How To Become A Registered Nurse

Beyond possessing the nurturing gene, having the ability to work long hours, being incredibly patient and stomaching some pretty graphic images, becoming a registered nurse has some other requirements. With the ever expanding demand for this occupation, one may ask themselves, “How do I become a registered nurse?”

Initially, registered nurses were only expected to complete a nursing program in order to begin working professionally. However presently, the requirements for becoming a registered nurse have increased. There are a couple of different options on the education path to become a registered nurse. One may get their associates degree after completing two years of school, followed by a nursing program in which they receive their hospital diploma. More commonly, many are completing a four year program to obtain their bachelor's degree in nursing, followed by a nursing program as above.
 
To officially receive the title of a registered nurse, every candidate must complete the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the comprehensive nursing exam. The NCLEX covers four major aspects of the nursing career:

1. Safe, effective care environment
2. Health promotion and maintenance
3. Psychosocial integrity
4. Physiological integrity

The NCLEX is a five hour exam and costs about two hundred dollars to participate. However without successfully completing this exam, you cannot become a registered nurse.

Overall, it takes anywhere from five to seven years to become a registered nurse. If you receive your Associate’s degree and then your hospital diploma, you would be on the lower end of that scale. If you opt to get your bachelor's degree in nursing, then the latter applies.

There are three major employment settings for registered nurses:

1. Hospitals
2. Nursing homes
3. Extended care facilities

Of these settings, hospitals are where most registered nurses are currently being placed.
With registered nurses in high demand, this is a prime field to enter in today’s economy. Registered nurses make up the largest health care occupation, filling about 2.4 million jobs. Registered nurses are projected to create the second largest number of new jobs.

Another perk of being a registered nurse is the compensation. The average registered nurse's salary is $52,330. The range of salary is from $37,000 being the lowest to $74,000 being the highest. Considering the average salary of a newspaper reporter is $30,000, this is quite a difference in compensation. Besides salary alone, registered nurses also receive flexible hours, child care options and amazing benefits.

If any of these aforementioned benefits interests you, you may be an ideal candidate to be a registered nurse. With about five years of education and the passing of an exam, you could be on your way to an occupation that is not only rewarding but sure to continue growing with time.




Nursing World. 4 October 2006. American Nurses Association. 4 October 2006.

Registered Nurses. 4 August 2006. US Department of Labor. 4 October 2006. www.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm