EDUCATION OF A NURSE

There are two major categories of nurses; uentry-level practice nurses and advanced practice nurses. q an entry-level nurse, three important stages are followed. At the initial stage, you have to identify whether you want to be a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Registered Nurse (RN).  If you want to be anLPN then you only complete a one year degree program that teaches you about basic patient care. To become an RN is a bit complicated, as you will have to complete either a two-year associate’s degree (ADN) or a four-year bachelor’s degree (BSN). This stage is closely followed by looking at if you meet the relevant prerequisites. To take part in LPN program the only prerequisite is that you have to finish high school or GED. For ADN and BSN, you have to complete a number of prerequisite courses in subjects that include statistics, Math, English, and Biology. The last stage involves passing the appropriate NCLEX exam. The NCLEX-PN exam is for the LPN program while NCLEX-RN is for the RN (Selekman, Shannon, & Yonkaitis, 2019).

To become an Advanced Practice Nurse, one has to complete four stages. The first stage involves earning a degree in a nursing specialty and it should be a program accredited by the national government Department of Education. The next stage is to be nationally certified which is done before earning the APN license. The license will show the area of specialization and population focus. Being nationally certified only requires one to meet the requirements set by the specific registering agency. After being nationally certified, one will have to now apply for an APN license. The application procedure involves few steps and one has to indicate their area of specialization and provide all other information as requested. The final step involves renewal of the license by May 32 of each even-numbered year. This process is usually online and one has to send a copy of the national certification, a proof of continuous education, the RN license, and the required fees (Selekman, Shannon, & Yonkaitis, 2019). Startup salaries for LPN nurses range between $33,000 per year and  $60,000 annually depending with the location. Medical assistants salary also vary according to the industry and location but range between $23,830 per year and $45,900 annually (Thies & Serratt, 2018).

References

Selekman, J., Shannon, R. A., & Yonkaitis, C. F. (2019). School nursing: A comprehensive text. FA Davis.

Thies, K. M., & Serratt, T. (2018). Evaluating association degree nursing faculty job satisfaction. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 13(2), 71-74.