What Degree Is A Registered Nurse

how to become a registered nurse

Condign a nurse may seem daunting when you have other things on your plate. Between working, family commitments and the demands of other life priorities, it might seem hard to finally make the decision to go back to school and become a registered nurse (RN).

That's undoubtedly a large commitment that comes with a lot of unknowns that may be holding y'all back. Fortunately, those unknowns are something nosotros can aid you with! In this commodity, we'll break the process of condign a registered nurse down into four steps. While each of these steps is certainly significant on their own, you lot can move forward with conviction as you'll know the path ahead.

Read on for a elementary, step-by-step guide to becoming a registered nurse.

Go Your Nursing School Questions Answered at a Nursing Data Session

Reserve Your Spot

4 Simple steps to become a registered nurse

The four steps to becoming a registered nurse are:

Picking which kind of RN-qualifying nursing degree y'all want to end up with—an Associate's Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Gaining admission into a nursing program
Completing nursing coursework and clinicals
Passing the NCLEX-RN® exam and coming together state licensure requirements

Of course, a bullet point doesn't practise any of these steps justice. We'll go into much further item for each beneath.

1. Research nursing degree options

Before committing to a nursing schoolhouse, you will want to think nigh your overall career goals. Since there are two major education paths you lot can take to become an RN, you lot'll demand to decide what the best fit is for your schedule and long-term plans.

For those who would adopt to leave into the working globe as soon as possible, there'south the Associate'southward Degree in Nursing (ADN) route. At Rasmussen University, you can earn an ADN in as few as xviii months.¹

However, while this route may seem like an appealing option right now, you may eventually have to go back to schoolhouse to acquire a Available of Science in Nursing (BSN) if you lot are planning on working in some hospitals or specialized nursing roles.

While that may seem like a deterrent, some employers may help pay for their ADN nurses to go baccalaureate qualified. Working ADN-RNs have the opportunity to pursue their Bachelor'due south caste via a fully online RN to BSN program. The RN to BSN programme at Rasmussen Academy can be completed in equally few as 12-18 months.^ane

The other option for becoming a registered nurse is to complete a 4-year Bachelor'south caste program. RNs who hold their BSN credential are qualified for more jobs than nurses with ADNs, including jobs in research, consulting or authoritative positions.

In the end, both degrees can lead to a career every bit an RN—your decision just depends on what's all-time for you based on how much fourth dimension y'all want to spend in schoolhouse and what your personal career goals are. It's of import to remember that nursing is a profession with a wide range of opportunities, and then you e'er have the option of going back to school to advance your career.

two. Enroll in nursing school

Once you've decided which degree path you lot'd like to pursue, it's time to detect a nursing schoolhouse that aligns with your goals and enroll in a nursing programme. We've covered how to become into nursing school before, but here'southward a cursory summary.

Later graduating high school, you lot'll demand to research unlike nursing programs so complete an awarding—typically requiring you to circular up some messages of recommendation, write the requisite essays and more. You'll also likely need to take the Test of Essential Bookish Skills (TEAS) exam and prepare for your entrance interview.

It may sound similar a lot is required of you right from the offset, but when yous break each step down and tackle it 1 slice at a time, you'll first to see your path toward nursing success take shape. The fourth dimension and effort put into each phase of your procedure are of import factors that can help yous go into the school you've set your sights on.

3. Complete nursing coursework and clinicals

After you've been accepted into nursing school, information technology may seem similar all of the hard work is backside you. Only the next stretch of your life will be spent building and strengthening the foundational noesis and skills required of successful nurses. You can expect to encounter coursework relating to chemistry, biology, anatomy, nutrition and more.

Y'all will also be expected to complete a series of nursing clinicals to help gain easily-on experience and witness what it's really similar to piece of work as an RN. Clinicals provide students with an opportunity to use what they've learned in a real-life healthcare setting, serving as a disquisitional capstone to your education as you learn how to gain your footing in the earth of nursing.

4. Pass the NCLEX-RN examination and meet licensure requirements

Once you've come this far, you're almost done on your journey to becoming a nurse. Things will start looking upward equally you cross the cease line y'all've been chasing afterward, caste in hand. The only thing separating you from a rewarding career as an RN once you've walked across that graduation stage is passing the NCLEX-RN and ensuring you meet all state licensure requirements.

The NCLEX (National Quango Licensure Examination) is a required exam for any prospective nurse. With either an ADN or BSN, you lot would exist qualified to sit for the NCLEX-RN. No affair the state you lot plan to work in, passing the NCLEX-RN is a required stride for obtaining country licensure.

The NCLEX-RN contains 75-145 questions that gauge your noesis of all areas of nursing—and as y'all might expect, critical thinking and memorization will exist primal to your success. Await to spend some fourth dimension preparing and prepping for this exam, as it'south one of the more important tests you'll take. Don't panic, though—y'all will learn everything you need to in your degree plan. Once you've passed the NCLEX-RN, you've cleared the biggest hurdles. That said, in some states there may be additional administrative requirements for earning licensure, like completing a criminal background check.

After obtaining licensure, y'all'll exist gear up to find employment equally a registered nurse—so become your resume set and gear up to help fill the nursing shortage.

Which nursing path will you choose?

At present that y'all know the various steps yous'll need to accept to become an RN, it'south fourth dimension to decide how you'll become there. Whether you lot're hoping to get into your scrubs faster by earning an ADN or y'all're prepare to put in the actress time now to ensure some career advancement later with a BSN, time is of the essence.

With that in mind, you lot'll want to jump correct into the enquiry phase of your journey toward nursing school. One time you lot pinpoint the specific nursing degree you want to pursue, you're that much closer to finding the right higher. Gain the insight you need almost earning your nursing degree and dig into the host of ways Rasmussen University can assist you achieve your goal past checking out our commodity "10 Facts Y'all Didn't Know About the Rasmussen University Nursing Program."

^aneCompletion time is dependent on the number of transfer credits accepted and the number of courses completed each term.

EDITOR'Southward Notation: This article was originally published in Apr 2015. It has since been updated to include information relevant to 2021.

NCLEX-RN is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.