There has never been a better time to enter the health care field. With the aging population, new medical discoveries that continue to extend life and the increasingly high demand for health care workers, choosing a career as a nurse is a smart career move.
What Nursing Careers Have to Offer
Looking for a career that offers challenge, reward and stability? Or perhaps opportunity, variety and flexibility are important components in making a career choice? Either way, nurses can have it all. Here is what a nursing career has to offer:
- The challenge of a fast-paced, ever-changing environment that requires someone who can calmly deal with traumatic and possibly near-death situations without letting it affect them long-term
- The chance to work with people by offering care and support to patients and their families
- A field that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has predicted will grow by over 20 percent between 2008 and 2018
- A wide array of career options from the type of treatment they choose (i.e. trauma, holistic, surgical, psychiatric) to their work setting (i.e. hospital, clinic, health center, physician’s office)
- The flexibility and portability of a career that is in demand throughout the U.S. and offers flexible work shifts and hours (i.e. full-time, part-time, per diem)
Newest Information on Registered Nursing Careers
According to the BLS, registered nurses (RNs) constitute the largest health care occupation, with 2.6 million jobs. Add to that information from a recent report from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a primary Federal health care agency, which indicates that the number of RNs grew by over five percent between 2004 and 2008, and it seems apparent that nursing is a growing career field.
Another growing trend that would-be RNs might want to consider is the fact that according to the HRSA study over half of the RNs surveyed had a bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing or a related field, and master’s and doctorate degree holders are on the rise.
Finally, the average annual earnings for RNs are growing as well. In 2008, the average annual RN salary was $66,973, a nearly 16 percent increase from 2004.
Difference Between RNs and Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
While most states call them Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Texas and California use the title of Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs). And when it comes to the differences between RNs and LPNs, a lot depends on the state in which they are licensed. However, there are some differences which experts, including the BLS, cite.
First and foremost, there is a difference in education. While LPNs receive practical, skills-based training that generally lasts about a year, RNs receive a more theoretical, “how-come” four-year education that results in a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN). RN students also have the option to go on to higher-level degree programs.
Next, there are differences in the licensing exams. The National Council Licensure Examination offers the NCLEX-PN for LPN licensure and the NCLEX-RN for RN licensure. Both cover four major categories: safe and effective care environment, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity and physiological integrity. While both tests require the same basic understanding of nursing practice and knowledge, the NCLEX-RN has more questions and tends to focus more on critical thinking and delegation of responsibility, according to the folks at NCLEX Test Review.
Finally, the job duties often vary (depending on state). For instance, RNs do assessments, plan and manage patient care as well as supervise LPNs. This provides RNs with more career options and areas of specialty from which to choose.
The whole idea is that a career in the health care field offers a lot of opportunities and options. And the nursing profession, whether students are interested in becoming a RN, LPN or LVN, is one of the most varied and exciting career choices available today.
Deborah S. Hildebrand - Deborah S. Hildebrand is a freelance writer & HR consultant with 20+ years in human resources & a Bachelor's degree in Business.
Join the Conversation