Are you considering a career in nursing? Before you enter nursing school, there are a few things you should know. Most of them have to do with getting to know yourself, and a few have to do with understanding the nursing profession. If you are thinking of entering nursing school, here are some of the things you should be considering.
What nursing field do you want to specialize in?
There are many different fields within the nursing profession, and most of them have very specific requirements for education and licensing. If you’re dreaming of being a Public Health nurse, for instance, there are licensing requirements and special courses that you’ll need to take. Knowing those things will make your decision of where to go to nursing school far easier, you can eliminate any nursing school that doesn’t offer the required courses.
If you do not know what kind of nursing you want to do, or even whether you really want to be a nurse, there are many different ways to get some practical experience in nursing before you start nursing school. Volunteer in a hospital or nursing home to see what nurses do first hand. Talk with neighbors and relatives who are nurses and learn more about their jobs. Ask specific questions. Find out what they like about their positions, and what they would like to see improved. Becoming knowledgeable about these aspects, yourself and about the career as a whole will make it easier for you to start planning your education and your career.
What are your short term and long term career goals?
One of the advantages of choosing a career in nursing is that you can often work your way up the career ladder while you gain more advanced degrees. Setting up a plan to do that will make it far easier to take advantage of opportunities like tuition reimbursement. It’s fairly easy these days to get an Associate’s Degree in Nursing, which is your first step on the career ladder. That ADN will be your main requirement for a job in nursing, which will often include tuition reimbursement and other assistance from your employer in pursuing a more advanced degree. That kind of advance planning can help you decide which schools to attend, which ones your company will reimburse, and which courses to take. You may also find that your job experience gives you a leg up on your practicum that’s required to advance in some nursing courses.
Do you intend to get an advanced nursing degree?
If you already know that you intend to get an advanced nursing degree, find out what is exactly required to reach that level before you start your nursing school education. It is far easier to map your education from the end backwards, so to speak, because you will be able to plan your courses and classes to fulfill as many requirements along the way as you can. You can also use that knowledge to try to arrange work in the field where you want to end up. If you know that you’ll need to do a turn on a med-surgery floor as part of your requirements for a degree next year, you can try to arrange that in advance through your work. If you know that a class you want to take in two years has a prerequisite, you can try to take it before you even enroll in nursing school.
The three major nursing degrees are:
LPN – Licensed Practical Nurse - An LPN program is a diploma program that takes about a year. As an LPN you’ll be able to do some patient care under the direction of doctors and registered nurses.
ADN – Associates Degree in Nursing - An ADN typically takes about two years to complete and is generally given at a community college. As an ADN, you will often be able to apply for licensing and registration in your state and will be able to do direct patient care in most settings.
BSN – Bachelor of Science in Nursing - A BSN is a four year program that prepares you to work in most care settings. If you intend to eventually get a Masters in Nursing, or would like to get into nursing management, a BSN is your best choice.
What kind of nursing degree do you need to do the work you want to do?
Find out the requirements for the kind of nursing that you want to do. Will you need a BS in Nursing? Can you learn what you need in a hospital certificate program? Is an LPN course right for you? Once you have figured out which degree you want to get, you can start looking at nursing schools that offer that degree. Some things you might consider when choosing are:
- Am I academically equipped for this program? - Can I get financial aid for nursing school? - Can I get tuition reimbursement from my employer for nursing school? - Is the school you’re considering accredited? - Do you want to attend nursing school online?
Are you worried about making right career choices for yourself? There are lots of people who tend to choose the wrong career paths and hence they are never satisfied with their work. While choosing your career you need to be very careful. There are certain factors that affect career choices.
The factors the affect can either be intrinsic as well as extrinsic. There are certain people who are affected by the choices of their parents. Each and every parent usually has some kind of choices for their child. Some parents have the tendency to force their choice on their child.
This is one of the biggest mistakes that the parents commit. If the child does not prefer the career then it can have a bad effect on their career. Some others are affected the educational choices they have made. Choosing a career can make great differences in your life. It will surely have an effect on the quality of life.
Now you might want to know about the factors that affect career choices. One of the major factors is education. When you choose your career it is important for you to consider the current level of education.
If you want to join in an advanced position then you must always try to achieve higher degrees in education. Do you know that you childhood can also have an effect on your career options. Early education and parenting plays a great role in choosing ones career.
There are children who decide what they want to become when they grow up. They tend to follow that path so that they can accomplish their dreams. The other important factor that provides you an answer to how to choose a career is financial requirements.
A career might be intellectually rewarding as well as personally fulfilling but it is not a good career unless it pays well. If you have a family to support then you must look for a career which has high pay rates. This is the reason why financial requirements must always be considered while choosing your career.
Sometimes people have to make certain sacrifices because of these financial needs. You might not like the job at all but you have to stick to it so that you can take care of your dependant family as well as your child’s education.
It is important to make the right kind of career choices depending upon your needs. The other factors that affect career choices are skills and interests. You must always find out what you enjoy doing the most.
You must also find the out the unique skills sets that you have which can help you choose your career. If you do not choose a work which you love to do you will never be satisfied and you can never work hard to grow in that field.
Now you know what affects career choices. Sometimes the market conditions can also be one of the important factors that affect career choices. You need to look for opportunities available.
If you're working hard at your job every day, but still face financial concerns, such as bad credit, then you may be interested in getting a credit repair tip or two. Every day there are thousands of people just like you who are dealing with bad credit problems, so you’re not alone.
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The most obvious tip is to make sure that you pay your bills. Of course , that’s easier said than done, but what if you could work out a new payment plan with your creditors? One excellent credit repair tip is to try to figure out a way to work out smaller payments that you can actually afford, even if it is just 5 pounds a month.
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An additional credit repair tip is to look at your credit report and check it for accuracy.
You can get in touch with Experian and get a copy of your credit report for a small fee. Then you want to look over your credit report and analyse the information that is included in it. Check to see if there are any default notices against you. Sometimes you may find that there are companies on your credit report that you’ve never even heard of, and that you have not had any dealings with.
Often , you could be denied credit due to errors and mistakes on the report that are no fault of your own. When you do spot errors, write to the agency and get in touch with whoever put the information on your report. You may even have to write to your lender directly to solve this problem.
If you are having difficulties getting errors fixed on your report, you have a legal right to contact the Data Protection Commissioner.
Next, look at your accounts with different lenders. Note the length of time you have them. Pay the ones that you can. Other lenders look at how long you’ve had an active account. This can work in your favour.
Another credit repair tip is to open a credit account if all of the ones you already have are closed and pay on time. This will help your ratings tremendously. With due diligence and dedication, along with this credit repair tip information, you'll soon see your credit become good as new.
