your patient literate? Are they visually impaired? Hearing impaired? There are some cities in the country with up to a 20% parental illiteracy rate – don’t make the assumption an adult can read. Consider their challenges and provide your patient with information in a way they can most effectively be taught. Learn more about illiteracy here.

Keep in mind that we as people tend to remember only

• 10% of what we read
• 20% of what we hear
• 30% of what we read & hear
• 50% of what we hear and see
• 70% of what we say
• 90% of what we say and do

Certainly these numbers will differ with individuality but the premise is: the more ways a person is exposed to the information the best chance he or she has to retain it.

Leave your judgments at the door. We have established that we all learn in different ways; and when teaching, those different avenues of accepting information need to be valued. We also need to remember that our client’s culture, health choices and lifestyle choices are their own. Giving them more information to help them chose a healthier lifestyle is appropriate; judging them for their choices and decisions is not. It can be very difficult to leave our opinions behind, but it is imperative that we respect our clients. Not forming judgments is an important way to do that.

As the learning process progresses a valid way to get feedback, ascertain learning progress and retention, is to ask questions. Be sure to give the respondent enough time to formulate their answer. Use the goals you set in the learning plan to direct your questions. The patient will see what information you value and those concepts will be reinforced. For instance: when teaching a patient about a new medication, ask them to remind you of the side effects they should be looking for. Placing value on the side effects of a new medication will reinforce to the learner that those pieces of information are important.

Be open to conversation when caring for your patient. Include time for spontaneous question and answer period when doing simple nursing tasks along their course of treatment. As you help adjust your patient in bed ask open ended questions (a question that does not require a yes or no answer – “Tell me what you’re thinking about what the doctor said this morning?”) regarding their diagnosis, self care, and prognosis and treatment plan. Using those small amounts of contact with the patient as a point of relevance and information transfer can be invaluable to the patient and your schedule.

Listen. When we listen we can hear and understand where our patients are at with the information we are teaching them. Adults in particular (and some children as well!) have a rich history of experience, listening to those experiences, validating their worth and using them to teach new information will be a valuable tool. You can’t do that if you don’t listen.

Break up the time you spend educating if the topic is new, overwhelming and/or life changing. A newly diagnosed diabetic has an enormous amount to learn: understanding the disease process, dietetic concerns, exercise issues, medication (both types and methods of administration), self-care of eyes and feet and more. The complexity and depth of information this patient needs to know is overwhelming and life altering. Sitting down to do it all at once will be unproductive and dangerous. You can learn more about diabetes education here.

Adults speed of learning changes over time. Granting your patient enough time to assimilate the information is equally as important as the preparation and choice of the materials and plan you formulate. It will do little good to decode a client’s learning style and address their unique concerns without providing them with time. More information on adult learning can be found here.

Research suggests that only five to nine pieces of information can be stored in our short term memory at a time. That information has 15 seconds (or less) to be organized and stored before it will disappear. In other words, just because you have told someone something, it means nothing in the matter of their learning.

Utilize your resources. There are times when our client’s needs outreach our own experience and ability. Utilize the specialists your agency offers. Social workers, diabetic education specialists, nutritionists, respiratory therapists to name a few. When needed, call for back up.

Often our patients are in a position where their lives are changing. That can be uncomfortable (at best) for some folks. As a health care worker you bear witness to life changing medical events on a regular basis. Remembering that often not only is the experience new to the patient, the information is as well. For a forty year old male who was admitted after experiencing a heart attack, learning new health habits, nutritional concerns and lifestyle changes that he now faces will come with the uncomfortable realization of drastic change. Just because you do this every day, never forget that for your patient this hospitalization and the learning that takes place therein is quite likely a sentinel event in their life.

Evaluate the success of your teaching. There are plenty of ways to evaluate what the patient has learned from the teaching you provided. Asking questions regarding identified goals, having the patient do a return demo on any skills they learned or having the patient return the teaching to you are all great ways to evaluate the process.

Once evaluation of the client has been completed it’s important to return to those concepts that the patient had difficulty with. One definition of learning is “a change in behavior due to experience or continued practice.” Just because the teaching has been done, doesn’t mean the learning has taken place to the patient’s or nurse’s satisfaction. Remembering that learning occurs because of experience or continued practice will help you to frame a time line for learning that is appropriate for your patient. Identify what needs to be experienced or practiced more and begin again.

Return to the evaluation process once you’ve revisited the information that needed to be learned. For some clients one cycle of teaching and evaluation may be sufficient, for others many more may be needed. The goal remains that the client learns the information they need to improve or sustain their health and reduce the need for a readmission.

Be sure to document your teaching properly; including what information was covered, what resources you used, how you evaluated the client’s learning and any plans for further teaching.

Of course, all of these ideas will not fit every teaching scenario you encounter. A pediatric client’s needs will differ from an older client’s needs. Using these concepts to navigate your way throughthe teaching process will help make you a more effective and productive teacher.

Consider Leigh Hamilton, an orthopedic patient in Michigan. Hamilton was in the hospital for two joint replacements in her knuckles. She did well coming out of surgery and then developed an adverse anesthesia reaction: a severe headache. The headache was treated as Hamilton’s stay was extended from the anticipated outpatient schedule and she was held over into the afternoon shift, eventually being discharged late into the night the day of surgery. She left the hospital with no discharge teaching done at all. Hamilton, a nurse herself, was sick and in pain and did not realize until she was in trouble nearly 24 hours post-op, that she had not received any discharge instructions. By then she had spiraled into a severe pain cycle that could had been avoided had she been elevating and icing her fingers and taking the medication that was recommended by the physician as a part of the post-op instructions she never received. By her first check up 48 hours later, the pain was still severe and she had to undergo a painful bandage change because the first bandage change that should have been done at home 24 hours after surgery had been missed; because of the overlooked discharge teaching.

Whether the nurses assumed Hamilton was a nurse and therefore had an understood amount of knowledge and didn’t need discharge teaching or the teaching was missed because she was held over into the evening shift, an unusual event for that particular floor, thus interrupting the systems in place, is a mute point. The patient suffered greatly because of the gaffe in her nursing care, luckily for Hamilton the damage was not permanent, although no less disturbing. When a patient leaves the care of the hospital only to experience a decline in status, whether readmission becomes a reality or not, a major mistake has occurred.

Hard numbers on readmissions due to inadequate or missing patient teaching are hard to track, but that doesn’t make the importance of the teaching any less imperative. Part of what makes a nurse’s job unique in the health care setting is the task of patient education. Education of the patients is a parameter for professionalism in nursing and should be treated with equal importance as other nursing actions. Teaching is a fundamental piece of the nursing puzzle, without it nursing’s effectiveness as a profession is compromised. For more information on a career as a nurse educator, look here.

It serves all four branches of the military and Public Health Service. Uniformed students receive their usual pay and benefits. Medical students have a seven year obligation to serve after graduation. Only military nurses are accepted in the post-graduate nursing programs for Master’s degree or PhD completion. Some civilians who are employed by the federal government may be eligible for admission and receive their full salary while attending.

The university specializes in the extraordinary requirements of deployed troops. For that reason the school is year-round and the medical education contains an added 7700 hours of military needs training. Other programs are available with an emphasis on research into uniquely military clinical findings (post-traumatic stress, etc.). In 2006 a new program was initiated studying radiation biology.

For information about the opportunities, see them on-line

Want to go to the medical or graduate school of your choice? If it is in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, clinical psychology or nurse anesthesia there’s a scholarship waiting for you.

The most extensive scholarship plan is the F. Edward Hebert Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program. Not only is this a free ride for tuition, but also comes with a monthly stipend, books, non-expendable equipment, and promotions. To qualify, students must have already be enrolled or received a letter of acceptance from a program in the United States or Puerto Rico, qualify for commissioned officer status in the Army Reserve, be a United States citizen, and maintain full-time student. What you owe them is full-time status and dedicated effort to get good grades, 45 days active duty for training, commission as a second lieutenant and its obligations post-graduation. Your first year of training after school is performed on active duty at an Army medical center.

To start the application procedure you will need the following:

• Letter of Acceptance to a Professional School (Four year scholarships only)
• Dean’s Letter stating that you are currently enrolled in the Medical School and are in good standing with a projected graduation date (For 2nd, 3rd & 4th year medical students).
• 3 to 6 Letters of Recommendation (You must provide your Army Counselor/Recruiter with the names, address and telephone number of these individuals). Committee Letter can count as all three (3) for 4 year scholarships only
• Copy of MCAT / DAT / VCAT / OAT / GRE results (which ever applies)
• Proof of Birth / Citizenship: Copy of Birth Certificate / Passport / Naturalization Cert.
• Official Transcripts from ALL Undergraduate and Graduate Schools attending or have attended.

A physical examination is also required. Your free physical exam will be provided.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To get started now contact your Army Health Care Recruiter

As an educator, I have seen hundreds of men and women of all ages and backgrounds make a bid for licensure as a Registered Nurse. Some I have watched struggle, others I have watched fly through school with an ease that is envious. While they certainly all had the desire, I believe some of them conducted themselves in a way that was more likely to ensure success. Here are some tips to ensure your success in nursing school.

1. Be Professional ~ Where other courses of study may tolerate more flexibility in dress, behavior and professionalism, nursing will not. Nursing has struggled to be regarded as a profession and we take the level of professionalism you bring to the student table very seriously. Abide by the dress code your school subscribes to at all times. Treat your patients, fellow students, professors, and nursing staff at clinical sites with respect. Be on time; both physically and with assigned work. While this may seem an easy tip to follow, many students falter here putting their success in jeopardy.
2. Develop a core study group ~ People tend to only remember 10% of what they read, 50% of what they hear and see, 70% of what they say and 90% of what they say and do. By developing a study group that meets regularly and works thru information in a myriad of ways, you will be better prepared. Try taking turns teaching the information to each other, act out the skills you’re being tested on as you talk thru them with your group and support each other. You will be more successful.
3. Limit outside obligations ~ I certainly understand, as do most nursing professors, that there simply is no way to avoid all distractions. While many nursing programs suggest you do not work while enrolled, for most students that is simply not a possibility. We all like to eat, have heat and pay our tuition! Balancing work, school and family can be rigorous. Scheduling your time can only be done by you. Do it wisely.
4. Be open to new ideas and concepts ~ A lot of what you learn as a student nurse is expected: how to take a blood pressure, change a dressing, dispense medications or place an NG tube. A lot more of what you learn as a student nurse is not expected. So much of what a nurse does is hidden from public view; it’s often those pieces that hang up a student. Embrace both the expected and the unexpected.
5. The Extra Mile ~ Know where you professors offices are and visit them often. Make sure you understand mistakes, not just adjust your answers. Go to open labs and additional study groups. Become involved in your local chapter of your National Student Nurses’ Association. Immerse yourself in the study of nursing and all its facets, you will be rewarded!

Success in school largely depends on you, the student. These tips in and of themselves won’t secure success; they will however, make it easier! Nursing is a challenging, noble profession; the work you put in now will reward you in the future.

You’re thinking about becoming a doctor but are put off by the many years of education and the likelihood of emerging in debt; the increasingly high cost of insurance; demanding hours. Maybe you should consider a medical career as a nurse practitioner.

The demand for nurse practitioners is enormous. Nursing in general is one of the ten fastest-growing fields in the U.S, spurred by the increased emphasis on public health, the ageing of the baby boomers and the retirement of existing nurses. Most health care institutions and other settings can’t fill their slots fast enough.

If you think a nurse practitioner is a glorified doctor’s assistant, think again. Today’s nurse practitioners, known as NPs, give complete physical examinations; care for people of all ages; manage chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes; order and interpret X-rays and other lab tests, give immunizations and provide essential patient education. Nurse practitioners can prescribe medication in all states; in 25 states, they are no longer required to practice under the supervision of a doctor.

As a nurse practitioner, you have a wide choice of work settings including hospitals, doctors’ offices, rural and inner city clinics and schools. Some NPs opt for private practice. You can specialize in pediatrics, family health, acute care, women’s health, anesthesiology, midwifery or occupational health. Some NPs are researchers, teachers or involve themselves in legislative work to improve the quality of health care. An NP is often is a patient’s primary health care provider. Many patients feel that nurse practitioners spend more time with them than doctors do.

To become a nurse practitioner, you attend an undergraduate school of nursing, get a B.A. and become a licensed registered nurse. Afterwards, you might work before beginning a one or two year NP program which leads to a Master’s degree. There are programs for college graduates who are not registered nurses, although these take longer than the standard Master’s program. The average annual salary for NPs is $75,000, depending on the part of the country and the ratio of NPs to available positions for them.
If becoming an NP is appealing, investigate it during high school. Besides math, take science courses including biology and chemistry. Volunteer at a hospital and tell the Human Resources staff that you are considering a nursing career. Or, volunteer at a doctor’s office or local free clinic. In any of these settings, you’ll find out quickly if you are stimulated or bothered by the atmosphere.

Take stock of yourself mentally and physically. The combination of demanding courses, on-site training and homework requires stamina. Watch science programs on television. ER and House don’t portray nursing entirely realistically but, if these programs are a turn-off, being an NP may not be for you.

Go online to several nursing schools and check out their requirements so you can be as prepared as possible. Read about nursing. Try to find a nurse in your community willing to mentor you and describe his or her experiences in the field.

The health industry is a wide ranging industry with a number of different options for those who are interested in pursuing a health related career. Just selecting a career in this industry can be overwhelming. Besides a number of different types of doctors, other careers in the health industry include nurses, technicians, laboratory employees, dietitians, nutritionists and even personal trainers. This is just a short list of the types of careers available in the health industry. However, before you even begin to narrow down your research to the type of career you wish to pursue and the educational process involved in embarking on this type of career, it is important to determine whether or not you are well suited for a career in the health industry. This article will discuss some of the important considerations you should think about before pursing a health career.

Your motivation for pursing a career in the health industry should be carefully examined. Wanting to help others is certainly a noble cause and a great reason for pursing this type of career but it is not the only worthwhile reason for pursing a career in this industry. If you are motivated by a love of math and science or even if you are drawn to the financial appeal of some careers in the health industry these can also be excellent reasons to investigate these careers. Basically, as long as you have the skills to excel in the career you choose and a dedication to succeed, any logical motivation is acceptable.

Next it is very important to consider the aspect of the health industry in which you would most like to work. This is important because there are a wide number of options available. Consider factors such as whether you want to work with children or adults, whether you want to work in emergency situations, whether you want to work in a preventative capacity, whether you want to assist people in making health related decisions or whether you want to work in a hospital setting. Considering all of these factors may help you to greatly narrow down your options. You may even want to consult with a professional who can help you to determine which careers are best for you based on your preferences and your aptitude.

Once you narrow down your options for careers in the health industry, you should investigate the educational process involved in starting a career in this capacity. During this research process you will learn how long it takes to prepare yourself for this career, the cost of obtaining any necessary degrees or certificates, when and where you can take classes and any pre-requisites for taking the necessary classes. Realistically evaluating whether or not you have the skills, time and money available to complete the education process will help you determine if this career is right for you.

Finally, it is important to also consider how a health career will impact your family and personal life. Many careers in the health care industry, especially those based in a hospital setting, require working odd hours for extended periods of time. This can be disruptive to your family life. Understanding the types of hours involved in the health career of your choice and considering how these hours will impact you and your family will help to prevent your career from negatively impacting you and your family.

Twenty years ago nursing students were recognized as being young, eager ‘new recruits’, in fact, relative ‘virgins’ to employment, least of all a career.

To become a nurse was something to be proud of, a vocation, and lifelong commitment to the caring profession. These people were innocent and impressionable and would be perfect candidates to join the healthcare profession.

To enter into a career choice that was renowned for paying a low wage, have high expectations for the student to embark on gruelling study, along with juggling awkward shift patterns and unsocial hours, was a vocation that these keen new-starters accepted without question

In the early nineties, nursing in the United Kingdom was taken by storm, by the introduction of a new innovation in nurse training. ‘Project 2000’ aimed to take the student away from bedpans and the sluice room, and instead place them in university classrooms, studying from behind a desk, as opposed to learning at the patients bedside.

The aim of this new-age approach to nurse training was to encourage nurses to think, and act as a direct result of evidence based practice, and also to be able to substantiate actions and reflect on nursing practice.

And so, a new breed of ‘super nurse’ was created. The course itself received bad press and was wholly unwelcome, the ‘traditional’ nurses were made to feel that their years of dedication to their chosen profession were no longer adequate, and that in order to raise their professional profile, they would be required to enter into a phase of learning once again, in order to raise the standard of their hard earned qualification.

In more recent years, nurses have accepted the reasoning behind the academic style of nurse training. It is now clear that to have letters after ones name that suggest such high academic status, allows nurses to demand such things as higher levels of pay, and equally important, greater respect, and upward mobility among the ranks.

There has been a significant shift in the expectation of the ‘registered nurse’ from that of twenty years ago, and hands-on nursing roles are being designated to healthcare assistants with no nursing qualification.

Due to the academic prowess of nurses today, they strive to achieve management positions, which are usually non-clinical. This allows them to avoid the less pleasant, patient focused care, and removes further from retaining essential practical nursing skills.

The dedication to patient care appears to be a distant memory, and fading fast, as Britain’s breed of ‘traditional nurses’ retire, or simply leave the profession in many cases as a result of disappointment, disillusionment, and general lack of dedication toward an institution they were once so proud to be part of.

It is unlikely that the institution of nursing will ever revert back to its former ‘roots’.

The age of the academic nurse that strives to collect letters after their name, as opposed to letters of thanks from grateful patients, really is here to stay.

Should a recession occur, health services jobs are among a few careers that will stand on solid ground.

Even though economists say the U.S. is headed toward a full-blown recession—that would be the first in 16 years—almost half of the 30 fastest-growing jobs are in the health care industry. That’s good news for medical assistants, home health aides, physical therapists, physician assistants, medical record professionals and health information techs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says these jobs are more recession-proof.

All sources point to health care as the industry to be in, at least when it comes to job security these days. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics state that despite decreases in telecommunications, construction and retail trade jobs, health care employment continues to accelerate. The amount of health care industry jobs rose by 28,000 in December 2007 and by nearly 381,000 during the entire year. Of the growth, 51,000 jobs were in home health care, while 23,000 were in nursing homes—both on the lower-paying end of health care jobs.

The bureau estimates that health care will produce 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry. Jobs in health services are also expected to grow by 21.6 percent between 2006 and 2016.

Causes for Growth in Health Services

Jobs in health care will continue to accelerate for a number of reasons. The bureau reports that he number of people in older age groups with more demanding health care needs, will grow faster than the total population between 2006 and 2016.

Jobs in home health care and nursing, and residential care, should increase as life expectancies grow. As aging children are less able to care on their parents, and turn to long-term care options, the number health services jobs will also get a boost.

Medical technology advancements will also play a role. As more people survive otherwise life-threatening conditions, more therapy and after-care will be needed. At the same time, medical practices will become larger and more complex, which also drive the need for office and administrative support workers.

Could a Recession Spawn Health Care System Overhaul?

An economical slump could also threaten medical care access—but that downturn could be the catalyst for a health care system revitalization, too. Brian Biles, who served as the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services under President Clinton and is currently a George Washington University health policy professor, told CQ Politics this week that a recession could raise the prospects for a national overhaul.

“In the U.S., where health care is employment-based and when people lose jobs they lose health care, with a recession…could come the commitment to do something about it,” he added.

With the election season among us, many people are certainly ready—and motivated—to institute change.

If so, that could mean even more of a demand for occupations in the health care industry. Proving once again that jobs in fields that are necessities always prove to weather economic downturns.

The best piece of advice I can give anyone who wants to become a nurse or any professional within the healthcare sector is to fully educate yourself on how to get there. The main key in all of this is to get into a career that is some-what closely related to the one that you want. Great “stepping stones” or entry-level positions to obtain experience are by working as a nurse or medical technician. One of the wonderful benefits of acquiring this experience is the opportunity to work along with nurses and physicians to learn the trade. It’s certainly a good thing to learn as much as you can about the field and go to school for that profession of interest.

Although getting accepted to any nursing program can be a rigorous task, luckily some programs will love the fact that a person does have some prior experience within the healthcare field. Sometimes your experience can be substituted for a required course that’s needed in the program. When it comes to selecting the right nursing school, there are a few programs to be aware of and to consider. The three program options are Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Associate Science in Nursing (ASN) and the Bachelor Science in Nursing (BSN). The LPN route usually takes about a year to complete, the ASN program can be completed within two to three years and the BSN is a four-year program.

Taking your first two years of college will increase your changes of being accepted. Most nursing and medical schools grant admission to those who have the required science, math and English courses completed by the school’s application deadline. These courses are often Anatomy and Physiology, Statistics, Nutrition and Chemistry/Biology with labs. If you can, I would recommend taking the required courses for admission as soon as possible. The fastest way of getting all of the required courses out of the way is by completing them online. I was able to complete about two courses in about four to six weeks than the average whole semester. A good thing to look into is The College-Level Examination Program or CLEP examinations where if you know enough about a subject, you will just go to your nearest testing site and take that examination for a college credit. Since the first two years of college is solely based on general education courses, it’s the fastest and cheapest way to complete them in a timely manner.

Making great grades in all courses is critical. The majority of nursing programs will rate their applicants based on many factors including the applicant’s overall grade point average in health- related courses, healthcare experience and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR certification. In addition to the above requirements, life experiences, the number of courses completed and scores from nursing entrance examinations can all be taken into consideration.

Once you have completed your program, you will be on your way to a wonderful career in nursing!