Nursing Careers, Online Nursing Schools, and Nursing Jobs
Why Study Nursing Online
The stars are aligned for nurses. Our profession is in demand. Job security is at an all-time high . . . government statistics show that this trend will not let up for at least another decade. Salaries are rising. Career opportunities are available in hundreds of nursing specialties from legal nurse consulting, to school nursing, to healthcare informatics, and beyond.
No Limits on Nursing Education
And nothing can hold us back, either. The Internet makes it possible for us to study from prestigious, fully accreted nursing schools across the country. In fact, out-of-state nursing students are encouraged to apply. You can study online, and attend your clinicals locally. You can study when and where you want, which enables you to balance work, family, and education more easily.
We've helped thousands-upon-thousands of nurses find the right continuing education programs, jobs and career advice. For example, did you know that in as few as 5 1/2 weeks you could start earning your RN to BSN degree and graduate in as few as 18 months, be awarded 45 credit hours for your RN experience, and attend a fully CCNE accredited nursing school with NO wait list? Find out more about just one of our online RN to BSN degree recommendations.
Nurses can enter into the profession in as little as a few months earning Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate, a year or so as Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), two years as an Registered Nurse (RN), two more years for RN's to earn a BSN.
Advancing your career takes education and training. While the academic aspects of our career can be earned 100% online, the clinical training can be satisfied locally, in our own communities.
As America's baby boomers retire, many of its nurses are retiring along with them, leaving a nursing shortage that is growing to critical proportions. The demand for trained and educated nurses will create over a million new jobs in the next decade, and is already lifting nursing wages. Studying nursing online allows you to improve your career and salary with flexible hours that work around your current schedule.
Each school offers unique programs and exclusive financial aid opportunities. We recommend requesting information from at least 2 schools so you can compare and contrast their programs.
Explore Degree Levels
Degrees come in a few different forms: one-year or
certificate or continuing education, two-year
associates of science degree (ASN) in Nursing, four-year
Bachelors of SCience in Nursing (BSN), post-graduate (
Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN)), and
Ph.D. in Nursing. A one-year degree or a diploma typically prepares students to take their Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) exam. Graduates of a two-year degree and upwards may qualify to take the Registered Nurse (RN) licensure exam. If you are motivated, nurses that study in a post-graduate degree are also called Advanced Practice Nurses.
Nursing Programs and Program Accreditation
When it comes time to apply to nursing program there are still more granular options.
- Community colleges are very popular for nurses earning their Associates degree. These programs are available regionally and offer very affordable, practical curriculums. Decide at a later date you want your BSN and jump right into an Associates-to-BSN degree program available through many nursing programs.
- Four-year programs divide teaching models fairly evenly between classroom theory and hands-on clinical work. BSN degrees offer the widest array of career options when it comes to nursing specialties.
- For nurses that aspire to advanced practice degrees, a university environment is likely where most programs are clustered. Nurses at the PhD level are most likely tracked for educator and research positions.
Nursing Specialties
Unlike most professions, nursing has specializations for almost every interet you can think of. Combining your passion for helping others with another professional interest not only makes it exciting for you, but can help your career. There are many officially recognized nuring specialities. We have listings, job numbers, medium salary expectations, association listings for more than 100 differet nursing specialities.
- Ambulatory Care Nurse
- Camp Nursing
- Cardiac Care Nursing
- Case Management
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Community Health Nursing
- Correctional NursingCorrectional facility nurses provide health care to inmates of prisons, juvenile homes, jails, and penitentiaries. They deal with both acute and chronic health conditions in their patients.
- Critical Care NursingCritical care nurses are responsible for patients of all ages with acute or critical conditions. They use state-of-the-art medical equipment to make complex assessments and perform high intensity interventions. They also attend to the emotional well being of patients and families.
- Dermatology Nursing
- Developmental Disabilities Nursing
- Diabetes Management NursingDiabetes management nurses provide care to individuals who have complications arising from diabetes. These nurses have special knowledge of the endocrine system, which involves pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, pineal body, reproductive, and hypothalamus glands. They also provide care to patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Emergency Room NursingEmergency nurses provide care to patients in a critical phase of a trauma or illness. While they may typically work in hospital emergency rooms, they are not limited to this environment. Emergency nurses are responsible for recognizing life-threatening situations and arrangement for the necessary care.
- Flight NursingFlight nurses are registered nurses who are skilled in intensive care, emergency care, and critical care. They face a wide range of emergencies under various conditions. Flight nurses may work on emergency teams providing care to patients in remote areas and airlifting them to health care facilities.
- Forensic NursingForensic nurses help law enforcement with investigations of sexual assault, accidental death, abuse, and physical assault. They also provide care to the victims of such crimes.
- Genetics NursingGenetics nurses care for individuals with genetic conditions and diseases. They also counsel patients and work with screening, identification of risk, and the treatment of such diseases.
- Geriatric NursingGeriatric nurses, also called gerontological nurses, care for older adult patients. They may work in a hospital setting or in a long-term care facility.
- Gynecology / Obstetrics OBGYN NursingGynecology/obstetrics nurses provide care to women relating to their reproductive health throughout their lives.
- Hematology NursingHematology nurses care for individuals with blood disorders like hemophilia, sickle-cell anemia, leukemia, and other diseases of the blood.
- HIV/AIDS NursingHIV/AIDS nurses work to educate people about preventing the spread of HIV and helping sufferers of the disease handle the physical, social, and psychological issues associated with it.
- Holistic NursingHolistic nurses take a multifaceted approach to caring for their patients' health and focus on treating the whole person rather than just the disease or condition.
- Home Health Care Nursing
- Hospice or Palliative Nursing
- How to Find the Best Nursing Jobs
- Infection Control NursingInfection control nurses find and control infections that may occur in communities or hospitals. They gather information and implement infection control and prevention measures.
- Infusion NursingInfusion nurses care for patients via administering medication, blood products, and other fluids by maintaining arterial catheters or injecting needles into patient veins.
Many nurses make their choice of specialization based on the patient population. Your nursing program covers a wide sample of the various types of patients any nurse would come into contact with under normal circumstances. Patients may include:
- Neonatal
- Pediatrics
- Adolescents
- Adults
- Geriatric
Particular nursing specialties may focus more precisely on the care needs of disparate communities or groups, such as women, veterans, and cultural and ethnic populations.
If you know you’ve always wanted to work with cancer patients or in women’s health you will likely be innately drawn to a specialty this way. An example of types of medical conditions/diseases/disorders include:
- Oncology/Cancer
- Orthopedic
- Neuroscience
- Gastrointestinal
- Ob-Gyn
- Labor and Delivery
- Cardiac
- Respiratory
- Pain
Update Skills and Renew Your Nursing Career
Burnout and stress accumulate in any job, but nurses are typically prone to both. Morale-building and innovative staffing solutions are the realm of nurse managers and leaders whose jobs demand they attune themselves to their nurses’ needs. Most nurses turn to their professional associations where more grassroots work is carried out as far as nursing policy and professional development. Specialists may network, pick up continuing education resources, and stay current with the latest techniques applicable to their nursing skills. All RNs are urged to earn certifications that indicate their level of expertise.
Credentials earned based on industry experience and skills tests, help professional nurses negotiate bigger salaries, win more job responsibility, and make logical leaps to closely related specialties. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that RN jobs are one of the top growth industries in the next decade. Explore your chances for a nursing career.
Nursing Jobs by Salary
We're adding new ways to improve your job search. Not only can you find more nursing jobs from the Internet's largest job board, you can also find nursing jobs by salary. For instance, you can nursing jobs within the following salary ranges:
Nursing Schools by State