Jason Said:

nursing/career mobility major---RN question?

We Answered:

You are def. on the right track! I go to a community college and will have my RN after 2 years. I saved tons of money by starting out here. Most community colleges have nursing programs that when you graduate you will have your RN and an associates in applied sciences, that's how it is at my school anyways. And if you start working as an RN after you graduate from community college, most employers will pay for you to go back to get your BSN, that's what i'm planning on doing. Good luck!

Katherine Said:

Is nursing(RN) a fulfilling career?

We Answered:

I'd go for the nursing major, with a minor (or a double major) in business. Look at it this way: you HAVE to have a nursing degree to become a nurse. You don't HAVE to have a business degree to get into business. Nurses are in very high demand, and it's only going to get more critical as our population ages. That is one freaking secure career to have. And, if you want to combine the two in your career, you certainly will be able to. I have one friend who started a billing business for major hospitals, and another who runs an on-call, at-home nursing operation.

Mary Said:

i am currently an LVN and would like to continue my nursing career by becoming an RN?? What is the process????

We Answered:

It would depend on your long term goals.

The quickest route is to get an LPN to RN program through the local community or junior college. There are some community college programs that only accept LPNs and have a fast track.

If you have the goal of getting into supervision /management or if you have a desire to eventually go into advanced practice (anesthesia, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, midwife, public health), then you might want to skip the associates degree program and apply for a BSN program. (I knew one person who took 3 years to get the associates degree after their LPN, a full time BSN program is 4 years), As healthcare becomes more acuity intensive, many hospitals and hospital systems/corporations are requiring all nurse managers and supervisors be BSNs. Additionally, many jobs outside the hospital, such as research positions and pharmaceutical industry positions are at least BSN preferred if not BSN required.

Advanced practice positions all require an MSN. A BSN is the prerequisite degree for an MSN program, otherwise you take an RN to MSN program which is longer and covers the additional material for BSN as well.

Start by deciding what you want out of being an RN (besides a larger paycheck) and then look into your local colleges and universities to see what programs are available.

Most hospitals will give tuition reimbursement for getting an RN degree if you work for them, see the human resources department where you work, they may have the information you need.

Cheryl Said:

what would be the better career radiology tech or nursing rn? Also what schooling is easier for someone to do?

We Answered:

Tech is easier and faster but long term, nursing will make you anywhere from 50% to 75% more money in your life time.

Erin Said:

Is it easy to get a job as RN in Washington state and did the economical crisis hit the nursing career in USA?

We Answered:

Easy... sort of. Depends on the field. There are usually positions open (at least at my hospital)
Best way to check is via the web, lots of hospitals have online sites where they place ad's for their needs. If all else fails, google: RN positions WA, and you'll get a few hits.
Some hospitals are on a hiring freeze as a result of the economy, which makes it rough when they still have so many positions open.
Hope this helps!