A nurse is a healthcare professional who provides patient care for their patients.
Nurses are required to have either a bachelor of science, master of arts, or doctor of nursing practice degree and they must be registered with the appropriate state boards.
What is Nursing?
Nursing is the profession and practice of caring for and rehabilitating people and providing preventive care.
The primary goal of nursing care is to maintain people’s health or restore them to health after various ailments, injuries, surgeries, or diseases – which includes physical, psychological, and social care.
Nurses are essential members in any healthcare setting because they provide much-needed medical help that cannot be offered by doctors alone.
What are the Requirements to Become a RN?
The requirements to become a registered nurse vary from state to state.
Most states require that a nurse have at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). However, some states require registered nurses to have a degree in nursing.
Any nursing program you take, such as the University of Texas Arlington MSN, will prepare you for your licensure exams, and your university will be able to help you through the process of getting your licenses.
To become a nurse an individual must be licensed by the appropriate state board and hold an active license.
How to Choose the Right Nursing Program for You
You can decide to take either a 2-year or 4-year program. The difference in length of the programs will determine how long it takes to finish and pay for your degree.
If you’re short on time, taking a 2-year program will help you get your degree quicker, but it will cost you extra money.
If you have time on your side and are looking to save some cash, then go with the 4-year program. A 4-year degree also provides students with more flexibility in choosing their grade options while they focus on major requirements such as anatomy, physiology, and chemistry classes.
What Do Nurses Do?
A nurse plays a key role in keeping people healthy, helping with various medical needs, and caring for patients. Nurses prepare patients for surgery, monitor their health, and administer medications to ease the pain.
They also deliver babies and care for sick children. Other responsibilities include giving vaccinations, preparing meals, giving baths, drawing blood, assisting with physical exams, and CPR.
During the course of their careers, they’ll also learn how to perform a variety of procedures including inserting IVs, breathing tubes, and other treatments that can help a patient fight off an illness or injury.
Building Your Nursing Career with Time & Patience
There are many paths that a nurse can take to advance their career.
The most basic way is to simply continue working hard and climb up the nursing ladder. Nurses can work their way up through increasing levels of responsibility or move on to other specialties such as case management and program management.
Some nurses choose to earn a master’s degree in nursing and enroll in Nurse Practitioner courses at a university. They may even decide to go back to school for a doctorate degree in nursing.