Meeting The Education Requirements For Becoming A Nurse

Nursing can be one of the most rewarding career choices a person can make. Entering this field can be highly satisfying both personally and financially. For these reasons, admission into programs that prepare people for this career is very competitive. Identifying the prerequisites for nursing licensure is important to gaining admission into these programs.

Different schools have their own unique requirements that students are expected to meet before they will be allowed to enroll in the programs. There are some requirements that are basically universal and certain similarities in the requirements of individual schools.

A high school diploma with proof that a person has taken an emphasis in life sciences and mathematics is one of these requirements. Chemistry can also prove helpful. A GED may be acceptable as long as the applicant can prove sufficient knowledge of requisite course material.

The states require that all candidates for a nursing license must attend an accredited college or university and take certain courses in order to obtain the necessary skills. These courses include anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, and others that are focused toward teaching specific skills such as how to locate an injection site and how to administer different types of injections or start an IV. Students are also required to learn the standard dosing guidelines for medications in order to ensure they do not overdose a patient because of a mistake in the doctor’s orders.

Degrees offered range all the way from associate’s to doctorate. However, the key to becoming a practicing nurse is passage of the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Exam). This exam is administered on two levels. One is required to pass the first level in order to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). The second level is needed to become licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN).

The field also includes several specialties that require additional education beyond that normally required for licensure. A nurse practitioner is trained in how certain medications work and licensed to prescribe them. A nurse anesthetist is trained in how anesthesia affects the body and licensed to administer it in surgical settings.

Regardless of the level of nursing one practices, the states are unanimous in requiring nurses to take a certain number of hours of continuing education courses each year in order to keep their licenses. This requirement is intended to ensure that professionals remain up to date in their skills and familiar with the latest practices in their field.

Identifying prerequisites for nursing licensure is one key to learning whether one wishes to explore this career choice further. It is also an important key to allowing those who are already practicing to keep their licenses.

You should understand the prerequisites for nursing today. We would like to help you become a licensed practical nurse and we have the information you need to use.