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What is the right education needed to become an nurse??

What is the right career and or schooling path to become an nurse or an travel nurse?.
What is the proper guidance to become an nurse or an nurse practitioner?.

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Eva’s Answer

What is the right career and or schooling path to become an nurse or an travel nurse?
Obtain your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

What is the proper guidance to become an nurse or an nurse practitioner?
Get a couple of years of experience as a RN, then go back to school for your NP.
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Dr. Colette Forde’s Answer

You will need a BSN, regardless of whether you become a nurse or a travel nurse. You have options as to how to become a BSN prepared nurse and your initial choice may come down to whether you need to work while in school or not. If you already have a child/children and need to work to bring in income, then opting to get an Associate Degree in Nursing maybe a good first option. If you pass your state board exam in nursing (NCLEX), you will be able to apply for a position as an RN which will give you a higher salary, and possibly tuition reimbursement, which you can use to continue your education. With the nursing shortage, these opportunities are more plentiful but you should check your local job market first. Most Magnet hospitals will not employ new graduate nurses unless they have a BSN when joining the hospital. This is a slower path to getting your BSN but everyones life circumstances are different so while it is slower, it does not mean you cannot achieve your goals and dream job.
Once you graduate with your BSN, you will need to get well-rounded experience before you take on a travel nurse role. In this role, you will be expected to care for a full assignment of patients in a new setting where you do not know anyone, and effectively and safely care for these patients within about two days of arriving in the hospital. Your onboarding will be limited to one day with an educator and maybe one day shadowing a nurse in the unit where you will work. You will not get training as you are expected to arrive with all the skills you need to care for these patients, so both ethically and legally, you need to have the clinical experience behind you before you take on this role. It is a great way to grow your clinical experience while traveling the countryside and having fun along the way.

The choice to go straight into an NP program and graduate as an NP is very much a personal choice. Direct-entry nurse practitioner (NP) programs are for students with a non-nursing bachelor's degree who want to begin a career as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), faster than in a traditional program. You will be able to earn a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Nursing (MSN) by combining the two in an accelerated program. Some MSN programs bypass a BSN for an MSN alone. Students are generally still allowed to sit the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Once you pass this exam, you can apply for licensure in your state as an RN. Some hospitals will not employ nurses who do not have a BSN as their initial RN preparation, so once again, you will need to check the requirements of the hospitals near where you intend to practice. You should ask your school how much clinical time you will get in the program and if you decide mid-way through that you want to take a leave of absence to work as an RN, is this possible ? This would allow you to work and gain much more clinical experience before you graduate as an NP. While many students pass their exams and move from semester to semester, you must be able to apply what you have learned at the bedside in order to safely and effectively care for your patients.



Dr. Colette Forde recommends the following next steps:

Research the criteria for entry into a BSN program, both academic and financial. Then do the same homework for an NP program and a direct entry NP program
Research the prerequisites required for entry into all programs (time and money) ?
Research the job market for each type of graduating degree and the possibility of getting a position relatively easily with each credential
What are your options mid-way through the program ?
Try to connect with nurses and NPs in the field to get their perspective - this will add to your knowledge base and help you in making a decision
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Christopher’s Answer

Yes, Collette hit everything you need to go forward. I will speak from my experience. I have worked in health care as a nurse assistant for four years now and have loved it. I knew pretty much what I wanted to do, but getting there was a challenge due to personal issues. I graduated from college with a bs degree with intentions of going to nursing school so I had taken all of the prerequisites I needed to get into just about any nursing program around. I researched and came across an entry-level MSN route. Since I had exceeded my loans for my bachelor's degree, it made more sense for me to pursue my MSN. I knew my long-term goal was to eventually go back to school after working for a few years to get my DNP and Ph.D. I am single and have no immediate family to care for. As Collette stated this is only possible to know what you can juggle depending on your situation. I also recommend knowing your long-term goals. For me, it made more sense to begin at the MSN level rather than starting at the ASN or BSN level since I knew I would eventually become a DNP or Ph.D. recipient. Hope all the feedback answers have helped and provided you with some sort of assurance in a way.

Best of luck,
Christopher-Jerell
Thank you comment icon I am not sure if I understood the question. The right pass to become a nurse is to start with the RN, BSN degree, which comes from the certified nursing programs Nailya Muganlinskaya, ACNP-BC, DNP, MPH
Thank you comment icon You can start at those levels but for someone who has a bachelor's degree if they already know they want to go further than your typical ASN or BSN route pursuing an entry-level MSN program would be best. For me, it made more sense to pursue this route verses an ASN or BSN since I already held a bachelor's degree. Christopher Edwards, BSPH
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Craig’s Answer

I think Collette knocked it out of the park. Check out your states or what place you're applying too is looking for. That's the biggest one, big hospitals want that BSN then you pass the nclex to get your RN, skilled nursing facilities you can get away with an LPN or ADN
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