Nursing Certifications & Degrees To Advance Your Career

Once you enter the workforce, getting complacent and used to a certain routine and lifestyle is easy. Many individuals get settled in their comfort zone and do not want to grow beyond it. They feel no need to learn more or acquire new skills. This can lead to plateaus in their careers and hinder progress. This applies not just to nursing jobs but to any line of work.

Individuals employed in the nursing profession have many opportunities to advance their careers through further education. This can be primarily through nursing degrees or certificates. Online courses and on-the-job training are some other methods that may be deployed to improve credentials.

Benefits Of Further Education For Nurses

Obtaining new hard and soft skills is a great way to grow in your career and take on bigger responsibilities in the future. Nursing degrees and certificates typically combine classroom hours and clinical training, which both need to be cleared to proceed.

Expands Intellectual Horizon

It is a huge positive about continuing your education that more new information can be acquired. This may, at times, alter your perception and change the way you approach your profession for the better. Gaining more knowledge related to the field is always helpful in allowing you to advance.

Building Connections

It is important to create healthy connections wherever you go, as you never know when they might come in handy when you enter the job market. If you have a good connection with someone working in an organization, they can refer you for a job opening if they feel you are good enough. You may also create a good impression on your professors, who may be willing to vouch for you in front of employers acting as references on your resume. Hence, it helps not to burn bridges and to be on good terms with others.

Better Salaries

Having more certifications or degrees under your belt makes you appear more qualified in front of employers. This improves your negotiation strength and helps you land a better deal. It may be true that money shouldn’t be the only thing you consider when looking for a company, but it is still an important factor, as we need it to meet our expenses. Hence, using your qualifications to earn a better salary and land some of the highest-paying nursing jobs is a huge plus.

Better Positions

Having a higher level of education can enable you to attract better nursing job opportunities. It helps you land roles that allow you to take on greater responsibility and provide more scope for advancement and growth. You may even have a better shot at trying your luck for leadership roles in the organization.

Improved Patient Outcomes

This is arguably the most important aspect of healthcare. Ultimately, what it comes down to is providing better treatment and overall better experience to patients. Having better qualifications and abilities allows us to execute this better. In some roles, a better patient outcome may even mean saving a life! This also provides more job satisfaction to nurses, knowing their work is helping better people’s lives.

Common Nursing Degrees And Certifications For Nurses

There are several types of educational qualifications that nurses can pursue to elevate their careers. When choosing what qualification they want to pursue, it is important to make sure decisions are well calculated and planned out. Choices like this can change the course of one’s professional life, which is why these decisions need to be well-informed.

Associate’s Degree

Some roles in the medical industry, which are very basic, do not require even an associate’s degree to be eligible. One such example is the position of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) which requires candidates to be high school graduates before completing a relevant state-approved training course and passing the exam. Exams include both written sections and hands-on competency sections too.

Individuals occupying such nursing jobs can pursue further education through programs like an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) and then try their hand at becoming an RN by attempting the NCLEX-RN exam. If they clear it, then they need to get a license to practice in the state of their choice. An important detail to note is that some states have made it necessary to hold a bachelor’s degree to pursue a career as a registered nurse. Hence, you need to make sure to research state policies before making the call.

The main benefit of getting an associate’s degree is that it is shorter in duration compared to other alternatives, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Thus, it provides a quicker route to becoming a registered nurse for those who do not want to spend too long in school but still be able to get a nursing job in the medical industry.

LVN Program

An LVN nursing program is another good option for candidates who have not gone to college but have entered the nursing profession. An LVN program can take up to 2 years, which is about the same as an associate’s degree. However, despite being about the same duration, an LVN is typically less costly, which appeals to many candidates.

To rise to the status of an LVN, aspirants must first finish high school before completing an accredited LVN program, after which they need to pass the NCLEX-PN examination. After this, candidates may be required to complete other formalities, such as undergoing a background check and so on.

An LVN position offers comparatively greater authority compared to most nursing jobs without a college degree. This is ideal for individuals interested in growth and taking on responsibility in the organization. This kind of mindset helps nurses prepare to take on bigger roles in the future.

Bachelor’s Degree

As mentioned earlier, some states have made it compulsory for registered nurse aspirants to hold an undergraduate nursing degree, which is typically a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. If you have a nursing job but do not have a college degree, this may be a good option to help your career take off.

This nursing degree takes about 4 years to complete on average. It may take longer to finish than an associate’s degree, but it also holds more credibility and value. Candidates also tend to have better earning potential and can acquire more skills and knowledge in the process. They tend to also have more scope for advancement, allowing them to progress at a quicker rate.

Once the degree is completed, candidates are eligible to attempt the NCLEX-RN exam. If they clear it, they can apply for a license in the state they wish to practice in. Each state has policies that vary, so it is important to research well before committing.

Master’s Degree

Candidates already holding undergraduate nursing degrees and with sufficient work experience on their resume can go for a relevant master’s degree to help take their career to a higher level and get better nursing jobs in the future. One of the most common routes here is getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.

This option is very common for registered nurses with ambitions of becoming APRNs in the future. If an individual holds an associate’s degree as an RN, there are still many programs that allow them to transition and get a master’s degree. Once they’ve obtained their master’s degree from an accredited institute, they need to pass the national certification exam related to their specialty. Finally, once they’ve accomplished that, they need to get licensed by the state they wish to practice in.

Being an APRN is something not everyone boasts of, so having this title next to your name can be of great benefit in the job market. It comes with better pay, as they are comparatively harder to find. There are more learning opportunities and chances to take on leadership roles in the organization. This role requires a lot of maturity to hold onto, but it is very rewarding.

Doctorate

Getting a DNP is also a good option, but a lot of candidates get intimidated by the amount of work it takes. Many don’t feel they can handle this many years of schooling and are eager to enter the job market and learn. However, if you can pull it off you will find yourself within a small minority of highly qualified nursing professionals.

There are several different ways to attain a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) qualification. Here are some common programs popular among nurses.

• RN-to-DNP Programs:Nurses without a master’s degree can obtain their doctorate in 4-6 years.
• BSN-to-DNP Programs:Bridge programs exist that allow BSN graduates to get their DNPs in 3-4 years.
• MSN-to-DNP Programs:These are quite popular and include theory plus clinical practice of up to 500 hours.
• Online DNP Programs:These programs are hybrid and allow students to complete coursework online along with clinical practice in person.

Nursing Certifications

These are usually shorter in duration than degrees and are often less than a year long in duration. Sometimes they can even be less than 6 months. However, they can still be very effective when it comes to building up your credentials to impress employers. The reputation of the institute issuing the certificate can also add to your credibility. Certain positions in the nursing profession require specific types of certification to allow one to practice.

There are a countless number of nursing certifications available for aspirants to pursue. The key thing is the area of specialization in the nursing realm, which determines what kind of certification one needs to pursue. Certifications indicate to an employer that you are the kind of candidate who is willing to learn and grow constantly. Such individuals are typically liked by recruiters and have great potential.

Final Thoughts

Getting nursing jobs may be tough, but knowing what the best qualifications are for you to pursue makes the whole process a lot easier. This will require some research and also introspection to figure out where your abilities lie. Aspirants need to familiarize themselves with state policies and laws for certifications and licenses too.

Candidates need to look at other factors too, like affordability, course duration, time spent away from family if applicable, the scope for advancement, etc. However, in the end, pursuing nursing certifications and degrees is something that is recommended for all. Individuals should go for them in whatever capacity they possibly can.