Betty Said:

After obtaining a BS in Nursing, which of these two options is correct?

We Answered:

This is how it goes: You graduate with a BSN (or ADN), then you challenge your NCLEX exam. If you pass your NCLEX exam, you will have to send the results along with a huge amount of info on yourself (work history, criminal records, fingerprints, etc...) to your state board of nursing. If the state board of nursing feels everything is in order you are granted an R.N. license.

Once you get your license, you go to work at a hospital. Some have residency programs for graduate nurses, and I recommend doing one if you can. Once you complete residency (or not) you will probably go to work in one of the most common areas: Med-Surg, ED, OB, Peds (ICU is usually not a first job). You will work there for a year or two and gain valuable experience. At that point in time you may choose to persue a certification in your specialty through a major nursing organization like the ANCC (there are others, but you need to know what your hospital accepts). Certifications have two main prerequisites: First, there are clinical hours prerequisites (ex 2000 hrs in the Pediatric clinical setting). Second, there is an exam that you must pass. Get one of the commercially available books and study study study (Kaplan makes good ones). Many nursing conferences offer a pre-test course and the exam.

So to clarify: Getting your RN license is not a certification. Certifications must only be pursued after you are competent in a clinical area. The certification exams can be very tough if you don't already have significant experience (I have heard that oncology is a killer).

Once you have a certification, you report it to your hospital and they will likely give you a raise. If your hospital does not recognize certification, that is akin to spitting on our profession and you should look elsewhere to find a job. If the hospital is "Magnet" certified, it will honor your certification the most. A Magnet hospital, designated by the ANCC, is nurse friendly and promotes nurse professional development. If you are new, and about to come into the workforce, a Magnet hospital would be a great place to start. You will surely get a residency, and have diligent preceptors there for you.

Nursing is a great career because there are so many directions you can go with it. If you want to do something specific, you need to state it early so you are not wasting time getting to where you want to go (ex, if you want to be a CRNA eventually, you must work in the ICU).

Starting pay is around 55-65K, and advanced practice nurses make over 100K in many states. An experienced ICU nurse can also approach six figures with a BSN if you don't mind working weekends and nights. Average pay for a BSN caps out at about 75K. If you want more after that, you should pursue advanced practice, which is currently an MSN with board certification in one of 4 areas: Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthetist, or Nurse Midwife. In the not so distant future, the minimum degree for these fields may be changed to a doctoral degree (Doctor of Nursing Practice). My advice is to never stop your education and look for a hospital that has an education program incentive (i.e., they will pay for your school if you contract with them after your degree). Hope this helps, and good luck.

Brandon Said:

accounting and nursing salaries?

We Answered:

Do what you like the best & the money will follow. Both nursing & accounting are great & you can make as much in accounting & even more if you are good.