Nursing programs prep students for rigorous, rewarding, careers
As the demand for qualified, compassionate nurses continues to climb due to expanding health care facilities, increasing senior populations and retirement within the nursing community itself, nursing programs are preparing their students through comprehensive coursework and valuable clinical experience.
Students have two program options when it comes applying to become a registered nurse — an associate degree program or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or BSN, program.
“To apply for a BSN program, students must complete 60 hours of nursing prerequisites before enrolling in a nursing program, including general education courses and science courses such as anatomy and physiology, microbiology and chemistry,” said Dr. Erica Yu, a registered nurse and associate dean and department chair for undergraduate studies at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth. “An entrance exam is also required. There are two commonly accepted entrance exams — Test of Essential Academic Skills, or the TEAS, or The Health Education Systems Admission Assessment, or HESI A2.
Nurses make a difference
Programs also look for prospective students who demonstrate the characteristics a successful nurse ought to demonstrate.
“We look for students who are smart, dedicated, accountable and caring and who have a love of science and people. Nursing is a hands-on, professional degree that makes a difference in the lives of people every day. Nurses save lives,” said Kathryn M. Tart, founding dean and professor at the University of Houston’s College of Nursing.
Once accepted and enrolled in a program, nursing students will complete 60 credit hours of nursing courses in four semesters, or 15 months, with 900 hands-on clinical hours. Required courses include pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, health assessment, research and specialty courses such as medical and surgical nursing, gerontology, psychiatric and mental nursing, community health, pediatric care, reproductive health and high acuity care.
After becoming an RN, nurses have diverse career paths, including medical surgical, pediatric, operating room, critical care, hospital nursing, school nurse, home health nurse, nurse educator, forensic nurse or legal nurse consultant with many options to be certified in specialty areas.
“The required clinical rotations provide real world experience for students. In addition to clinical rotations in hospital-based medical and surgical units and psychiatric and mental health, pediatric, maternity and critical care units, students also have opportunities to gain clinical experience in community clinical agencies, such as schools, county health department, nursing skilled facilities and outpatient clinics,” said Yu. “Students are required to meet the onboarding requirements including training to protect patient safety and privacy, and immunization. Students will need to travel to hospitals around town to complete between 10-36 clinical hours on the weekly.”
After completing the BSN program, the student is eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN exam. The NCLEX is a nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses in the United States and Canada. Once passed, a student becomes a registered nurse, or RN.
Diverse career paths
After becoming an RN, nurses have diverse career paths, including medical surgical, pediatric, operating room, critical care, hospital nursing, school nurse, home health nurse, nurse educator, forensic nurse or legal nurse consultant with many options to be certified in specialty areas. Advanced practice options including nurse practitioner, and nurse anesthesia are available with graduate level education.
“Nurses are critical caregivers, regardless of gender or where they practice in the world. Nurses have been working extremely hard amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Tart said. “The public should encourage that all nurses, midwives and health workers receive support — both at work and at home — in order to do their critical jobs effectively and safely.”