How to Start your Nursing Career
From CNA to RN, here’s how to become a nurse
So you’re thinking about becoming a nurse. That’s a smart career choice! The demand for nurses is expected to keep rising. Between 2006 and 2016, employment of registered nurses will rise by 25 percent; jobs for LPNs (licensed practical nurses) will increase by 13 percent; and the need for nursing aides will increase by 18 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurses make good money, too. On average, licensed practical nurses make $19.28 per hour, while registered nurses earn $31.31 an hour.
It’s not easy to become an RN, however. You’ll need a nursing degree, certification and years of experience. (If you work full-time, some online nursing degrees are available.) Here’s how to start your nursing career.
Step 1: Ask yourself if nursing is the right career for you.
What word describes all successful nurses? “Organized,” says Janeen Dahn, MSN, who is the Assistant Dean of Nursing at the University of Phoenix. “You have to be organized. Very task-oriented.”
Nurses need to be able to follow directions to the letter, Dahn says, while also having good critical thinking skills. Other important traits are empathy, attention to detail and self-motivation.
Step 2: Visualize what you want your nursing career to look like.
“Most people think of the nurse as the bedside nurse, and it’s so much more,” Dahn says. Nurses are educators, school nurses, office nurses, in-home nurses, traveling nurses… the list goes on. Would you rather work with infants or older people? Would you thrive in a fast-paced hospital or in a small doctor’s office?
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