How to choose nursing schools

How to choose Nursing Schools

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a nursing school. Different schools have different things to offer the student. Different schools and training programs also tend to focus on different skill levels in nursing. The nursing student needs to have a clear idea of what they want to do with their education. This will help narrow the search for the right school.

There are certainly a lot of choices to consider in the field of nursing. There’s always the possibility of continuing past the associate or bachelor’s degree level. Nurses who hold Master’s Degrees or Doctorate’s then have the option to become Nurse Practitioners, or Physician’s Assistant’s. Both positions are going to continue to grow and expand, as overall a rising need for health care will create more nursing jobs.

But everyone has to start somewhere, and the nursing student has a few opening options. You can choose to study through a hospital or clinic. Most offer nursing classes, and allow students to gain valuable experience working in the hospital or medical facility. This is almost a sure-fire way to find work too, but that’s another paper entirely.

Here are some things that the student who wants to study nursing should consider before choosing a school to attend. None of these things is listed in any particular order, or with any type of preference. One of the first things is location. The student may not be able to travel for school, or just may not wish to. Once that decision has been made the student will know where to start looking.

Choosing a specialty is key to choosing a school. Some schools may focus more intently on one field of medicine then others do. Other schools may offer better chances for clinical training. Each school will have its own unique set of advantages and flaws. It is up to the student to prioritize.

Size matters. Well okay sometimes it does when it comes to class sizes. Some students prefer smaller class sizes because they get more of the instructor’s attention and time on needed subjects. Other student flourish in any environment, happy as long as they are learning. It it is up to the student to decide what will suit them best.

Accreditation is very important when it comes to nursing schools. Accreditation means that the school is in line with the quality standards set up by the federal and states governments regarding education. Or to put the same thing another way without accreditation, you will be denied most nursing jobs, in this country anyway, and will most likely not be allowed to advance in education. However since the actual number of non-accredited schools is probably very few and far between, it probably won’t become a problem. Still it never hurts to be sure.

Tuition is probably the most important factor to a lot of students. This is perfectly understandable, the rising prices of just about everything have made the cost of going to a good school very steep indeed. The tuition prices of nursing schools can vary by location and type of specialization. Even those schools that are parts of a community college are not immune to this. To train a nurse properly in most areas of medicine, sometimes expensive equipment and textbooks are needed.

There are many things the nursing student needs to consider before choosing a school, but first and foremost they need to decide if they are really committed to a challenging educational experience. There is a lot of learning involved in becoming a nurse, and sometimes it can seem like a lot to have to remember. Only those truly committed to their education, and committed to helping others as nurses, should enroll in nursing school.

Nursing scholarships for single mothers

Top 10 Nursing Scholarships For Single Mothers

To a single mother trying to make her way, college might at best seem like a nice dream. To a single mom who has two jobs and is trying to make the bills, college seems too expensive. According to one study, over 30 percent of the single mothers in the United States live below the poverty level. Education may provide a way off the welfare line, only two percent of single mothers that held a bachelors degree or better are living below poverty levels.

#1.    The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to single parents that wish to go back to school. You must be a resident, and a single parent. Applicants will be asked to provide documentation of both, and must apply through their home county. More information is available from the Fund itself.

#2.    The Patsy Takemoto Mink Scholarship awards five $2000 scholarships to single and low income mothers that wish to attend school. Applicants must demonstrate financial need to be considered. More information and applications are available on the fund’s website.

#3.    The Jeanette Rankin Foundation has awarded over 500 scholarships to single mothers to help them pursue their dreams of an education. This foundation prefers to work with women 35 and older. More information is available on the Rankin website.

#4.    The WISP Program (Womens Independent Scholarship Program) was created for battered women and those in broken homes a second chance at a good life. This program targets low income and mid income single mothers who may be trying to better themselves through education. The WISP program offers scholarships and also a full range of other services for the single mother.

#5.    The ROSE Scholarship is awarded to women who are trying to break out of an abusive lifestyle. This program provides financial assistance and scholarships to single mothers who have been the victim of domestic abuse, or other dire circumstances. Applicants must already be enrolled in school, and should have completed a year of studies before applying.

#6.    Raise The Nation is a national program that provides scholarships and other forms of financial aid to single mothers who are trying to go back to college. Many different programs are available here, find more information on their website.

#7.    The Womens Opportunity Awards are available to single mothers who may have had problems in the past with alcohol abuse, or may have been the victim of domestic violence. These awards are given to single mothers who are trying to improve the quality of life for their families.

#8.    The CLIMB Wyoming Program is available for single mothers who wish to return to school. Applicants must be residents of Wyoming, and must be enrolled at least part time at an accredited college.

#9.    The Fleming Associates Young Parents Program is available to single parents and low income families that wish to improve their lives with further education. This program provides different types of scholarship and others kinds of aid as well. The goal of this program is to help single parents get back on their feet, and into a better life for themselves and their families.

#10.   The Ford Opportunity Program offers scholarships and other financial aid to 51 single parents that are enrolled in an Oregon College. This program is offered through and administered through CollegeFunds.Org, which is a financial aid program for students in Oregon schools.

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2). Scholarships for men over 40

3). Nursing grants and scholarships for men and women

Scholarships for men over 40

The Top Scholarships For Male Nurses Over 40

A lot of people are out of work. There aren’t nearly enough jobs to go around, and there are far too many workers for the ones there are. This can be especially tough when a man in his forties finds himself out of work. Suddenly what seemed like a wealth of choices isn’t really that much after all, and even the day labor places are turning you away in favor of younger, stronger types. So what’s a guy to do? Go back to school, that’s what.

The Displaced Homemaker Scholarship is available to men and women over the age of thirty who may have put off a college education to take care of their families. Anyone over the age of 30 can apply for this scholarship. This scholarship is administered through the Association on American Indian Affairs.

The Osher Reentry Scholarship is for adults who for whatever reason, may have had to delay completing a college education, and now wish to go back and finish what they started. This scholarship is for adults who have been out of school for five years or more that wish to return to school. Applicants must demonstrate financial need, and a willingness to complete their degree program.

The ASIST Scholarship Program is made available to those students that may be classified non-traditional college students. This includes older students, and those that are trying to go back to school for education or training in a different field so as to better their employment prospects. Consideration goes to those in greatest financial need, and also those who have dependent children to care for.

The Orville Redenbacher Second Start Scholarship is for older adults who may finally be going to school in an effort to improve their circumstances by improving their employment prospects. This award is for $1000 per year. More information is available on the company website.

The Gen and Kelly Tanabe scholarship is available to any high-school student that wishes to apply. It is also available to any adult student who is returning to school for whatever reason. Applicants must complete a short essay on one of three topics. This award is for $1000 per year. More information is available on the foundation’s website.

The College Is Power scholarship is available to any high-school student, and any non-traditional adult student that wishes to apply. Applicants must be enrolled at a 2 or 4 year accredited institution and must also complete a short essay.

These are only a few of the opportunities available. There are other places you can look but the first one should be the school’s financial aid office. There are a lot of scholarships and grants available for a lot of reasons, there’s one for tall people, and one for left handed people. Surely there’s something for everyone.

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Nurse practitioner demand

Nurse Practitioner Demand in the United States

The United States in serious trouble, no matter what the politicians are saying on television. This great nation continues to stagger under the burden of a health care system that is in itself in serious need of some medical attention. Not only are there not enough nurses to fill available jobs, soon there won’t be enough doctors to go around either. Statisticians predict that there will continue to be an increase in demand for physicians, as well as other licensed and qualified medical personnel.

Trained and licensed nurse practitioners are one way to fill the gap. Nurse practitioners can do a lot of the things physicians traditionally did, such as perform examinations, prescribe treatment methods, and medications. A nurse practitioner can also order and read X-rays as well as a variety of other tests too.

nurse practitioner demand
nurse practitioner demand

This simple graph illustrates how the demand for licensed nurse practitioners has risen over the last four years between 2006 and 2010. This information reflects the demand for nurse practitioners in the state of Texas. Texas is only one state of many, and although there weren’t graphs available for every one, it is hoped that with this illustration, you start to get the picture of just how big a shortage there is.

Statistics say that there will be an increasing problem with supply and demand when it comes to health care. There will continue to be shortages in available nurses and physicians, it is also estimated that we will be about 150,000 doctors short come the year 2015. This is a grave problem, it is also a problem that more trained and qualified nurse practitioners can help alleviate.

There are over 3 million nurses employed in the United States. It is estimated that there will be another 1 million job openings in nursing next year. Nursing is one of the top professions listed as having the most job openings. It is estimated the demand for qualified and trained nurses will increase until at least the year 2025. There are a few reasons for this. One is that a lot of nurses that are currently employed are older women, who plan to retire in the next ten or so years.

The other reason for this glaring shortage is simple. More people need quality health care than ever before. It it estimated that the population of the United States will reach 350 billion in the next fifteen years. That certainly is a lot of people that will need quality health care.

Nursing schools are trained qualified nurses as we speak. But they are restrained by budget limits, and can only admit a certain number of students. Nursing schools polled said that combined they turned away an estimated sixty thousand nursing school candidates. We obviously need to expand the educational opportunities these talented nurses get. We are going to need them.

Nurse appreciation day

Mnurse Appreciation Day

Mnurse????? hmmm…. Nope! This is not a spelling mistake. Male nurses are called Mnurses. National Nurses Day is the first day of what is known as National Nurses Week. While Male Nurses are often called mnurse there really is no mnurse appreciation day specifically. National Nurses Week runs from May 6th to May 12th every year. This tradition of thanking our nurses for the work that they do for us has been going on since the 1950’s. During National Nurses Week, there is also National Student Nurses Day. National Nurses Week is a federally recognized holiday, thanks to a resolution that was finally passed by Congress in 1982.

During National Nurses Week, people honor nurses with things like parades and banquets. These are special times when people take the time to thank nurses and mnurses around the world for their contribution to our well-being and continued health. Nurses do a thankless and demanding job sometimes, and this week is only their well deserved reward.

There is no particular day that is called Male Nurse Appreciation Day yet. There is a Student Nurse Appreciation day that is celebrated midway through National Nurses Week. Male nurses are starting to make their presence known in nursing, and people are starting to get used to the idea. Look for National Male Nurse Appreciation day coming soon to a celebration near you. There’s still plenty of time for next year.

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Gay male nurse

The Stereotype Of The Gay Male Nurse

“Look there’s a male nurse. He’s probably gay.” That whispered conversation and a million others like it are taking place around the world, everywhere and anywhere a male nurse might be working, or living. Though the politicians and evangelists like to say things like enlightened society, and tolerance, well sometimes the message is slow trickling down to the rest of the public.

There are actually male nurses who are gay and not ashamed of the fact. They tend to experience the stereotype firsthand and some of them speculated as to why it still exists, and so prominently. Nursing has been seen as a woman’s profession for a very long time. Statistically it still is. Over 2.8 million of the employed nurses across the nation are women. Only 180,000 or so are men.

Then there is also the fact that nursing, no matter how many degrees they hand out, is always going to be seen as what is called a subservient profession. This basically means that nurses will always be perceived as a sub group within the medical profession. Most people see nurses working with doctors. Therefore it logically follows in their minds that any man doing this job must like being seen as a woman in the professional or must like being subservient. And so they automatically think “gay”.

Male nurses, gay or otherwise, seriously resent this stereotype. They feel, and rightfully so, that it shouldn’t make a difference. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with how a person performs at a job. If it did, well that’s a failing in the person, and that happens anyway, regardless. Male nurses work as nurses because they love what they do. They do it because they have learned they can be good at it, and that there are a lot of opportunities out there for nurses from all walks of life,

In all four branches of the military combined, men make up over thirty five percent of the nursing staff. After leaving the military, these men often move into nursing careers at home. This is what they have been training for it only makes sense to try and find work at what you are good at.

The stereotype that male nurses are gay, or that nursing attracts mostly gay males is a ludicrous and antiquated misconception that was founded by a religious right that feared what it didn’t understand. There wouldn’t be any reason for a stereotype at all if the world stopped looking at gay men in such an awkward light in the first place. They are only people trying to make their way in the world. If others would spend less time caring how other people got along this world would be a lot better off.

The male nurses employed in nursing today are dedicated professionals who are willing to step outside the box. They realize two things, one that nursing needs more qualified professionals in every field of medicine. It wouldn’t matter if a nurse was gay, male or one-legged, as long as they had the training and the willingness to do the work, they would probably find employment quickly. And last but not least it makes no difference if a nurse is gay, not gay, black, yellow, red or green. A nurse is a nurse.

Would you like to read more about related topics? Here are some of the most relevant subjects.

1). Male nursing stereotypes

2). Discrimination against male nurses

3). Male nurse facts

4). Male nurse issues

5). Male nurse benefits

Male registered nurses

Most people when asked to picture a nurse, would almost always picture a women. Nursing has been a profession dominated by women. There are some notable exceptions over history, some as early as the 3rd century. Another such exception is the Knights Hospitaliers, and the Teutonic Knights, military orders who were attached to hospitals during the Middle Ages to provide care for pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. So there are precedents for men in nursing.

There are a lot of reasons men go into nursing today. Most importantly they want to be able to help the sick and injured. It certainly doesn’t hurt that nurses actually make a pretty good income, and in the field of nursing there are many chances for advancement as well as for education well past college.

There are almost 3 million registered nurses employed in nursing today. Almost 162,000 of those are men. Translation around 5.9 percent give or take. It is estimated that there will be at least 1.1 million jobs openings in the field of nursing in the year 2012, and over 2 million by 2015.

Medical facilities around the world are staggering under the burdens of not enough trained and qualified nurses to meet a rising demand of patients in need. More male nurses are entering training and schools, but we still have a long way to go before we can meet everyone’s needs.

The national average salary for a registered nurse is $57,785 a year. This average includes all RN’s working everywhere. Of course registered nurses who have chosen to continue their education will be able to bring in higher salaries. A registered nurse who gets a Master’s Degree or a Doctorate can then choose to become a nurse practitioner. The average salary for a nurse practitioner is $70,500 a year.

A registered nurse can choose to specialize in a particular field of medicine. One such example is certified anesthetists, these registered and specially certified nurses make almost $130,000 a year. This is a popular field for registered nurses who are males, almost forty nine percent of those employed work in this field.

There are many other fields of medicine that command decent salaries and offer many challenges to male nurses. As the world continues to be rocked by crisis after crisis, now more than ever there is an urgent need to fill positions in emergency rooms around the world. There are also other medical facilities that urgently need the help of qualified nurses, like oncology, pediatrics, and geriatrics.

Education is important, especially to a male registered nurse. Statistically, the male nurse is more likely to pursue a nursing degree to the masters level. Most of the time registered nurses who had a masters degree made almost $75,000 a year, those who have doctorate degrees make just over $80,000.

There are likely more opportunities available in the field of research for skilled registered nurses. Whatever career path the male nurse decides to take, he will most likely be happily welcomed because he will most likely be urgently needed. The field of nursing is facing a severe shortage of registered nurses, even though there are almost 3 million already employed.

There are a large number of men in the United States alone who have no work. They would be an excellent labor pool to tap to fill the growing need for nurses around the world. Everyone wins. Give them purpose, and watch the economic depression disappear. Heal the sick, and soon there will be less to fight about. Something to think about.

Learn more about RN’s by viewing these articles:

1). Different types of registered nurses

2). Registered nursing salary for male and female