The word healthcare refers to a broad group of individuals who diagnose, treat, and work to prevent physical and mental impairments in humans. This easily encompasses typical and atypical illnesses, injuries, and a variety of diseases. Healthcare is delivered to a wide range of humans of all ages in the form of dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, chiropractic, and general medicine. How our healthcare is delivered to our society largely depends upon health care policies determined by specific jurisdictions and countries. For instance, in some countries market participants are allowed to set the precedence for healthcare policies, while in other countries this is left up to the government. However, no matter where you reside, healthcare is considered to be the primary factor that determines the wellbeing and general health of people as a whole.
Should you decide to pursue a career in nursing you will spend much of your time assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating an individual's care. Nurses work to help patients have optimal health, as well as the best quality of life possible. No matter which educational path you choose to become a nurse, you will be responsible for maintaining your earned credentials, standards, code of ethics, and completing an adequate number of continuing education hours. To become a nurse, one must earn the credential of either a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Registered Nurse (RN). A registered nurse is someone who has completed a two year undergraduate degree from a community college, technical college, or junior college.
These individuals possess the title of RN ADN. If an individual attends a four year nursing program from an accredited school, he or she will have earned the title RN BSN. Upon completion of either of these two programs, nursing candidates are required to earn a passing score on the licensing examination in order to obtain a valid nursing license. At this point in your career path, you would be able to determine which type of nursing setting would best fit your interests. For instance, some individuals will find that a hospital setting suits them better than an individual doctor's office. While you may not realize it, many registered nurses are employed by insurance companies, school districts, ambulatory surgery centers, attorneys, community health agencies, and government agencies. Currently, the nursing profession tends to be primarily female dominated.
There are a couple of different ways that you can obtain your nursing education and training. First, you can get a diploma in nursing from a hospital based program. This will last approximately three years and will involve core nursing courses at a local college and then intensive nursing courses. Obtaining an associate's degree in nursing is the most common form of educational path. This is designed to be a two year program for students. You could also decide to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing, which is a four year degree program that can prepare you for graduate level work in this field. If you decide to further your education beyond a registered nurse, it is possible for you to become a certified nurse midwife, a nurse practitioner, an advanced practice registered nurse, or a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Research any of the healthcare schools below to get started with your education.
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