Nursing Programs
The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) designation is the first step in becoming a nurse. After Becoming a CNA, you will assist in caring for patients by monitoring vital statistics, bathing, feeding and maintaining personal hygiene. Most CNA programs can be completed within a few months, allowing you to begin working.
The next step in a nursing career is to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). This is a one year long program, in which you'll work under an RN, and be assigned advanced care work. Practice requirements for LPNs vary from state to state, but basic duties include passing meds, wound care, and administering feeding tubes. 1-year nursing certificate programs train students to pass the licensing test, in order to become an LPN or LVN. It is common for most of the class to find nursing jobs within 6 months.
To become a Registered Nurse(RN), you will be required to take courses in medical terminology, patient care and life sciences. Although associate degree programs provide students with adequate nursing training, a bachelor's degree provides greater clinical exposure and a stronger general education. A 4-year BSN program allows students to study specialized areas of nursing, including pediatrics, geriatrics and mental health nursing. An RN has to cope with more responsibility, and must oversee the work of LPNs and CNAs under their supervision. If you wish to continue advancement, a masters degree and several years of experience as a nurse, may qualify you for the Nurse Practitioner (NP) credential.
Nursing certification
Certification requirements include board certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The license period varies by individual state, but is usually valid for either two or three years, at which time you'll need to renew. Registered nurses (RNs) are not required to be certified in a particular specialty by state law.
For example, it isn't necessary to be a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) to work on a hospital Medical-Surgical (MedSurg) floor, and most MedSurg nurses are not CMSRNs. To keep your license current, you must take continuing education courses, and renew your license every few years. There are a fixed number of credits that each state requires, and if you work in a hospital facility, these courses may be offered on-site.
After completing your nursing education, you must be licensed by the state in which you'll be practicing. The state boards of nursing each have their own specific certification criteria. In general, the requirements include completion of a degree in nursing, and board certification by the relevant accrediting body. The two biggest certifying bodies are the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The license period varies by individual state, but is usually valid for either two or three years, at which time you'll need to renew.
PRACTICE TESTS
This section offers practice tests in several subject areas. Each of the following multiple-choice tests has 10 questions to work on. No sign-up required, just straight to the test.
NCLEX Exam
The NCLEX, National Council Licensure Examination, is a nursing certification exam for licensing in the United States. There are two types of tests, the NCLEX-PN and the NCLEX-RN. To ensure high standards in the nursing profession, each state board of nursing requires candidates for licensure to pass the appropriate NCLEX examination, NCLEX-PN for vocational or practical nurses, and the NCLEX-RN for registered nurses. The NCLEX is administered as a computer-based exam, taken at a Pearson Professional Center. Each NCLEX exam contains at least 90% multiple-choice questions. Please be aware that although the rewards are great, pursuing a medical education is a challenging task. Each of the following multiple-choice medical tests has 10 questions. No sign-up required, just straight to the test.
In recent years, the NCSBN has added new format questions include identifying and selecting a particular area of a drawn body part, free response medication calculations, and ordering the steps of a nursing procedure. Questions can also make use of pictures as the answer choices, instead of words. Each question will appear one at a time on the computer screen, and will not be repeated. Test takers will have a maximum of six hours to complete the exam. There is a mandatory 10-minute break about 2 ½ hours into the exam and another optional break after about 4 hours of testing. It is acceptable to take breaks at any time during the exam, although break time reduces your total available test time. The NCLEX is graded by comparing the responses to a pre-established standard.
The Physiology category contains the majority of the questions on the exam, about 43%-67%. This section of the NCLEX covers adult medical and surgical care, pediatrics, and gerontology, the study of the medical effects of aging. There is a different focus pertaining to the pediatric client. Topics may include growth disorders, human development, birth abnormalities, child abuse, common infectious diseases of children, and childhood traumas such as burn injuries and fractures.
Effective Care Practices make up 21%-33% of all NCLEX questions, covering safety issues in patient care, particularly in the administration of medicines. You will also be tested on knowledge of measures to prevent further injuries and infections, safety for pediatric patients, and special precautions for patients with psychiatric disorders. This portion of the exam may include questions on laboratory tests, and nursing procedures associated with test results. Questions on these topics are randomly spread throughout the exam.
Health Promotion questions are 12%-15% of the NCLEX examination. Questions under this category deal with birth control measures, pregnancy, labor and delivery. Also covered is infant care, and sexually transmitted infections. If a patient is pregnant, it is very important that the nurse be able to act as a teacher and/or counselor. Knowledge that will be tested also includes proper nutrition, development of the fetus, signs and symptoms of complications, and certain pregnancy-related procedures.
Mental Health test areas constitute a final 12%-15% of the NCLEX test, pertaining to patients with psychiatric problems. In addition, this material may cover psychological coping mechanisms that fall short of psychiatric illness. Questions cover information on depression, schizophrenia, organic mental disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, and anxiety. Also included in this section may be questions about crisis intervention, and substance abuse.
ICU Training
A video presentation by ICU Staff Nurse Michelle Treacy. Interesting and useful information, in order to know what is going on in the ICU.
Surgical Instrument Set
A technical explanation of the set of surgical instruments that a doctor may ask for in the performance of operations.
EMT Training
What are the responsibilities of an EMT? Ian talks about the physical and emotional demands of the job and the importance of finding work-life balance.
Anesthesiologist Setup
Setting up an operating room is one of the most important parts of an anesthesiologist's day! In this video, I set up for surgery and walk you through each step of the way.
Nursing Specialties
Ask yourself if you can see yourself as a nurse, having daily contact with patients who may have physical or emotional disabilities, which can be challenging. While nursing classes and internships will prepare you well, certain innate qualities that you bring to bear will help you succeed as a nurse.