NURSING
The nursing pathway opens many career opportunities. An estimated 3.6 million new health care wage and salary jobs will be created by 2014, more than in any other industry. Registered nurses
make up the largest health care occupation with 2.4 million jobs. Students interested in pursuing a nursing career will have excellent job opportunities; employment of RNs is projected to increase more
than
27% by 2014, creating the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations.
Three out of five RN jobs are in hospitals, but rapid job growth is expected in hospital outpatient facilities, such as same-day surgery, rehabilitations, and chemotherapy. Growth is also
expected in nursing care facilities and in home health care. RNs with a bachelor degree will have better job prospects than those with either an associate degree or a diploma.
Those considering a nursing career should have a strong desire to help others, a genuine concern for the welfare of patients and clients, and an ability to deal with people of diverse backgrounds in stressful situations. If you take the sequenced healthcare courses recommended in this education and career plan, you can receive the American Heart Association Basic Life Support Certification, American Red Cross CPR and First Aid Certification, Georgia Medical Care Foundation Certification for Nursing Assistant, and the National Health Care Foundation Skills Standards Certification
upon graduation from high school. There are many and varied areas of nursing, including Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse (LPN/LVN) and Registered Nurse (RN). Most nursing programs require
education beyond high school, including diploma programs, associate degree programs, and bachelor degree programs and beyond. |
