With nurses always being in high demand, it’s helpful to know all the different routes you can take. There are multiple different pathways you can take to get into a nursing program. You can take a pre-health program at a college, in case you don’t get accepted straight into a nursing program. This pathway will allow you to apply to a nursing program after completion. There’s not much that differentiates the two prevailing programs, registered practical nurse (RPN) and registered nurse (RN). RPN requires 2 years of study and a diploma from a recognized college. Whereas the RN program goes into more complex knowledge of theories and experience from the clinical practice in the 4 years of education at a university. RN students must complete their degree and pass a board examination. RPN’s do almost all the same duties and tasks as a RN does, but they are under supervision and follow orders of a RN and may not be able to handle some patients with complex conditions. Most colleges and university‘s offer an RPN-RN bridging program, if you wish to continue the practice. RPN and RN are the highly sought-after careers, but there are many other nursing career pathways equally as great, a travel nurse, who works nationally and internationally. They preform many of the same duties as a RN. A nurse practitioner is someone who works with a physician, they can diagnose diseases, and set up treatment plans. There are tons of other fields you can choose from such as, Intensive care nurse, emergency room, surgical nurse, the list can go on and on. Though it may be hard to find the correct pathway; the job variety is just some of the many perks of being a nurse. The nursing program is a great career path and has a great success in obtaining a job due to the constant high demand. More info can be found on the CNO website http://www.cno.org/en/become-a-nurse/
References
CNO. “Practice Guideline” (January 2018). Retrieved from http://www.cno.org/globalassets/docs/prac/41062.pdf
Prabhat S. “Difference Between RN and RPN” (August 30, 2012). Retrieved from http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/difference-between-rn-and-rpn/
Malvik C. “Top 25 Types of Nurses Employers Are Looking to Hire” (March 19,2018) https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/types-of-nurses-employers-are-looking-to-hire/
Pathways to Nursing 