Nursing Qualifications
With the every-growing health care industry, the jobs in this sector are also increasing in both number and in value in the US today. This is the reason why nurses are in high demand and in fact, it has been estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that nursing job opportunities will show a rapid growth rate when compared to the average growth that took place over the last ten years.
In order to be eligible to practice as a nurse, the following nursing qualifications are essential:
Personal Nursing Qualifications:
In order to pursue a career in nursing, an applicant should have personal qualities like compassion, diligence, patience and interest in dealing with people and being of some help to them. Also, the person should be capable of maintaining professional relationships with MDs as well as with the other nurses.
Educational Nursing Qualifications:
To serve as a registered nurse or an RN, one would require to have completed an academic nursing program accredited by the state. Also, he or she will have to fulfill all the requirements for state licensing.To practice as a licensed practical nurse or an LPN, one will have to have completed a year’s nursing program. Both LPNs as well as RNs can work in a number of health-care settings like rehabilitation centers, medical offices, government agencies, hospitals, etc.
Academic Training in Nursing
One of the prime nursing qualifications for an RN is the completion of a nursing academic training program. These are offered at several technical colleges, universities, medical schools, etc in the format of either a bachelor’s degree program for four years or a associate degree program for two years.
The following are the different spheres in which education and training is included in the curriculum of the nursing programs:
- Physiology
- Anatomy
- Treatment methodologies
- Patient care
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Ethics
In order to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an individual will have to have fulfilled the core college academic requirements.
In case of LPN nursing programs, the requirements and the course itself are not so elaborate as on the case of RN nursing programs. The curriculum of these programs is similar to that of the RN program curriculum except that it is a more summarized version of the same.
Clinical Training in Nursing:
This forms one of the most essential nursing qualifications and is included in the curriculum of both LPN and RN training programs. Clinical training is basically nursing internship where student nurses are made to learn and work under the supervision of professional nurses with good experience.
Nursing Qualifications for Specialized Jobs:
Special educational and training qualifications are needed in order to work in specialized branches of nursing such as geriatrics, pediatrics, oncology, psychiatry, acute care, etc.
Nursing Qualifications for Licensure:
For licensure, the following qualifications are necessary:
- In order to practice as a nurse, an individual will have to fulfill all the requirements of the state for licensure. For an RN licensure, the applicant will have to have cleared the NCLEX- RN examination which is a computer-based comprehensive exam where the candidate is tested for his or her knowledge in health care, health maintenance and promotion and physiological and psychological integrity.
- An LPN applicant must have cleared the NCLEX-PN exam similar to the RN exam except that it covers its own version of the syllabus of the nursing program.
Different states may some additional requirements for licensure which need to be fulfilled by the candidates.
