Posts Tagged ‘Nursing’

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January 3rd, 2012  Posted at   Career Advice
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In general, the highest paying nursing jobs will belong to those who have chosen to specialize in a particular type of nursing and will often require education in addition to the usual Bachelor Degree in nursing which is required for an RN.

The top paying nursing jobs are those of the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, the Nurse Researcher, the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and the Certified Nurse Midwife. The CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) pays on average $135,000 a year. However, there are rigorous training requirements including an RN degree from a four-year school, a year in acute care setting experience and then the program itself, which can last from 2 to 3 years.

The lowest paid of the highest paying nursing jobs is that of a certified nurse midwife, which on average pays around $86,000 a year. Entry into this demanding program requires the applicant to hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from an accredited school. The nurse midwifery program will award the successful graduate with a Master of Science in Nursing and after passing a state exam, they are qualified to practice as midwives.

The nursing situation is tight in the US as well as all over the globe. That means that sometimes hospitals or other facilities may end up short staffed for greater or shorter periods. This brings in the possibility of working as a travel nurse.

The highest paying travel nursing jobs are much like regular nursing jobs and the highest pays go to the nurse who specializes. Critical care nurses are in high demand among travel nursing companies. Nurses often work through a travel nursing service. In order to command the highest salaries it may be necessary for a nurse to sign up with several companies. In demand, nursing specialties may also negotiate salaries, and benefits with the nursing service.

It is an inescapable conclusion that even in the high demand field of nursing, the more education and specialization, the higher paid the position usually is. Not all specializations will necessarily require a commitment to a Master Nursing Degree program, an RN with 1750 hours of acute or critical bedside care experience and a current license may be eligible to take the Critical Care RN examination, which can give the nurse a higher salary potential and put them in demand as travel nurses.

Many nurses will begin with an associate degree in Nursing, which is 2 years, but for the highest paying nursing jobs a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and some certification and advanced education will be required. (more…)

December 25th, 2011  Posted at   Careers Employment
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There are three types of nursing if you are considering nursing as a career in Canada:

  • Licensed Practical Nurse, LPN
  • Registered Nurse, RN
  • Registered Psychiatric Nurse, RPN

In Canada all nursing professions are regulated in the public interest and you must pass a licensing exam to become registered in order to practice nursing as a career.

Nursing education for each of these types of nursing has common curricular components and some specialty components. However, the length of nursing education varies and each category has a defined scope of practice.

Licensed Practical Nurse

The Licensed Practical Nurse has 1-2 years of education in a community college or private post-secondary training institute.  They have a limited nursing scope of practice that is completely contained within the scope of practice of a registered nurse and cannot work with clients who are complex or require multiple interventions.

In Ontario and some other provinces they are called a Registered Practical Nurse and this is abbreviated as RPN. This can be confusing because a registered psychiatric nurse is also abbreviated as RPN in the western provinces. In many provinces LPN’s were not fully utilized for many years and the numbers of nurses practicing as a licensed practical nurse declined dramatically. Because of the pressures exerted by fiscal restraint and by the nursing shortage which is quite acute, the licensed practical nurse is now in demand again in provinces where they can legally practice.

Registered Psychiatric Nursing

Schools that prepare nurses to enter psychiatric nursing are limited to the four western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. There are over 5,000 Registered Psychiatric Nurses registered with the 4 regulatory authorities in these provinces.

Registered Psychiatric Nursing is not recognized as a separate type of nursing in the eastern provinces so that might be why they call practical nurses RPN’s (Registered Practical Nurses). This term cannot be used in the western provinces because it already used for psychiatric nurses.

The association of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Canada recommends that the minimum requirement for initial registrants for entry to practice into the profession of psychiatric nursing should be a baccalaureate degree by the year 2012.

On the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Canada website there are 7 education programs listed for psychiatric nursing in all of Canada. There is no legally recognized classification of Psychiatric Technician in Canada. You may see this as a one of the different types of nursing in other countries such as the United States but it is not a recognized type of nursing in Canada. (more…)

November 27th, 2011  Posted at   Nursing
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If you are working towards getting your qualifications in the field of Nursing, then you may want to consider working towards getting a Registered Nurse (RN) certification. This certification will definitely increase your chances of improving your career and for helping you to get a good salary.

Registered Nurses are often general duty nurses who focus on providing the overall care for their patients. They usually administer medicines under the supervision of doctors. They also keep records of the medicines administered, the symptoms of the patient and of the progress made by the patient. Registered Nurses are also involved in promoting good health and preventing illness. Apart from treating patients, they are involved in educating the public about the different illnesses and how to prevent these illnesses. They also help rehabilitate patients, and provide advice and emotional support to the family members of the patient.

Depending on numerous factors, RNs can also specialize across a number of areas within their occupation. Registered Nurses can specialize in a a particular type of work setting treatment (like psychiatric nurses who work in psychiatric hospitals, and intensive care nurses who work in intensive care units). Registered Nurses can also specialize in the care and treatment of a specific disease (like cancer care nurses specialize in the care of cancer patients). As a Registered Nurse, you can also specialize in the care of a particular body part or system (like respiratory nurses care for asthma patients). You can also specialize in the care of a particular group of patients (like school nurses care for children and adolescents in schools). Registered Nurses can also combine their specialization subjects (for example, nurses who care for the elderly patients who suffer from cardiac disease, or nurses who care for children who suffer from cancer).

In order to work as a Registered Nurse, you will have to start with a 2 year Associates Degree in Nursing, or go for a three year Diploma course. You can also make a right start in the field of nursing by getting a Bachelors Degree in Nursing which usually takes about 4 – 5 years to complete. After qualifying from these exams, you will have to appear for a national certification exam which is administered by each state. This will give you a Registered Nurse certification. (more…)

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