Get your feet wet before you start your Nursing education

Are you looking into nursing career? Who is not? Nursing is the hottest career right now with respect job outlook and salary potential. In 2014 there were 2.75 million nurses were working and we will need 439, 000 more nurses by 2024, the job outlook is 16%, much faster than average. In 2015, median pay of nurses are $67,000 per year or $32 per hour. (Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Is nursing the right career for me?

Isn’t it a million dollar question? Everything look great with job outlook and salary. You don’t have to work too hard landing a job when you earn RN (Registered Nurse) credential. Education requirement for nursing is at 2 years for ADN (Associate’s) and 4 years for BSN (Bachelor’s). Coursework is demanding as well as challenging. You need time, financial and emotional commitment to get admitted into a nursing school as well as to graduate from one. After you complete your education when you start working, what if you realized that nursing is not for you. You don’t possess the patience, compassion and empathy for nursing career. Alas, you can’t get your time and money back that you already spent to become a nurse. That’s why it’s always important to get your hands dirty and feet wet before you start your desired career.

 I am listing two options for you which require much less time and effort to get started. Benefit is twofold. First, you can get the taste of nursing career by working with registered nurses and the patients side by side. That way you will learn first if nursing career is a good fit for you in the long term.

Secondly, many good hospitals, long term care nursing homes or skilled nursing homes has great tuition reimbursement for employees who wants to advance their career in nursing. This option will save you a boatload of money towards your tuition and fees.

Here are the two options for you:

1.     Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN)

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic nursing care. They work under the direction of registered nurses and doctors. The median annual wage for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses was $43,170 ($20.76 per hour) in May 2015.

LPNs and LVNs must complete an approved educational program. These programs award a certificate or diploma and typically take about 1 year to complete, but may take longer. They are commonly found in technical schools and community colleges, although some programs may be available in high schools or hospitals.

Practical nursing programs combine classroom learning in subjects such as nursing, biology, and pharmacology. All programs also include supervised clinical experience.

Contact state boards of nursing for lists of approved programs.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

After completing a state-approved educational program, prospective LPNs and LVNs can take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN). In all states, they must pass the exam to get a license and work as an LPN or LVN. For more information on the NCLEX-PN examination and a list of state boards of nursing, visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

2.     Nursing Assistants (CNA)

Nursing assistants provide basic care and help with activities of daily living. They typically do the following:

·        Clean and bathe patients or residents

·        Help patients use the toilet and dress

·        Turn, reposition, and transfer patients between beds and wheelchairs

·        Listen to and record patients’ health concerns and report that information to nurses

·        Measure patients’ vital signs, such as blood pressure and temperature

·        Serve meals and help patients eat

·        In May 2015, the median annual wages for nursing assistants in the top industries in which they worked were as follows: 

Government	$31,130
Hospitals; state, local, and private	27,820
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)	24,700
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	24,200
Home health care services	23,620

Education and Training

Nursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program in which they learn the basic principles of nursing and complete supervised clinical work. These programs are found in high schools, community colleges, vocational and technical schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

In addition, nursing assistants typically complete a brief period of on-the-job training to learn about their specific employer’s policies and procedures.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

After completing a state-approved education program, nursing assistants take a competency exam. Passing this exam allows them to use state-specific titles. In some states, a nursing assistant or aide is called a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), but titles vary from state to state.

Nursing assistants who have passed the competency exam are placed on a state registry. Nursing assistants must be on the state registry to work in a nursing home.

(Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook). 

Programmatic Accreditation: Absolutely Critical to Launch your Career

Programmatic Accreditation:

There are  67 recognized programmatic accrediting organizations accredit programs or free-standing institutions that enrolled more than 3.9 million students in 2012-2013 according to Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This figure includes all programmatic accreditors that are or have been recognized by CHEA or the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and are currently engaged in accreditation activities.

Consequence to students attending an institution without Programmatic Accreditation:

Colleges sometimes offer programs that do not carry the industry-standard accreditation that allows graduates to obtain employment in the field. Graduates from these programs are often surprised to learn that, although they went to an institutionally accredited school, they cannot practice the professions for which they purportedly trained. Some fields, mostly in the health care occupations, require program-specific accreditation. If a college offers a program that does not carry programmatic accreditation, then students often cannot find work because employers only hire graduates from accredited programs, or because State laws prohibit graduates from non-accredited programs from practicing their specialty. In spite of these serious consequences, for-profit schools that offer unaccredited programs seldom provide a meaningful warning to their students about this issue. As a result, many students first learn about their program’s accreditation after accumulating debt, attending school, and attempting to enter the workforce.

What Is Programmatic Accreditation?

There are two broad types of accreditation for institutions of higher education. The first type is institutional accreditation, which indicates that a membership organization approved by the Department of Education has conducted a peer review of the institution and certified that the college or university meets specified school-wide standards of quality. Institutional accreditation is critical for all colleges and universities because it is required for any school to be eligible to receive financial aid funds from the U.S. Department of Education. In contrast, rather than certifying an entire school or institution, programmatic accreditation certifies that a specific degree or certificate program meets standards expected within a particular field or profession. Different professions and different States place a different emphasis on programmatic accreditation.

For instance, here is a video (click the link below) who is considering a career in Radiologic Technology.

http://www.jrcert.org/students/what-is-accreditation/

Students Are Not Informed About Programmatic Accreditation:

Institutions that offer programs that lack programmatic accreditation are highly inconsistent in how they disclose this lack of programmatic accreditation. Some make a note on the programs’ Web pages, albeit rarely in a prominent location. Others post the disclosure deep in their Web sites or in the fine print within pages of enrollment agreements, while framing the disclosure in terms that prevent students from recognizing the gravity of this issue. Few people would enroll in a program if they knew they would be unable to use their degree or diploma to qualify for a job in their field after graduation. Unfortunately, the investigation has documented multiple examples of students who have been recruited into non-accredited programs under the mistaken belief that their investment of time and money would lead to a valuable credential and access to a job in the field.

Below is the link for the directory of Programmatic Accreditation:

http://www.chea.org/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=200&MenuKey=main

Here are more information for few on demand programs:

Nursing:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)

Marsal P. Stoll, Chief Executive Officer

3343 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 850

Atlanta, GA 30326

Phone: 404-975-5000

Fax: 404-975-5020

E-mail: info@acenursing.org

Web: www.acenursing.org

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, September 2011

CHEA-Recognized Scope of Accreditation

Accreditation of nursing education programs and schools, both postsecondary and higher degree, which offer either a certificate, diploma, or recognized professional degree (clinical doctorate, master's, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and practical nursing) in the United States, its territories and internationally, including those offered via distance education. (2011)

Physical Therapy:

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA-CAPTE)

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education

Sandra L. Wise, Senior Director of Accreditation

1111 North Fairfax Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

Phone: 703-706-3245

Fax: 703-706-3387

E-mail: sandrawise@apta.org

Web: www.capteonline.org

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, September 2012

CHEA-Recognized Scope of Accreditation

CAPTE accredits physical therapist professional education programs offered at the master’s and clinical doctoral degree levels by higher education institutions in the United States and internationally. CAPTE also accredits paraprofessional physical therapist assistant technical education programs offered at the associate degree level by higher education institutions in the United States only. (2012)

Radiology

Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)

Leslie Winter, Chief Executive Officer

20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2850

Chicago, IL 60606-3182

Phone: 312-704-5300

Fax: 312-704-5304

E-mail: mail@jrcert.org

Web: www.jrcert.org

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, April 2004

CHEA-Recognized Scope of Accreditation

The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) currently accredits educational programs in radiography, radiation therapy, magnetic resonance, and medical dosimetry that can be offered at the certificate, associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degree levels in both traditional and distance education settings. These programs are housed in institutionally accredited, degree granting institutions and hospitals/medical centers that only award certificates. The geographic boundaries of JRCERT accreditation activities are within the United States and its territories, commonwealths, and possessions. (2013)

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

Council on Education (COE)

Dr. Karen Brandt, Director of Education and Research

1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100

Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360

Phone: 847-925-8070

Fax: 847-285-5732

E-mail: kbrandt@avma.org

Web: www.avma.org

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, January 2012

CHEA-Recognized Scope of Accreditation

Schools and programs that offer the professional Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, or its equivalent, in the United States and Canada. The Council may also accredit foreign veterinary colleges. (2015)

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC)

Thomas Smalling, Executive Director

1248 Harwood Road

Bedford, TX 76021-4244

Phone: 817-283-2835

Fax: 817-354-8519

Email: tom@coarc.com

Web: www.coarc.com

Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, September 2012

CHEA-Recognized Scope of Accreditation

The CoARC accredits entry into professional practice programs in respiratory care at the Associate, Baccalaureate, and Master's Degree level in the United States. The CoARC also accredits polysomnography programs offered by professional respiratory care degree programs in the United States. (2015)

NURSES WITH FOREIGN DEGREE:

How can you become a Registered Nurse (RN) in USA?

Great news! Your education in your country is not a waste of time, in fact, USA values your education in your native country.  There is a two-step process for obtaining a registered nurse license here in the United States. Please make sure you understand that work permit is united states is a different process which is managed by USCIS https://www.uscis.gov/file-online . In this post, I explained how you can evaluate your foreign nursing degree and meet individual state requirement to become a registered nurse.

Step 1- Finding your state requirement

Find out first if your state, where you want to work as a registered nurse, requires your foreign degree to be evaluated by Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). Many states do require CGFNS evaluation and passing their test. If that is the case, send your foreign diploma to  Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) for evaluation of your education in your home country (e.g. India, Russia, China, Philippines etc.); As I mentioned, English language proficiency testing. You may need to take English Language proficiency exam and a predictor exam, an indicator of the nurse's ability to pass the U.S. national licensure exam (NCLEX). Here is their website: http://www.cgfns.org/

Things to look for:

When you are planning to apply for NCLEX exam you need look for three things. It varies from State to state. Depending on your situation, you may need to relocate. Here are three things:

Is Social Security number required or not?

Is English language proficiency required?

Is CGFNS evaluation of foreign diploma required or not?

I have researched and found a great website that can be helpful; here is the link: https://brilliantnurse.com/  This website has information in each state’ requirement which can be very resourceful.

Step 2 - Additional State Requirement

Step 2 is to find out your state requirement. Each state has different requirement that you need to fulfill in order to work in that particular state.  

E.g.  in New York State, you are required to complete NYSED approved infection control course work and child abuse reporting coursework, and pass the NCLEX - RN exam https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm . (Source: http://www.op.nysed.gov/ ).

California state has much stricter guidelines for international diploma holders. Even though Commission of Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) examination passing is not required for RN license, California nursing board require your official transcripts of bachelor of nursing degree evaluated by CGFNS (www.CGFNS.org). Candidate also need social security number to apply for eligibility. If the state has doubt on English proficiency, they might ask you to take TOEFL to test your English language proficiency. (http://www.ets.org/toefl ). When you receive a letter of eligibility, then you can take the NCLEX - RN exam https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm . (Source: http://www.op.nysed.gov/ ).

Which nursing school in Illinois should you attend?

Nursing in Illinois in in high demand. In 2011, There were 77, 530 Registered Nurses in Chicago - Joliet  - Naperville area in 2011, second highest in the nation where New York City topped the chart.  According to government data (source:; http://www.bls.gov/home.htm ),  out of Illinois’ 12 metropolitan areas, Chicago-Joliet-Naperville was the only area to have wages notably above the national average for both registered nurses and for licensed practical nurses. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville was the only metropolitan area in the state with significantly higher wages for registered nurses ($70,120 per year) compared to the U.S. average of $67,930.

Who is the regulatory body in Illinois State to govern Nursing Education?

Illinois state established Illinois Center for Nursing (ICN)http://nursing.illinois.gov/default.asp  in 2006 in order to  create more highly-skilled nursing professionals to meet the health care needs in Illinois. The ICN is located within the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Where Can I find all the nursing schools in Illinois which are approved by the state?

Answer is very simple. However many times I find students don’t know how to check if the school is approved by state or not, instead students rely on information from bogus source. Please click the link below which will take you to the list  Illinois State approved schools for Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Nurse (RN) and Advanced Practice Nurse(APN) program.

Many of my readers are trying to find more information on RN program. Remember, you can become a RN with an associate or a bachelor's degree. There are also online option to complete your degree. There are private as well as public (run by state government, usually low tuition but competitive enrollment) schools offering nursing programs. Below are all the links:

RN Associate Degree Program:

http://nursing.illinois.gov/education.asp#RNASSOC

RN Baccalaureate Program

http://nursing.illinois.gov/education.asp#RNBACC

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Nursing School/Program

http://nursing.illinois.gov/education.asp#LPN

Illinois Approved Nursing Education Programs On Probation

It is very important to know which schools are on probation. Last thing you want is to enroll into a school which is on probation by state. Schools goes on probation because unacceptable outcome of learning which is measured by annual NCLEX (https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm ) pass rate.

Here is the link to find out what schools are currently on probation in state of Illinois.:

http://nursing.illinois.gov/PDF/ILApprovedNursingProgramsOnProbation.pdf

Illinois Approved Nursing Education Program Pass Rates - Last 5 Years

http://nursing.illinois.gov/PDF/IlApNursingEdProgPassRates.PDF

Why NLN or CCNE accreditation is important?

It is important to understand that all nursing schools are accredited by CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, only accredits bachelor or master program in nursing). Otherwise you will have hard time finding your desired employment. E.g. Veteran Affairs (VA) is the largest employers of nurses in the nation, with more than 80,000 RN, LPN / LVN and nursing assistants. One of their requirement is that the nursing school must be state approved and CCNE accredited. Source: http://www.vacareers.va.gov/assets/common/print/Nursing_Brochure.pdf

Below is a link where you find the search by state option for CCNE accredited schools offer BSN or MSN programs:

http://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp

Here is link for CCNE Accreditation page:

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation

Comparison of Nursing School: Alaska

Alaska is a great opportunity for Registered Nurses. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov), there are 5780 registered nurses in the state of Alaska. RN is one of the highest numbers employed out of all other professionals in healthcare industry as a whole. Here is a comparison to understand the demand of RN compare to other popular professions in healthcare setting in Alaska; currently, there are 500 Physical Therapist, 480 pharmacist, 540 dental hygienist, 580 LPN, 640 Medical health and record technicians, 1750 nursing assistants and 1440 medical assistant compare to 5780 RNs. Undoubtedly, RN has more opportunities and growing exponentially with time.

RN in Alaska are also paid one of the highest in the nation, in fact, it is the fourth top paying state for RN in the nation. Current median hourly wage is $41.12 and annual mean wage is $85, 740. Below is the chart for top 5 states;

State	Employment per thousand jobs	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
California	16.75	$47.31	$98,400
Hawaii	17.39	$42.42	$88,230
Massachusetts	24.05	$41.23	$85,770
Alaska	17.79	$41.22	$85,740
Oregon	18.44	$39.87	$82,940

If you are planning to enroll to pursue RN program in Alaska it is critical for you to choose the right school, the school which is approved by board of nursing, accredited by ACEN, good passing rate in NCLEX and above all an affordable school. Here are few links for you to find the right school for you. However, if you need one on one advice, you can always write to me for help navigating these links which will direct you to the right school convenient to your location.

There are only two schools listed under nursing board, Alaska. University of Alaska Anchorage, school of nursing should be the number one choice since it has both board approved and accredited by ACEN. The other school Charter College only offers Associate degree in RN which is not widely desirable for employers, most of them looking for BSN. And also, they are not yet accredited by ACEN. Here is the link of ACEN page.

http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.asp

And here is the link for Alaska Board of Nursing page.

https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardofNursing/ApplicantInformation/Education.aspx

Instate tuition for University of Alaska Anchorage is $5494 for one academic year (2014-2015) compare to $19, 532 for Charter College.