Even in times of high unemployment, there always seems to be a shortage of trained nurses. If you are an organized person with the ability to pay attention to detail and follow procedures, and like helping people, nursing is a good career with many different levels and opportunities.

Nursing is a professional practice, with state licensing or certification for all levels. At the entry level is the Certified Nurse Assistant, or CNA. CNAs must have at least a high school education or equivalency and take 150 hours of instruction, and pass a state certification test, which includes both a practical written exam and a background check in most states. CNAs always work under supervision of a licensed nurse. The largest demand for CNAs is in long-term and elder care, with a focus on patient comfort and assistance. A CNA is the eyes and ears of the licensed nurse to monitor more patients. CNAs train in vocational programs through private schools, community colleges, or large hospitals.

At the next level are Licensed Practical Nurses/Licensed Vocational Nurses (the name depends on the state).. LPN/LVNs usually attend a two-year community college program, though requirements vary by state, from as little as nine months for hospital programs to three years for specialized training. LPN/LVNs work under the supervision of registered nurses or doctors in hospitals and clinics, may work without supervision in home health care or schools, and may have charge responsibilities and supervise CNAs in long-term care facilities. LPN/LVNs are licensed state by state.

The mainstay career path for nurses is the Registered Nurse (RN). A Registered Nurse is also licensed by the state, but to federally-mandated standards, .so an RN can usually transfer licensing to another state without re-examination. Older Registered Nurses may have studied at a three-year hospital school, with some college courses, but almost all RN training is now conducted in two-year and four-year colleges. The trend is toward requiring a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree for an RN position. Some two-year RN licenses are provisional, requiring the RN to complete a BSN within a few years. An RN may work with physicians in clinical and hospital settings and often supervises LPNs and CNAs.

The career path for an RN is almost unlimited. Although many Registered Nurses continue to provide direct patient care throughout their careers, an RN can earn Master’s or Doctorate degrees in Nursing and move into management or teaching. An RN can also take additional technical training and become certified in a specialty, such as Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

Nurses are also in demand in medical-related fields outside of direct patient care. Nurses work as programmers and systems analysts in biomedical equipment companies and as analysts and claims adjudicators in health insurance companies, to name a few. Although no longer the primary technical career path for women as it was before the social revolutions of the 1960s, women still make up the majority of the nursing workforce, but many more men are also finding nursing to be a rewarding career path.

Author Bio: If you’re looking for information about CNA Certification & Training, we have more great tools and resources on our website http://www.yourcnatrainingguide.com

Category: Career
Keywords: career path,registered nurses,trained nurses,good career