The Road to Become A Nurse

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How to Become a Nurse

Is Nursing Right for You?

What nurses do… (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Registered-nurses.htm#tab-2)

• Administer medication
• Monitor patients
• Record medical histories
• Check vital signs
• Explain home treatment
• Operate medical equipment

What makes a good nurse…(inference)

• Multitasking
• Caring
• Fast-learning
• Quick-thinking
• Patient
• Calm
• Motivated
• Organized

Education (Get a Degree)

Education distribution

(http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurveys/rnsurveyinitial2008.pdf pg 8)

• Diploma of Nursing: 20.4%
• Associate's Degree in Nursing: 45.4%
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (or higher): 34.2%

Classes

(http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Registered-nurses.htm#tab-4)

• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Microbiology
• Chemistry
• Nutrition
• Psychology
• Liberal Arts

Education Timeframes

• Diploma: 12-18 months
• Associate's: 2-3 years
• Bachelor's: 4 years

Clinical Hours

(https://www.ncsbn.org/Educational_Programs_Entry_into_Practice.pdf pg 16-ish)

Clinical hours are required for all nursing degrees, but they vary greatly by state and by school. As much as 50% of a nurse's education may be spent in clinical classes, working hands-on with patients and experienced nurses.

Number of Nursing Degrees in US

(http://www.nln.org/researchgrants/slides/pdf/AS1112_T02.pdf)

• Diploma: 59
• Certificate of Practical Nursing: 1297
• Associate's Degree in Nursing: 1084
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing:  696
• Bachelor of Science in Registered Nursing: 664
• Master of Science in Nursing: 504
• Doctorate of Nursing Practice: 447

States with Most Nursing Degrees

(http://www.nln.org/researchgrants/slides/pdf/AS1112_T02.pdf)

• California: 366
• New York: 271
• Florida: 264
• Texas: 255
• Pennsylvania: 250

States with Cheapest Average Tuition

(for in state students in four year public colleges… http://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fees-sector-and-state-over-time)

• Wyoming: $4,404 a year
• Alaska: $5,885
• Utah: $5,906
• New Mexico: $5,987
• Montana: $6,211

Licensure (Get Licensed)

"To become licensed, nurses must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN" (http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Registered-nurses.htm#tab-4)

NCLEX Pass Rates for RNs in 2014

(https://www.ncsbn.org/Table_of_Pass_Rates_2014.pdf)

• Diploma: 87.88% passed out of 594 test takers
• Bachelor's Degree: 87.96% passed out of 16,370
• Associate's Degree: 82.09% passed out of 21,304

Active Nursing Licenses

(https://www.ncsbn.org/14_2012_2013_NCLEXExamStats_vol61.pdf pg 21)

• RN: 4.2 million
• Newly licensed RNs: 281,063

Career (Get a Job)

Work Environment

(http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm#tab-3)

• Hospitals: 61%
• Nursing and Residential Care Facilities: 7%
• Doctor's Offices: 7%
• Home Health Care Services: 6%
• Government Agencies: 6%

Employment and Salary

( http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm)

• 2,661,890 registered nurses in the U.S. (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm)
• Mean hourly wage: $33.13
• Mean annual wage: $68,910
• Top 10%: $46.31 an hour - $96,320 a year
• Bottom 10%: $21.94 an hour - $45,630 a year

Employment by Industry

(http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm)

• General Hospitals: 1,553,080 (29.64% of the hospital workforce)
• Doctor's Offices: 178,810
• Home Health: 166,910
• Specialty Hospitals: 54,650 (22.84% of hospital workforce)
• Outpatient Care Centers: 102,410 (15.24% of workforce)

Highest Paying States

(http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm)

• California: $46.62 an hour - $96,980 a year
• Hawaii: $41.05 an hour - $85,380 a year
• Massachusetts: $40.25 an hour - $83,720 a year
• Alaska: $40.21 an hour - $83,640 a year
• Oregon - $38.67 an hour - $80,440 a year

Lowest Paying States

(http://data.bls.gov/oes/search.jsp?data_tool=OES, search one occupation for multiple geo areas…all data on http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm#st but not easy to read)

• South Dakota: $25.51 an hour -  $53,050 a year
• Iowa: $25.73 an hour -  $53,520 a year
• West Virginia: $26.56 an hour -  $55,240 a year
• Alabama: $26.86 an hour -  $55,870 a year
• North Dakota: $26.94 an hour -  $56,030 a year

States with Most Nurses

(http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm)

• California: 252,940
• Texas: 190,090
• New York: 169,820
• Florida: 162,530
• Pennsylvania: 124,750

Job Outlook

(http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Registered-nurses.htm#tab-6) "Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 19 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations."  - BLS link above

Reasons for growth:

• Aging population
• Patient education
• Increase in accessible healthcare
• Insurance reforms

"Growth is also expected to be faster than average in outpatient care centers where patients do not stay overnight" – BLS link above

IMPORTANT "Generally, registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) will have better job prospects than those without one." – BLS link above

Projected employment in 2022 (same link)

• 3,238,400 registered nurses
• 19% increase
• 526,800 new jobs