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Nursing Career Highlights
What is a Nurse?
Nurses treat patients and educate the public about medical conditions. They provide advice and emotional support to both the patients and the patients’ family members.
What do people in nursing do?
Other responsibilities in nursing include:
- Taking medical histories
- Analyzing test results
- Recording symptoms
- Helping doctors perform diagnostic tests
- Analyzing test results
- Aiding in follow-up
- Oversee rehabilitation visits
Nurses may also participate in planning general health screenings, immunization clinics, blood drives and public seminars on various conditions. They promote general health by working to educate the public on warning signs and symptoms of various diseases and telling them how and where to get help. All nursing students are required to graduate from an approved nursing program and pass a national licensing examination, the NCLEX-RN, before they are allowed to get a nursing license. Three major educational paths to nursing include a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an associate degree in nursing or simply a diploma.
Course work in the Licensed Practical Nursing program includes programs such as anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biology, chemistry, obstetrics, pediatrics and first aid.
Nursing Salary Range
$53,600 - Annual Nursing Degree Salary
$29,300 - Average U.S. Salary
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2005)
Nursing Job Outlook
Job opportunities for nursing are projected to be excellent. Employment for nurses is expected to grow much faster than average over the next eight years. Nurses are presumed to create the second largest number of new jobs in the U.S., and currently, nursing is likely to grow approximately 27%.
A job in nursing can result in a salary anywhere from $35,200 to $72,030 per year. Many employers offer flexible work schedules, child care services, educational benefits and even bonuses.