There is a general feeling that nursing as a profession needs more of hands-on experience than pure academic knowledge. There is a reason or two there. We are known to laud the role of nurses who have excellent practical abilities and management supervision skills.

But apart from the too-obvious hospital care jobs, nurses have definitive roles to play in many other healthcare functions, and even in stellar roles in healthcare industry. It needs no telling that higher education in nursing is imperative for nurses to work in senior positions, many of which are suitable for none else than nurses themselves.

In practice however, there is lukewarm response among nursing students to pursue higher degrees, perhaps for reasons of convenience and cost. For example, though numbers of nurses having a BSN degree has increased during the last four decades, yet only about 44% of 2.7 million nurses currently hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Given the advent of advanced medical treatment and progressively longer lifespan of people, there is no denying that the nursing practice is set to undergo many changes in sync with technology and need. Keeping this in perspective, in October 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) agreed in a resolution to support the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) as a terminal practice degree. The DNP will be different from the PhD in that while the PhD has wider acceptance as being research-focused to supplant the master’s degree, the DNP is proposed to be for those nurses who want an advanced practice role, such as nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. However, perhaps very few schools like University of Kentucky have embarked on this new educational path to offer the DNP degree.

A brief round-up of various advanced nursing degrees is provided below:

1. RN to BSN If you commenced your career in nursing with an associate degree or a diploma, you may consider attaining your bachelor’s degree. Many advanced nursing positions today are increasingly looking for a minimum of bachelor’s degree. The good news is that a number of distance learning courses has made this a viable option for quite a few of you who are working professionals. Besides, there are flexible programs in addition to distance learning that can be suitably timed around your work schedule. In some cases, universities are known to consider your work experience toward academic credit, which means your cost and time to complete your degree reduce substantially.

2. RN to MSN and beyond Positions in higher management, clinical positions and educational institutes require a master’s degree. When you pursue a master’s degree, you typically learn to focus on management and / or clinical specialties and if you so choose, you may prepare to teach nursing courses upon completion. Nursing educators are much sought-after in US, so teaching can very well enhance your career to help shape the future of nursing.

3. Nurses as “doctors” As discussed above, the top echelon in advanced nursing degrees belongs to PhD and now the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP). In recent years, more nurses are proceeding to go for a doctorate degree in nursing, and accordingly, many institutions too are expanding their basket of course offerings to appeal to more students and also to meet this growing demand. In fact, about a dozen institutes have added a DNP program in their curriculum, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and more plan to start in near future. A doctorate degree in nursing is helpful to teach at university level, conduct research, and even work in clinical settings or hospital management.

4. Other options Among other careers pursuable for advanced nursing degree holders while remaining in a nursing discipline, nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist must come first. In case of nurse practitioner, it is usually an offering of master’s degree, whereupon you will qualify to take the national nurse practitioner certification exam. A qualified nurse practitioner is able to diagnose and treat many common illnesses as well as to prescribe medications.

On the other hand, after attaining a master’s degree, if you are interested in becoming a nurse anesthetist, you need to pass a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) certification program. A qualified CRNA can be expected to work independently or in association with other anesthesiologists to provide anesthesia services in case of both surgical and obstetrical patients. A CRNA’s work may be patient-intensive during preoperative, intra-operative and postoperative periods.

As can be seen from above discussions, there is no dearth of career opportunities for advanced nursing degree holders. In fact, as experts opine, the advancement of medical technology will continue to enrich and enhance the requirement of nursing personnel who are equipped with one or more advanced nursing degrees.

Copyright 2006 Linda Raye

About The Author

Linda Raye is an accomplished writer and editor of NursingChoice.com website. Her main interest lies in the healthcare field with one of her passions being nursing. Contact her at: LRaye@cinci.rr.com.

Visit the website: http://www.NursingChoice.com

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Students who are interested in taking up careers in legal, law enforcement and corrections field can look up more information about online criminal justice degree at www.DegreeAuthority.com. Educational institutions offer students the chance to pursue a certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s even perhaps doctoral degrees in the field of criminal justice. If you desire to work as a police officer, a private investigator or even an FBI agent enrolling in criminal justice programs can be a wise choice.

Online Criminal Justice Programs

Are you eager to take up a job with the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Defense but commitments prevent you from attending regular college? Well, many accredited and recognized criminal justice colleges offer a variety of programs to choose from, students can earn a certificate in management and supervision, law enforcement, legal studies and court processes or they can take up a program to become a crime scene technician. Students can take up programs that concentrate on juvenile justice, computer crime, administration of criminal justice, organizational management, law enforcement, cyber security, computer forensics, crime analysis, law, fraud examination and global issues. Programs that concentrate in private security, public safety, disaster preparedness, disaster management, forensic psychology and forensic nursing are also available. With so many choices, students often hesitate in making a choice, we at www.DegreeAuthority.com wish to educate and inform students, clear their doubts and help them choose the right program at a reputable educational institution. Those who wish to get entry-level jobs can consider taking up certificate or associate’s degree programs in criminal justice while those who are intent on pursuing higher education can consider taking up a PhD criminal justice program.

Has it been one of your dreams to become a State or city police office, do you wish to work in the sheriff’s office? You must consider taking up an online criminal justice degree. Taking up this program offers you many career opportunities; you can work as a drug enforcement officer, prison guard, a customs inspector, a US Marshall or as a security agent. An associate’s degree will introduce students to courts, justice system, private security management and law enforcement. Kaplan University, Axia College, Berkeley College, ECPI, Everest University, Keiser College, American InterContinental University Online, University of Phoenix, Anthem College Online, Iowa Central College, Colorado Technical University Online, and ITT Technical University online are some of the institutions that offer associate’s degrees in this field of study. Check out www.DegreeAuthority.com for detailed explanation of the curriculum and then choose your school of choice.

Students can take up bachelor’s and master’s degree programs as many of the institutions offer updated and well-designed programs in this field. AIU, Ellis University, Boston University, Florida Tech University, Everest University, National American University, Virginia College Online, University of Cincinnati Online, University of Phoenix, Utica College, Liberty University Online, Walden University, Capella University, Regis University Online, Kaplan University and Ashford University are some of the institutions that offer undergraduate and post graduate degrees in criminal justice. Students can browse through www.DegreeAuthority.com to find out in-depth and comprehensive details about all criminal justice colleges in the United States.

A degree in criminal justice will be a right choice if you are service oriented and interested in helping people become better individuals. Those interested in working as social workers or correctional officers can choose to get an education in this field. Do not hesitate to choose an online mode of education, it is more convenient, flexible and definitely affordable. Students can interact with fellow students and instructors online, and study at a time that is convenient to them. web field trips, academic exercises and message boards make the online learning experience memorable and interesting. Interactive multimedia and the latest technology make the online learning experience even more effective. Many students find that these online criminal justice programs offer them the opportunity to work full-time simultaneously. Financial aid is also available to the students and you can get more details by looking up www.DegreeAuthority.com as well as the respective website of the school that you are interested in studying. Some institutions offer students the chance to customize their program of study, take up accelerated degree programs or additional professional certification programs that will help them in their chosen careers. Those who take up postgraduate degree programs will be trained in areas such as policy, theory, administration and research that will train them to hold responsible positions in the many facets of the criminal justice system..

If you wish to get a top job in the field of criminal justice, or wish to become an instructor or are interested in taking up research, you can consider taking up a PhD criminal justice program. The doctoral program will help students get the required skill sets to comprehend the many complex issues that need to be addressed in the field of criminal justice. Students can concentrate on human services in the field of criminal justice, law and society, public policy and administration, and public safety. Students need to complete and present an original dissertation, students can complete this program within 24-36 months, and most of them include 2-4 weeks residency. Walden University, University of Illinois, University of the Rockies – Online and Capella University are some of the institutions that offer doctoral programs in this field of study. Look up www.DegreeAuthority.com and get all the details.

The field of criminal justice is indeed very popular and many students are taking up programs in this field because of the diverse career prospects. It is no wonder that in the year 2007, more students enrolled for an associate’s degree in the field of criminal justice than any other field of study. It has great career prospects and students like the fact that they are doing their part to keep society safe for today’s children. Students can get online, browse through www.DegreeAuthority.com and get the latest news and information about criminal justice programs. This will help you choose a school and a program that best meets your personal and professional goals.

For more details contacts us or visit our site:

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DegreeAuthority.com: Obtain information about Top Programs like business, career oriented diploma, college, criminal justice, culinary programs, design program, education and teaching, engineering, graduate, health care, information technology, psychology vast listings of Programs.

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I hope you’ve been enjoying my posts lately. I thought I might do something different today and rustle up a few bits of info from around the WWW. These are some of the news items and blog posts that have been popular over the last few weeks. Leave me your thoughts.

Even UNLV's nursing school steels for budget cuts

380 — The number of students enrolled in the School of Nursing at UNLV — 200 undergraduate students, 150 master's students and 30 doctorate candidates. …   Read More…

PhD Graduate of Capella University, an Accredited Online University, Appointed …

… currently enrolled in master's or doctoral online degree programs in business, counseling, education, human services, information technology, nursing, …   Read More…

Johns Hopkins Nursing Research News -February/March 2010

Doctoral candidate Rhoda Redulla, MSN, RN, suggests how patient-centered, information-rich communications can help in the presentation of sensitive news to …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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Ok so you might find the next few links interesting. These are from around the web, just random snippets that I’ve picked up in my reading, but I found some very cool information in them. You might too. Here goes…

Photizo Launches Dealer-Focused Market Intelligence Package for Developing MPS …

"Talking with many channel players in the last year made us realize the enormity of the challenge they face in creating MPS programs. …   Read More…

Drexel University Launches Special Education Certification Program Online

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) March 3, 2010 — Drexel University Online, a leader in online degree programs, has added a new online certification program to its …   Read More…

Explore degree options at Pima to NAU Transfer Day

… degrees that can be earned online. Through NAU-Extended Campuses, a student in Tucson also can earn a doctorate in educational leadership from NAU. …   Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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Does Taking A Degree Or Course Online Help Increase Earning Potential?

The dream of moving up in the career ladder is the vision of each and every individual during his or her lifetime. Such a dream is not only restricted to increase his/her experience in regard to power and prestige. But it certainly refers to an increase in the earning capability of the person. This dream could be easily achieved by earning an appropriate degree by doing a course online. Make the most from a course online as you study and work at the same time. Depending on the present educational qualification a person can opt for an associate, bachelors, masters or a doctorate degree through course online. The flexibility in timing and with no headache about attendance makes course online well liked by many.

There are many people who are on a full time job but are very keen to study. But his job profile makes it difficult to pursue a degree by attending a traditional college. Nothing better than studying through course online, which helps to avoid a number of hassles. Therefore the individual need not think of visiting the college campus regularly, attend the classroom lectures or submit the required assignment. It is quite simple and easy to study through course online. This would help a person to study only when he has the time for it. So whether one is at home, workplace, at a coffee shop or in any other place certainly doesn’t stop him to study and earn a degree. A proper reliable internet connection is the only requirement of course online.

Course online are great for professionals who wish to update his/her skill and knowledge in their own field. For example, a software engineer may take up some courses for obtaining certification in some new applications. The degree can be obtained through course online in a much lesser time than the traditional one. And even it takes less amount of money to pay. You can dream of moving your career to the next level by studying through course online. A person while doing a job may not be promoted to the next level by his company even though he has the potential for it. The lack of necessary educational qualification might restrict him in such a situation. So a degree earned through an online mechanism acts like his savior during this time.

A course online program helps a person to stay alert about the recent developments along with moving ahead with the career. So it has been realized that an online degree would be able to revitalize one’s career and boost up the morale. In the long run it would help in pursuing higher goals and upgrading oneself. One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that, a person should look for accredited universities which offer course online. If the degree gained does not have any an affiliation of an accredited institution, the money, time and energy would all go in vain. With the proliferation of fake online degree in the present day world situation, extra attention should be paid to it. Make the most from course online wi
1000
th the correct amount of dedication and proper time management.

By: ann pan

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Are you dreaming of earning more money but your present job is restricting you to do so? Why not consider taking up course online? Make sure the degree has a proper accreditation so that you can move easily ahead with your career.

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