Associate Degree in Nursing | Online Nursing Associate Programs

Associate Degree in Nursing | Our TOP Recommendations
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There are three major paths of education to becoming a nurse. They are an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree and a diploma from an approved nursing program. It is projected that over the years of 2006 to 2016, registered nurses will obtain 587,000 new jobs, making nurses among the largest of employed occupations.

• Nature of the Work - Registered nurses are also known as RNs. Their job duties include treating patients as well as educating the patient and the public about different medical conditions and providing emotional support and advice to the families of the patient. They record the medical history of the patient as well as their symptoms, analyze results, administer medications and treatments, perform diagnostic tests, operate medical machinery and conduct patient follow up and rehabilitation.
• Associate Degree in Nursing - There were 709 nursing programs that offered bachelor's degrees in 2006. Community and junior colleges offer ADN programs that take about 2 or 3 years to finish. Around 850 RN programs gave associate degrees. Diploma programs that are given in hospitals generally last around 3 years. There are only around 70 programs that offered diplomas.
• Licensing - All of the states including the District of Columbia and the United States Territories, students are required to graduate from an approved nursing program as well as pass a national licensing examination. The licensing examination is also known as the NCLEX-RN. Students must take this examination in order for them to gain a nursing license. A nurse may be licensed in more than one state by either taking the examination or by getting an endorsement from another state issued on their license.
  
  

Associate Degree in Nursing | Online Nursing Associate Programs

Those who are RNs and have received an ADN or a diploma generally enter into a bachelor's program in order to prepare themselves for a wider variety of nursing practices. They can generally find an entry level position and then use the tuition reimbursement benefits offered by their job in order to work towards a BSN. They do this by completing an RN to BSN program. It was stated that in 2006, there were at least 629 RN to BSN programs available in the United States. If you combine 1 year of an accelerated BSN program with 2 years of graduate study, you will get an accelerated master's degree in nursing (MSN) program. It was reported that in 2006 there were at least 149 RN to MSN programs.

For those students who have achieved a bachelor's degree or higher in another field and are interested in moving to nursing, there are accelerated BSN programs available. These programs last from 12 to 18 months and are the fastest way to a BSN for those students who already have a degree. There are also MSN programs available to these students as well.

Every program for nursing has classroom instruction as well as supervised clinical experience in health care facilities such as a hospital. These students are required to take classes in physiology, chemistry, psychology, anatomy, microbiology, nutrition and other behavior science and nursing courses. For ADN and BSN students, liberal arts courses are also required.

Associate Degree in Nursing - Job Outlook

In 2006 it was reported that 2.5 million jobs were held in nursing making it the largest health care occupation. At 59%, RNs were employed the most in hospitals. There were many other industries that employed rather large amounts of workers. Offices of physicians employed around 8% of nurses. Home health care services employed about 5% of nurses. Nursing care facilities employed about 5% of nurses. Employment services employed about 4% of nurses. While outpatient care centers employed 3% of nurses.

It is projected that the overall job opportunities for nurses is expected to be great. However, these opportunities will vary by different geographical regions. It is stated that through the year 2016, nursing employment is expected to grow faster than the average job, employing over 587,000 new nurses. This is the largest number of new jobs for any occupation. There will also be hundreds of thousands of job opportunities that will be available as a result of the retirement of nurses and nurses who wish to leave their occupation.

It is projected that between 2006 and 2016, employment opportunities for RNs is expected to increase by at least 23%. This is much faster than the average for any other job. This growth will be based on the advances in technology associated with patient care, which will also increase the number of health problems that will need to be treated and by the growing emphasis of preventative care. It is also projected that the amount of elderly citizens in need of health care is likely to grow quicker than the amount of young people in need of nursing care.

Associate Degree in Nursing - Graduates - Earnings Statistics

It was reported in May 2006 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Labor, that the average yearly earnings for RNs were $57,250. The middle 50% earned between $47,750 and $69,750. The bottom 10% earned under $40,250. The top 10% earned over $83,500.

Related Occupations: As there are so many different specialties for RNs and there are so many different duties and responsibilities, there are many different health care employment opportunities that are rather similar in different areas of the job. These other jobs involve dealing with the patients directly while still giving care. These jobs are licensed vocational nurses, surgeons, physical therapists, paramedics, licensed practical nurses, physicians, athletic trainers, massage therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists and emergency medical technicians. There are also other occupations that use advanced medical equipment. These occupations are cardiovascular technicians, radiologic technicians, surgical technologists, cardiovascular technologists, diagnostic medical sonographers, radiologic technologists and radiation therapists. Other employees who also assist in other health care professions by providing care are psychiatric, home health and nursing aides, dental hygienists and physicians assistants. There are some nurses who take part in a management role which is similar to health services and medical managers.


Associate Degree in Nursing - Courses - Schools

There are an excellent number of choices if you want to earn your associate nursing degree. Online schools and colleges now provide the same curriculum as the traditional education. Learning online provides you with so much more flexibility to suit your lifestyle and current employment. We include our top recommendations for colleges and universities to gain your Associate Degree in Nursing.

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