As we’ve mentioned quite prolifically in our other articles, the current nursing shortage places our nation’s quality of health care at a significant risk. The risk is so substantial in fact, it increases the need for qualified nurses a hundred fold. If we may be so blunt, now is not the time to exercise sexist job roles. In other words, “Men, we need you.”

Men Make Up Just 5% of Our Nurses

Today, men make up just five percent of the nation’s nurses, which after considering nursing’s challenges – is rather surprising. Yes, nursing provides for extreme job security. However the job of nursing is rather an admittedly adventuristic one and a perfect paying opportunity for thrill seekers. From highly emotionally charged situations to the most challenging emergencies, there’s never a shortage of excitement in the field of nursing. And if you’re particularly daring, you might enjoy working as a military nurse.

The Field of Nursing is an Extremely Dynamic One

Then there’s the career path. In nursing, you’re never “stuck” in one position. There are multiple opportunities to advance into a higher paying, more challenging job. Men who are concerned about static routines can take comfort in knowing the field of nursing is an extremely dynamic one. The experience is as thrilling as you make it. And with a sufficient amount of education, you can migrate from a CNA position all the way to the nursing executive or nursing scientist job.

So let’s drop all the stereotypes that place the female as the only qualified nursing candidate. There really isn’t any part of nursing that’s exclusive to women or the way they operate. If a woman can administer medication, so can a man. If a woman can collect lab samples, so can a man. If a woman can work in a nursery and monitor the health of newborns, yes, so can a man.

Nursing is One of the Most Unrestrictive Careers

Whether your interest is in career advancement or direct patient care, nursing is capable of making that interest one of the most exciting interests you’ll ever have. In fact, nursing is one of the most unrestrictive careers available, especially when you consider the amount of math and science involved. Research shows males are generally attracted to these sciences more than females, yet for some reason, females dominate the nursing profession. Let’s work to change that.

Enroll into an online nursing program today and work within one of the most secure job opportunities we have today. You needn’t worry about feeling isolated since more and more men like you exercise increased interest in the field. Support systems are available. All that’s missing, is you!

RN and BSN Male Nurses Needed Too! is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

If things like broken, protruding bones make you queasy, you might think that nursing isn’t a career you’d like to be involved with. And despite hearing about our nation’s increasing nursing shortage, and maybe even thinking about contributing a solution, you might have considered the intricacies within the job of nursing and thought to yourself, “There’s no way I’m going to become a nurse.”

That’s actually a normal reaction once you seriously think about all the unusual diseases and injuries nurses have to face. There’s a way that you can still help the nursing crisis we’re facing however, and it doesn’t involve any interaction with patients at all.

Work in a Doctor’s Office or Clinic

In the doctor’s office or clinic, you can spare your yourself from some of the really graphic injuries and illnesses seen in the hospitals since the doctor’s office or clinic is a precursor to these conditions. In this environment, you won’t do much more than set appointments, collect specimens, take blood pressure and temperature, chart a patient’s weight and height, and prepare a patient for the doctor. Patients with conditions that are too extensive for the doctor’s office or clinic are referred to the nearest hospital.

Work in Alternative Health Care Environments

If you’re interested in spirituality, you can combine that curiosity with a nursing education and work in a holistic environment instead of the hard-core hospital. A lot of nursing candidates work within alternative health care environments and work as an acupuncture nurse, chiropractic nurse, massage nurse, and/or even a nutrition nurse. Because the current nursing shortage exists across the nation, its predicted recovery is expected to provide new job opportunities in these careers as well.

Work in the Insurance Industry

You can even find nursing employment in the insurance industry. Health insurance companies hire nurses to work on their behalf. In this position, you may have to visit and speak with patients, but you don’t have to participate in a patient’s physical care. Your job as a health insurance nurse would only require health discussion, information verification, and filling out forms.

Work on the Administrative Side of Nursing

As a manager, you can work on the administrative side of nursing which doesn’t involve any patient interaction at all. Called “nurse administrators,” these employees work in hospitals, clinics, and staffing companies. To work as a nurse administrator, you’ll need office and people skills and an MSN.

Work as a Nurse Educator

The role of the nurse is applicable to many jobs outside of the emergency room. These jobs still require a nursing degree, only they exist in schools. As an LPN, RPN, BSN, or MSN nurse, you can work as a nursing educator and teach the public about health risks, healthier lifestyles, and physical fitness basics. You can teach at churches, community groups, elementary schools, and senior homes.

At elementary, middle, and high school institutions, nurses provide basic health care, administer prescription medication, and arrange for transportation to emergency facilities if need be. They may also give lectures about the importance of health care, nutrition, and exercise. For the upper grades, nurses may teach reproduction and/or anti-drug and anti-alcohol classes. With a psychology degree, they may provide counseling and refer students to social workers for additional help.

There are a lot more opportunities to work outside of the emergency room. We haven’t listed them all here. Doing so would probably fill up our entire website! We just want you to get an idea of how you can help solve our nation’s current nursing shortage without “getting your hands dirty” so to speak. We really do need your help. Consider your options and see if you can’t merge your current interests with an online nursing program today.

Nursing Jobs Outside of the Emergency Room is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

Are you cut out to be a nurse? Read this article and find out. Although anyone can become a nurse, nursing isn’t for everyone. It requires some rather special characteristics across all nursing degrees and years of experience. See if you fit the bill.

Compassion and Sensitivity

Two of the most desired characteristics of the nurse is compassion and sensitivity . Doctors demand it and patients expect it. Compassion and sensitivity are so expected, it’s quite a shock to encounter a hard-core, rude nurse. If you’re naturally compassionate, sensitive, and empathetic with those around you, you’ve got this part covered.

Critical Thinking

The patient never really sees the quick, critical thinking behind the sensitive nurse, but it’s just as important. Working in the medical field demands that you know how to effectively communicate, make correct evaluations, and employ today’s technical skills. If you’re a good communicator and quick thinker, your chance of succeeding as a nurse has just doubled.

Collaboration and Team Work

There isn’t a single nurse that works alone. The recovery of a single patient requires group effort of an entire nursing team. Group efforts help reduce errors and they increase response times. If you enjoy working with others, you just might make an excellent nursing candidate.

Self-Care

As a nurse, you’ll not only need to take care of patients, you’ll additionally need to take care of yourself too! After all, what good can you be tired and/or stressed? A good nurse knows that self-preservation is a priority and she or he does everything necessary to ensure she or he is prepared for each day’s events. That includes eating right and getting plenty of rest and exercise. It also includes pacing activities to prevent burn-out. If you share the same beliefs, you’re closer to becoming the ideal nursing candidate than you might have first thought.

Values

Another much-needed characteristic of the ideal nursing candidate is a strong commitment to both industry and humane values. Many people don’t take their jobs seriously. They don’t value the human characteristic either. Nursing is one of those jobs that must not only be taken seriously since lives are at stake, it must also emphasize caring, compassion, and self-sacrifice. If you already adhere to these types of values, your foot is practically in the door.

Nursing Education

Because the field of nursing requires constant updating, it’s imperative that you’re open to learning new skills. We’ve seen tremendous changes in nursing over the last 10 – 20 years. What was acceptable in the past just isn’t applicable anymore. You’ve got to roll with the changes and roll well. If you enjoy learning about medical advances and you’re excited about working with new technology and equipment, nursing is an obvious choice for you.

Specific jobs within the nursing field of course, require additional characteristics. If you’re thinking about working in nursing administration for example, success will depend on an innate ability to effectively manage people. Success in teaching nursing will depend on an innate ability to educate others.

The idea behind this little exercise is to get you to seriously consider your ability to become a nurse. If you discover you lack proficiency in a certain area, you can take comfort in the fact that nursing schools give you the skills you need to gain that proficiency. Enroll in an online nursing program today and prove to yourself that you would have made an excellent nursing candidate all along.

The Ideal Nursing Candidate is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

Getting an online degree in nursing isn’t as difficult as you might first suspect. Our recent technological boom has changed the way we do almost everything today, and graduating from nursing college is not exempt. In fact, what was once only available outside of the neighborhood, out of town or out of state is now accessible from inside the home.

And what’s especially interesting about this phenomenon is that much of the traditional college experience has been captured into the online experience.

What you’ll discover in this innovative learning environment are opportunities to gain key nursing skills, traditional nursing preparation, and professional development and workplace abilities. Individuals who’ve already obtained a degree in nursing will appreciate how the Internet facilitates required bachelor courses, master courses, and doctorate courses.

Online Nursing School is Virtually the Same as Traditional Institutions

Outside of a physical location, there’s little that differentiates the online nursing school experience from the offline nursing school experience. Both environments adhere to the same admissions process, the same standards of education and the same course requirements and course development, so there’s no difference between the nursing degree achieved online and the nursing degree achieved offline.

All nursing students participate in a core curriculum that focuses on nursing methodology. And both communication skills and nursing technology are taught as well.

Online Nursing School is Becoming More and More Mainstream

Don’t make the mistake of thinking online nursing education is too new a concept or that it won’t be affective, respected, or even legitimate. More and more educational groups recognize the value of online learning institutions and they work with them to ensure offered programs meet today’s nursing requirements.

Online Nursing School is Affordable As Well

If you’re concerned about costs, rest assured that financial assistance programs are available to the online nursing student just as they’re available to the offline nursing student. Grants, Federal and state loans, military aid or Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits, and scholarships can help pay all or a significant portion of studies. Additional assistance is available for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Reserves, Air Force Reserves and National Guard members through DANTES tuition reimbursement. Click here for more information regarding appropriate financial aid channels.

Getting an Online Degree in Nursing is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

When you think about nursing, what comes to mind? Chances are what you picture now will radically change in the near future – making online nursing education more important than ever before.

What should we expect?

It’s important to understand that nursing in the future will encapsulate many of the exciting technological advances sweeping across all industries. The medical field is constantly pushing limits, and its development requires a workforce that’s educated with the latest tools and the knowledge of how to use them. In fact, predictions suggest that in as little as ten years, the field of nursing will hardly resemble what we’re used to seeing today.

More Computer-Run Operations

In short, we expect to see more computer-run operations. We make fairly good use of computers already, however in the future, we expect computers will monitor patients, maintain more data, and analyze situations more so than they already do now. And by “computers,” we mean desktops, laptops, netbooks, and PDAs. The use of real-time video and voice-activated technology will increase as well, enabling the nurse to visually and/or audibly monitor patients while physically interacting with a separate patient and his or her family.

Emphasis on Nursing Administrator and Supervisor Fields

In one respect, the role of the nurse may undergo a significant change as well. What was once a full, hands-on occupation could transform into a bedside educator and assessor of what’s required over someone who fulfills requirements. As a result, the nursing administrator and supervisor fields are expected to take significant precedence.

An Increase of Male Nurses

Another change we expect to see, is an increase in the number of male nurses. With technology infiltrating the profession, male employees are bound to accompany its entrance.

Nurse Entrepreneurship

Since technology opens the door to remote accessibility, we expect to see the new field of nurse entrepreneurship – a type of employment in which nurses secure jobs through contracts and directly work with families rather than through hospitals or clinics. This type of nurse may additionally contract with several different insurance companies or nurse cooperatives.

A bit more hands on than consultancy type work, the nursing entrepreneur could have a home lab that’s wirelessly connected to a home-bound patient’s implanted microchip. Such a contraption would allow nurses to exercise their profession from miles away!

Nursing in Unrelated Fields

If the above example of remote nursing is to manifest, we expect hospitals will care for the most ill or injured patients exclusively, ultimately freeing nurses for work in what may seemingly appear as unrelated fields: clinical design, medical law, software development, and health insurance.

None of these advances will manifest if we don’t attract or generate enough qualified nurses. Each idea behind nursing’s future requires a team of educated professionals – that is, professionals generated from the best nursing schools in the nation. If you want to help build nursing’s future and its ideals appeal to you, get started now. Enroll in an online nursing program today and get the skills you need to help build nursing’s tomorrow.

Nursing in the Near Future is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

Have you ever wondered what a hospital nurse faces during a typical workday? We’re going to spill the beans here in an effort to demonstrate what thrilling career choice nursing really is. Make no mistake, nursing isn’t easy. Anyone who’s been a hospital nurse will tell you without hesitation, nursing is hard! Ask the same why they continue to work as a nurse and you’ll get the same answer every time. Nursing is equally rewarding. Let’s take a look and see why.

The Nursing Work Shift

The typical hospital work day puts the nurse to work for twelve hours. Nurses can work these hours on a day shift or night shift with about 6 – 8 other nurses working the same hours. It’s an admittedly low staff number, but until the current nursing shortage ends, it’s considered the norm for now.

The Nurse Floor

Each patient floor is fitted with around 9 – 11 employees. 6 – 8 nurses take care of about 6 – 8 patients – an admittedly large ratio. But fortunately, nursing assistants pick up some of the extra tasks. Both nurses and nursing assistants answer to a head nurse or supervisor, who not only manages a floor, but additionally offers help when needed as well. Security and a respiratory therapist completes the round.

Nursing Tasks

At the start of each shift, each nurse reads his or her patient’s documentation generated from the nurse leaving the previous shift. This documentation records patient orders, lab reports, diagnostics test results, and changes in a patient’s mental or physical status.

Then the real work starts, in which the hospital nurse collects blood and urine samples, and monitors a patient’s heartbeat, motor signs, and temperature. Nurses issue medication, bed baths, grooming assistance, and help an appropriate amount of mild exercise (turning, sitting up, limb movement, or walking for example). The hospital nurse additionally makes beds and passes around water or ice. Other tasks include assisting patients with restroom activities, eating, and completing insurance forms if necessary.

The normal rounds of patient care occur every four hours unless there are problems. Problems are significant changes from anticipated outcomes which warrant doctor intervention).

At the end of each shift, each nurse adds new data to his or her patient’s documentation for the nurse entering the next shift.

Tension as Part of the Job

When family members visit, tensions can increase as family may overreact to a patient’s condition or medical procedure, or simply inundate staff with unnecessary questions. Another situation that could increase tension is the occasional error. Nurses are people and people make mistakes. No one is immune from errors which is just one reason why the job can be stressful.

Fortunately mistakes aren’t a regular part of the routine. With adequate education and training, every nurse has the opportunity to perform his or her job correctly and ensure the safety of each patient assigned. Enroll in an online nursing program today and step up to the challenge. After graduation, you’ll become part of the health care industry’s most respected teams.

A Hospital Nurse’s Work Day is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

Today’s nurses work in all types of fields and environments. No longer are they tied to hospital beds or children’s clinics. Today’s nurses work all over the career board, challenging the idea that nursing is a white-uniform job only. Here’s what we’ve discovered.

Travel Nurse

Travel nurses work in a variety of hospitals, clinics, and medical treatment centers throughout the nation. They secure work as a freelancer of sorts, getting assignments through an agency that works much like the temporary employment agency. In doing so, they work at their own pace in different locations. Many agencies attract traveling nurses with competitive salaries, free housing, and insurance and retirement plans.

Clinical Research Associate

As a Clinical Research Associate (CRA), you can work with clinical trial projects and manage procedures. CRAs gather data for academic medical centers, biotechnologists, government agencies, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Certified Legal Nurse Consultant

As a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC), you can consult with lawyers working on medical related legal cases. Lawyers excel in the law – not health related matters. That’s where you, a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, come in. In doing so, you can secure employment with government agencies, private corporations, and insurance companies. Job tasks include classifying care standards, preparing reports, research, and reviewing medical records.

Telecommuting Nurse

Telecommuting appeals to most everyone since it’s a dynamic opportunity to bounce from one job to another – often from the comfort of home. As a telecommuting nurse, you can perform data entry or medical transcription for health organizations, research centers, and technology companies. If you have a flair for writing, you’ll always find employment as a freelance medical writer.

Most of you may have accepted the traditional stereotype of nursing when in truth, nursing’s prevalence profoundly gives rise to new and exciting opportunities. The initial point of success in any path of nursing depends on a quality education. Get an online nursing degree today and help expand the current role of nursing. We look forward to seeing how far it reaches.

Unconventional Nursing Fields is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

After enrolling into nursing school and participating in a few clinical rounds, you might start to feel overwhelmed. That’s a normal reaction to a career as challenging as nursing. Here, we want to offer a few words of advice so you’ll stay in school and gain employment in one of the nation’s most rewarding careers.

Decompress from Nursing School to Family

Attending nursing school can be as stressful as working as a nurse. In fact, some of the activities in your nursing education require you to act as a nurse, and the more classes you take, the more activities you’ll have. Don’t make the mistake some beginning students make and project your stresses home to your family. Set aside some time to “decompress” and acknowledge the end of your school time and the beginning of family time. Some appropriate activities for decompression include meditating, listening to music, jogging, or writing in a journal. Anything that can switch your mind from student mode to family mode will work just fine.

Take Breaks from Your Nursing Eduction

Breaks are underrated in this country. We really don’t know why more people don’t exercise them. To remain motivated, you must take a break from your studies on the weekends and during regular school holidays. The benefits are plenty. Breaks give nursing students fresh perspectives and new reasons to return to their studies, for example. Another benefit behind the success of breaks is that they provide a sense of accomplishment. At the end of a long study session, specific lessons and skills are learned and gained. Breaks give the mind an opportunity to digest those lessons and skills.

Don’t Obsess About Nursing

Although you may be excited about becoming a nurse (and we certainly can’t criticize you for that!), you’ll do yourself a great disservice by making your entire life about nursing. No obsession, however helpful to others, is good for the mind or the body. The human brain craves variety and it enjoys a break from the routine. That’s why the body sleeps. And that’s why you must give your mind a chance to think about something else once in a while. Take up painting, exercising, or music. Take up anything that prevents your mind from obsessing with your nursing education.

Network with Other Nurses

Participate in a few of the student nursing associations we discuss. Remember that nursing is a team effort. When you find employment as a nurse in a hospital or clinic, you’ll work alongside and assist as many as 10 – 12 other nurses. You can’t nurse alone, so there’s no reason to assume you need to learn nursing alone either. Talk about some problems you might have and ask other students, teachers, and working nurses how they’ve solved similar dilemmas.

It’s impossible to predict how well you’ll do in nursing school, and specifying which problems you’re likely to experience are next to impossible. The important thing to know is there are helpful channels available. Take advantage of them!

Avoid Nursing School Burnout is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

When was the last time you worked as a nurse? 20 years ago? 10 years ago? If it has been that long, and you’re thinking about re-entering the field, get ready for a surprise. Nursing has significantly changed since then! The following describes a smidgeon of some of those changes – changes that all online LPN, RN, and BSN nursing programs prepare you for.

Computer Technology in Nursing

In the last 10 – 20 years ago, we’ve made an almost complete shift from paper-based recordkeeping to computer-based record keeping. No longer do nurses work with patient charts on paper, for example. They’re on the computer now. And no longer are lab tests ordered with a carbon set of papers. Tests are ordered on computer as well.

This shift isn’t exclusive to nursing, however. Almost every industry made this shift. Either that, or they’re in the process of making the shift now. This includes nursing school as well. In fact, much of the enrollment process is computer-based since a significant number of classes are taught right over the internet. Can you imagine?!

NCLEX Testing

When you first took your NCLEX, you more than likely took it over a period of two days (via two three-hour sessions every day) – with paper and pencil at that. Now, the test is issued over a computer as well, and it only takes one day to complete. It takes a shorter amount of time to get results too. In the past, you might have waited a whopping eight weeks for NCLEX results.

Nursing Working Hours

What about those nursing shifts? 10 – 20 years ago, you might have worked from 7 am to 3 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm or 11 pm to 7 am. Today, nursing shifts are more extensive (and intense) with some nurses working 12 hour shifts! Since much of today’s nursing shifts are the result of the severe nursing shortage we’re currently experiencing, they may return to what they were when you worked as a nurse once the field increases its workforce.

Nursing Dress Code

Do you remember your style of dress? As a prior generation nurse, you were probably told what colors were acceptable and you probably even had to get permission to wear anything other than an official uniform. Maintaining a clean and professional demeanor is still enforced within the nursing industry, however labor laws prevent hospitals from dictating the colors of clothing worn beneath appropriate cover.

Nursing Job Protocol

Of course no smoking is allowed anywhere inside or near a health facility’s premises, but you probably remember being able to smoke at a nursing station. And the use of gloves is an absolute requirement now. Before, gloves were pretty much prohibited across the board – except for surgery.

Yes, things have certainly changed and most people will agree they’ve changed for the better. The world of nursing is a fascinating world full of new and exciting learning and working opportunities. Make sure you skills are up to par and with the times. Enroll in an online nursing program and get today’s skills for today’s nurse!

Changes in Nursing Over the Last 10 – 20 Years is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online

Distance-learning is one of the most inexpensive methods of obtaining a quality nursing education. And through the application of so many new info-gadgets, it’s bound to become even more inexpensive. It’s additionally bound to become more effective, more convenient, and more immediate. This puts the nursing student in an advantageous position since traditional methods tend to decelerate the learning process. Let’s take a look at how you can profit from the benefits of online learning.

Participate In Pre-Enrollment Counseling

Pre-enrollment counseling is designed to prevent nursing students from dropping out. The process attempts to match student skills with courses that are appropriate and satisfying since statistics show nursing students can feel intimidated by remote relationships and the lack of a physical classroom experience.

Arrange a person-to-person or phone interview with your counselor so that you’ll fully understand course prerequisites, course fees, course descriptions, and residential requirements. Your counselor may want to review time management skills as well since the freedom of distance learning requires a diligent commitment to scheduling.

Access Online Materials and Nursing School Resources

One of the perks of distance-learning is instant access to nursing student orientation materials. Quite often in traditional settings, the most important information that students receive – that is, orientation information – gets lost among registration papers, book receipts, class assignments, and all the other paperwork collected over the course of just a few weeks.

Using the framework of an online institution however, nursing students can keep all pertinent information in one convenient location – remote from exposure to damage and opportunities for misplacement. So once you’ve become a registered nursing student, be sure to log in to your assigned URL and verify that all your orientation information is available.

You should see a list of courses, grades and transcripts, an assignment calendar, and space to upload or post completed work. You should also see a link or button that grants access to a discussion board. Use this board to talk with your advisor or nursing instructor.

To take full advantage of your online learning opportunity, you’ll additionally want to access the facility’s library. You’re a registered student of the institution so you have full rights and access to every nursing journal, periodical, and book available. Do not be shy about exploiting this tremendous resource.

Take Advantage of Study Centers

Although a Washington nursing student may take nursing courses in Missouri, California, or Florida, that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to meet other nursing students face-to-face. Local study centers make personal interaction possible while providing both instruction and counseling. You may meet other nursing students in a single room of some institution, or you may meet other students in a corporate training building. Regardless of its location, a study center will contain appropriate study equipment and supplies, a library, and computers for downloading programs. You’ll also have access to nursing tutorials and self-help groups.

Remain Committed to Your Nursing Program

When nursing students encounter personal, financial, or health problems that seemingly interfere with studies, their first reaction may be withdrawal when withdrawal can be avoided. This is what makes participation in your a study center so important. Every study center provides access to counseling and learner support systems that can help. A counselor may be able to postpone assignment until a later date for example. Or she may be able to point to financial aid resources for those who’ve lost a job.

Our nation needs you so don’t give up. Use these resources to remain committed. In just a short while, you’ll graduate and become the licensed registered nurse you’ve always dreamed of becoming. All it takes is your commitment. We’re here to help!

Benefiting from Nursing Distance Learning is a post from: My Nursing Degree Online