You will also learn how to apply these theories to your daily work in nursing as you encounter different parts of the healthcare system. For an ADN degree, nursing school classes may include elements of clinical theory rather than having a separate class, while at the BSN level, this is more likely to be a separate class.
Clinical theory courses help you think more strategically about health and healthcare, and are particularly important for nurses preparing for roles in healthcare management and leadership or advanced practice nursing. During this course, you will apply both the skills and the theory you learned, under the guidance of a preceptor. These courses usually start with theory, move on to simulations, and end with you working with your own caseload.
Clinical study is a vital test of how ready you are to become a nurse, as well as a chance to learn hands-on about different healthcare settings and specialties. This makes it one of, if not the most important, of the classes required for nursing.
Gleason currently teaches as an assistant professor of nursing within a prelicensure nursing program and coaches graduate students. Her passion and area of research centers around coaching nurses and nursing students to build resilience and avoid burnout. Gleason is a paid member of our Healthcare Review Partner Network. Learn more about our review partners here. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us.
This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. Share this. Nursing Fundamentals This is one of the first classes you can expect to take in a nursing program, often required during your first semester.
Physiology Physiology is the study of the human body and how it functions. Introduction to Psychology Introductory psychology is typically a prerequisite course needed to enter nursing programs. Microbiology Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, any organism too small to see without a microscope, including viruses, bacteria, and certain types of fungi. Gerontology Gerontology is the studying of aging. Psychology and Mental Health While introductory classes on psychology cover all aspects of psychology, including organizational psychology, RN classes on psychology and mental health focus on providing mental healthcare.
Pharmacology Pharmacology is the study of medications. Leadership Management Leadership management is typically offered later in RN curriculum since it requires broader knowledge of the scope of nursing. Ethics in Nursing Ethics in nursing is a core class because of the many difficult ethical situations that nurses face, no matter where they practice. Community and Environmental Nursing Community and environmental nursing is a branch of public health.
Care Transitions Care transition programs teach students about the process of transferring patients from one health environment to another, changing treatments, or discharging patients.
Population Health Population health is sometimes offered as a capstone course to include a clinical intensive or synthesized experience within the public health industry. The test evaluates and measures proficiency in math, English, science, and reading. Accreditation is a sure-fire way to know if a program meets nationally recognized nursing education standards.
Secondly, earning a degree at one accredited school allows a student to pursue further education at other accredited schools. In addition to looking for accreditation, follow these tips for picking the right nursing school and program. While not all states mandate this, your employer may require it in order to maintain a specialty certification. Your pay as an RN depends on a number of things: where you live, what specialty you choose, and your experience, to name a new.
The average annual RN salary , according to the U. This average is based on national data, not school-specific information. The salary of an RN can vary greatly depending on their specialty, level of education and experience, additional certification, and workplace location.
That said, the U. Salaries are also dependent on where in the U. As the baby boomer population retires out of the workforce and the need for age-related healthcare increases, the demand for RNs is only going to grow. In fact, the U. The path to becoming a registered nurse takes a little time, but the journey is a rewarding one. While most employers prefer to hire those with BSNs, earning an ADN is a good way to get started in the nursing field with an education pathway that is generally quicker and less expensive.
Following graduation from an approved program, all U. Questions on the test cover topics such as basic care and comfort, prevention and detection of disease, coping and adaptation, and pharmacological therapies. You can find sample tests online or in books, you can or take an NCLEX prep course through various schools and companies. As of , there are 34 states that have enacted NLC legislation, and 13 more states who have legislation pending. The NLC is a particularly good option for RNs who think they may want to pursue a career in travel nursing within the U.
The National Academy of Medicine has convened an expert committee to study the future degree requirements for registered nurses. Many believe this will be required by Each nursing program will have its own set of unique requirements, however there are several prerequisites you can expect to have to fulfill.
Some schools will accept students with a GPA of 2. The tests are meant to rate your abilities in areas such as comprehension, communication, critical thinking, as well as your knowledge of the core subjects involved in the healthcare field. Each school will have its own SAT or ACT requirements, although current events have upended the usual test-taking protocol.
The nursing student learns early on that the golden rule of nursing is to "do no harm. Unlike prerequisite classes taken prior to nursing school this program requires clinical hours. These are state required hours accrued during the nursing program and must be fulfilled in order to sit for the licensing exam upon graduation called the NCLEX-RN. Often clinical hours are accrued at nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and hospitals. They require a lot of energy in attitude, intellect, and physical exertion.
The nursing student is required to maintain a pleasant, accommodating, and helpful attitude with even the worst bedside tasks and tolerate staff nurses who may be rude, demanding, and unwelcoming. Some staff nurses love nursing students, are kind to them, and embrace the opportunity to share knowledge. Sadly, others do not like the hassle of having to teach and choose to use students as free labor instead. Many facilities try to assign nursing students to those staff nurses who enjoy teaching, but sometimes the student has to tolerate a staff nurse who is having a bad day.
While staff nurses may only be assigned a nursing student for a short time the school provides a clinical instructor who supervises the students. This person is usually a great resource, enjoys teach nursing students, and will help protect the students from any negativity from the staff.
The student can learn an enormous amount from the clinical instructor. Plus, because they are employed by the school any student complaints are usually addressed promptly. Clinical hours may be both intellectually draining and stimulating at the same time.
Didactic coursework discusses topics in an abstract way, but clinical hours intertwine classroom materials with real life.
Learning about a disease process from the safety of a classroom and actually meeting a person and caring for this person who has the disease makes it "real". The compassionate side and the technical side come together and we learn how to care for the person as a whole, otherwise known as holistic health. Honing this skill is what makes a nursing student into a competent Registered Nurse. Physically clinicals can be exhausting.
Nursing students learn how to turn and move patients in bed, transfer them out of bed, and lift and move in ways one never thought possible. This, alone, can cause physical exertion, not to mention back injuries. The amount of walking, especially in big hospitals with long hallways, is often more exercise than the average human achieves in a day.
For fun, wear a pedometer and see just how many steps are accomplished. When the mentally challenging didactic portion of nursing school combines with the demands of clinical hours, the nursing student can find him or herself a bit overwhelmed, not to mention exhausted.
Especially if the demands of work, family, and friends are high which adds to the stress. Balancing work, family, and friends during nursing school can be especially difficult. Since quitting work isn't always an option and ditching friends and family is not a good idea, time management and prioritizing are the best methods to use to balance these responsibilities.
Time management during nursing school is accomplished by being prepared and ready to learn in each lecture and for clinical hours. If work and family and friends are time consuming during non-school hours, be sure to find time during the school day to study. During lunch breaks and even during lectures are good times to read textbooks, make index cards for memorization, and prepare for exams.
Time management is all about prioritizing important tasks. Work with your schedule to make time. Prioritizing important tasks and deprioritizing unnecessary tasks from one's life is a vital part of student life.
0コメント