Nursing Courses

Nursing courses are general or specialized and they cover a range of possible specializations. Regardless of whether nursing courses are tailored for critical care, public health or infection control they all share one thing in common, their aim is to train men and women in the care of individuals and their families and by extension the community. As such nursing is rarely, if ever, taught in a distance situation, and hands on during a nursing course means hands on. Before a nurse completes a nursing course he or she will have had many opportunities to practice the art of physical and mental or emotional patient care. Most countries offer nursing courses that can be relevant to general nursing or to specialized areas including mental health nursing, paediatric nursing and post-operative nursing. Courses leading to autonomous registration as a nurse typically last four years and nursing courses are increasingly available for those who choose to become nurse practitioners.

Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a legal title for a nurse who has completed advanced education and training in a specific area. Before a nurse can become a nurse practitioner he or she must (in most countries) obtain a masters degree in nursing including or plus, some very specific papers related to diagnosis and prescribing. These additional nursing courses are essential because in many instances which demand the services of a nurse practitioner, he or she will provide front line general practitioner services. Nursing courses can be undertaken at a number of different levels. Degrees granted in nursing include:

• Diploma in Nursing
• Associate of Science in Nursing
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Master of Science in Nursing
• Doctor of Nursing Practice

Most nursing courses have a number of prerequisites which must be achieved before a person will be accepted to the school. These prerequisites often include math, English, and other basic level courses in biology, anatomy and physiology. Core nursing course classes include anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. A strong emphasis is usually placed on procedural education such as insertion of intravenous and urinary catheters, sterile dressing changes, and proper administration of medications, physical examinations and bedside manner.

Like doctors, nurses then undergo a nursing rotation in order to sample and acquire nursing skills in a range of nursing practices including but not limited to obstetrics, mental Health, medical, surgical, critical care, oncology and paediatrics. Many nursing courses provide accelerated degrees in nursing which are variations of second degree bachelor of nursing and the accelerated bachelor of nursing. Accelerated nursing courses allow students to complete the undergraduate nursing program course requirements more quickly than students enrolled in a traditional nursing course. An accelerated nursing course usually takes twelve months to complete although some programs may run for 16 to 20 months.

According to the Department of Labor Statistics in the United States, “Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will be driven by technological advances in patient care, which permit a greater number of health problems to be treated, and by an increasing emphasis on preventive care. In addition, the number of older people, who are much more likely than younger people to need nursing care, is projected to grow rapidly.”

So the options for those undertaking nursing courses, or considering a career in nursing, are great. The pay is good and nursing jobs are expected to increase significantly over the next ten years. For students who aren’t sure of a career path or for those who are nurses considering up-skilling, all the signs suggest that a nursing course is a good investment of time and money – and it’s interesting.