Registered Nursing

Registered Nurses

The career of my choice is Registered Nursing (RNs). To obtain this career I have to have a high school diploma to enter medical school. There are many certificates available for this profession, but the one I choose is the Bachelor of Science degree. After graduation I will have to take a test to be officially licensed in the state of California. There is more than one way to become a nurse. There are two-year programs at community colleges and four-year programs at state schools.

Most of these programs require certain classes in order to enter the program (called pre-requisites), if you don't have them already, you'll have to take them first. A college counselor can help you plan your schedule.

High school students can get a jump-start on college by taking 2-4 years of: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, and Computer Science. The next step is medical school.

Community colleges are the least expensive way to go. Seventy percent of nurses educated in California graduate from community colleges. The tuition at community colleges is about $12 per unit.

Four-year schools are around $2,200 per year and the UC's are about $4,400 for tuition. The fact is, universities and larger colleges sometimes have the best programs that helps pay school tuition. Four-year degrees offer even greater opportunities in nursing than community college degrees. There's lots of money out there to help pay for tuition, housing, meals, books, etc.

Nursing was at first a man's job. Nice, middle class, respectable women weren't supposed to be involved in that type of profession; it was hard work and demanding. The women that were involved anyways earned a horrible reputation. They were harlots and most often if not drunk. The workplace was contaminated and had a very noticeable stench. In the era where cleanliness wasn't connected to health, you can often find patients lying in their own filth and blood for days. Women nurses were expected to merely sympathize with the patients, not actually take care of them. Thankfully we have made several advancements since.

Nowadays it is a given that the hospital maintains absolute cleanliness at all times. Nurses get to do more than just sympathize. They play a major role in every community and their presence is vitally important.

Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system. Caring for the sick is only one aspect of what a nurse does. Today's registered nurses (RNs) work to: promote health, prevent disease, help patients and their families cope with illness, emergencies and long-term disease, and save lives. Nurses relate to people of all backgrounds and cultures. They act as advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities and that's what I want to do for a living.

Registered nurses make a pretty respectable salary. New RNs make $30-$36 hourly. The salary ranges from $64,000 to $74,000 per year. With more experience and more education, the wages will