Individual seeking a career in nursing may be quite confused about the prerequisites needed since there are quite a few programs in schools offering education. Furthermore, personal situations, such as already being a licensed practical nurse seeking to become a registered nurse will dictate a different course of study than someone who has no prior background in which is to explore the possibilities of becoming a nurse.

Entering The Field Of Nursing For The First Time
individuals seeking to become a nurse without any prior experience should understand that there are typically two types of nursing positions when examining prerequisites needed. Generally speaking, nurses are healthcare workers caring for families and individuals who can treat, monitor and promote well-being and good health. These medical professionals perform a vast array of different kinds of clinical and clinical duties in the delivery of healthcare services. The very first nurse was a historical figure – Florence Nightingale – who helped provide the future of nursing with its basis for theory and education. The prerequisite will be different depending upon the type of nurse an individual seeks to become. The very first type of nurse is called a License Practical Nurse. Nurses acquiring this level of professional employment display either the LPN or LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) initials after their name. The second type of nurse is known as a Registered Nurse with the initials after the name as RN.

Programs Leading to Licensure
Prerequisites will be dictated based on the type of nursing education individual seeks to obtain. Nursing education can include a variety of different programs that lead to obtaining a certificate, diploma, an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree or even a master or doctoral degree. In order to become an LPN, a student can you roll in a one-year program offered by many vocational or technical schools and even some community colleges. The typical requirement, or prerequisite, for gaining entry to these types of programs is that the applicant has obtain a high school diploma or GED. Typically, prerequisites for becoming a registered nurse included having a bit more than the LPN program and usually require applicants to have completed a first year of college or have obtained an associate’s degree. There are pre-nursing college courses required that would include such subjects as algebra, psychology, microbiology, and statistics along with a semester of chemistry, anatomy and physiology as well as course of the nutrition. One particular pathway is for a student to become an LPN and again a little bit of work experience before rolling in an P. into RN bridge program.

Prerequisites Will Differ
As can be seen, nursing prerequisites will differ for both LPNs as well as RNs. Unfortunately in today’s healthcare market many businesses have stopped hiring LPNs and will only hire Registered Nurses. But, those institutions that still do hire LPNs typically offer much lower salaries for doing practically the same work and in several areas you this could be well more than $10,000 per year. In other situations, LPNs received greater work assignment restrictions and registered nurses do, for example, patient assessment. In many situations, LPNs are restricted from becoming a charge nurse or may not be allowed to push intravenous medications.

Taking into account today’s healthcare market predilection for hiring only Registered Nurses may just dictate and individual’s choice of a career pathway to becoming a nurse. Also, there many programs that offer an education for becoming a Registered Nurse in the same amount of time as it does to become an Licensed Practical Nurse, and at the same cost.