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If you are thinking about a career in nursing, here are some of the questions you might want answered. What is involved in studying online nursing? What jobs are there for nurses? What are the education requirements, and how much can you expect to earn after completion? These and other questions are tackled below.

As anybody who has been in hospital knows, nurses are the first point of contact as regards treatment and diagnostic tests, and as such, they are incredibly important in the health care profession. They are the human face of so much health care – providing direct patient care.

An online Nursing Program usually includes courses in anatomy, biological sciences, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, physiology, psychology, pharmacology, sociology, statistics, occupational health, and the liberal arts. Programs may also include supervised clinical experience in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Nurses are found in so many settings, including: Hospitals – usually assigned to one department; Schools ” caring for children and staff; Clinics/Centers/Healthcare Offices – caring for outpatients; Nursing Homes – caring for residents; Home Care/Hospice – providing nursing services to patients at home; Prevention/Education Programs. So there is plenty of choice in Nursing jobs.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that employment of registered nurses is expected to grow over 20% up to 2016. Rapid growth is expected to occur in particular in the number of nurses required for hospital outpatient facilities due to technological advances in patient care, the growing trend in discharging patients earlier and performing more procedures as outpatients. Hospital jobs for nurses will not grow as rapidly ” but will grow. The aging population of the country will also lead to the need for more nurses.

What are the education requirements for nursing? Nurses most commonly enter the occupation by completing an Associate or Bachelor’s degree program. Individuals must then complete a national licensing examination. Licensed graduates of these programs then qualify for entry-level nursing positions. To be a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States, you must pass the relevant National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) or the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE) in Canada. This exam tests that you have the knowledge and problem solving skills needed to provide adequate health care to patients and is needed in order to work in any health care facility. The NCLEX-RN is taken by both Associate Degree (ADN) and Bachelors Degree (BSN) prepared nurses and the pass rates are about the same for both ADN and BSN prepared nurses. Make sure that your chosen program prepares you for the NCLEX Nurse Registration exam. There are basically three types of program you can take depending on your qualifications and the time you want to spend.

Many existing licensed registered nurses (RNs) with an Associate degree or diploma take online nursing programs at Bachelor’s level. There are several advantages to getting your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree if you have the time and money to do it. The BSN will give you a solid foundation in the theory behind nursing and in how nursing practice fits into the overall environment of health care. Many of the best nursing jobs – specialties like Nurse Practitioner, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), Nurse Administrator, and so on – require a BSN degree or even a Masters degree as well. And you can usually earn a higher salary with a BSN.

Your salary will obviously depend on which role you pursue, your qualifications and experience. The median expected salary for a typical Staff Nurse is over $61,000 (Salary.com).

For more details about the nursing profession and online nursing programs. visit the Online and Distance Learning.com web site, where you can find out more about other online and distance learning programs. Sophia Peters regularly regularly writes for for Online and Distance Learning.com.