How to become a registered nurse: Everything You need to Know

by dahbaao · Published July 20, 2024 · Updated July 27, 2024

Introduction to Becoming a nurse.

How to become a registered nurse: Everything You need to Know.

I am a registered nurse class of 2014, before I study nursing I was like you, a typical person who don’t to know how to become a registered nurse.

However, I have a passion to become a nurse at that time, in my mind full of questions wondering what education do i need to become a registered nurse?, how many years will I spend studying nursing?, can I become a nurse fast?.

Many questions in my mind, but now I am a qualified registered nurse, I am licensed to practice as a nurse. In nursing career today, I am a humanitarian nurse, who gives help and care in emergency situation to people affected with disaster. I worked with Medicins Sans Frontiers as a nurse and other governmental health facilities.

How does it feel to be a nurse?

I am proud to be a nurse, now that you are reading this article you know that you have landed to the right place where you will learn how to become a nurse, simply, clearly and effectively.

You will know all about what is needed to become a nurses, from the courses needed, school to study, duration of the program and some essential advice to grow your career in nursing.

Here are the best to learn steps to become a nurse, why? because I am a qualified registered nurse, licensed to practice and currently giving care to the patients in the hospital, and I will tell you how to become a nurse.

Before we go in let me ask you a simple question, and the question is do you know nursing? I guess you don’t know the meaning of “Nursing” okay, if that’s the case don’t worry because Nursing is in our key point of discussion today.

Some Important key terms to understand

Nursing
Registered nurse
Patient
Hospitals
NMC: Nursing and Midwifery Council

Because nursing is all about giving effective care to the patients in the hospital, registered nurses are among the most important health workers in the world, more importantly they are still needed.

For a long time, we have known that there is a global shortage of nurses. Worldwide, there is a shortage of almost 6 million nurses, according to the WHO. In the United States alone, we will need more than 1 million more nurses by 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

As you can see nurses are still needed, therefore you are needed and you are always welcome to the nursing profession.

All you need now is to read and understand our best and simple steps to become a nurse.

We aren’t forgetting our important key term listed above because of their benefits in this article will increase your understanding.

Feel calm, comfortable and become a successful nurse in the nearest future. let’s begin.

What is a Nursing?

In our school of Nursing we have been taught that “Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people.”

The above definition of nursing is a comprehensive one with a full meaning of nursing, that every nurse should know, put it at the back of your mind.

Nursing is giving care to the sick people.

Who is a patient?

A patient is a person who is receiving medical treatment from in a hospital or any other health care facility from a qualified health team.

What is a hospital?

Accredited health institution that patients are receiving medical, nursing and surgical care from a health professionals.

NMC: Nursing And Midwifery Council.

NMC, is the nursing and midwifery regulatory body, that supervise the nursing and midwifery education and registration in their country.

The popular UK Nursing and Midwifery Council, is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates eligible to practise within the UK.

Who is a Nurse?

A nurse is a person who has completed a program of basic, generalized nursing education in an accredited school of nursing or university and is registered and licensed by the appropriate regulatory authority to practice nursing in his/her country.

Where do nurses work?

We already discussed about hospital in the beginning of this post, hospital are place where nurses work, in view of the above explanation we can understand that RNs can work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, travel clinics, nursing homes, schools, and even within airplanes.

what do nurses do?

Nurse take care of the sick people in the hospitals, humanitarian aid centers and primary healthcare center.

They perform a wide range of responsibility including blood transfusion, monitoring of vital signs, administration of drugs, and assisting physician during medical ward rounds.

Nurses Roles and Responsibilities

Recording medical histories and symptoms
Directing and supervising other healthcare professionals, such as LPNs, CNAs and medical assistants
Assessing patients’ conditions and vital signs
Giving medications and treatments
prescribed by doctors and other healthcare providers
Contributing to and setting up patients’ care plans
Consulting and collaborating with other healthcare providers
Operating and monitoring medical equipment
Performing and analyzing diagnostic tests
Educating patients and their families

Becoming a nurse in 5 Steps

5 steps will teach you how become a registered nurse. We will discuss about five simple steps to help you become a registered nurse, here they are:

Uphold your passion in Nursing career
Study nursing in Accredited School
Sit and pass Final examination
Register and License with NMC
Continue growing your nursing career

These steps are the most unique, comprehensive and simple guide currently in this world that will give you a complete explanation to become a nurse, let’s see what they are talking about in details

1. Uphold your passion in Nursing.

People who have an interest in particular topic use to find that topic very simple, and often become successful.

The same thing here, people like you with passion in studying nursing will find it very simple and in the end become successful in the nursing field and become a nurse.

Passion is more than just curiosity; it fuels dedication and perseverance. It’s what pushes someone to overcome challenges, embrace failures as stepping stones, and keep striving for excellence.

The passionate nurses spends nights honing their skills, they endures grueling training, and overcomes setbacks with unwavering resolve.

By keeping your passion in nursing alive you can easily succeed. It also keeps you in the line and help you master the courses needed in nursing in the age of highschool like Anatomy and physiology, psychology, pharmacology, chemistry and physics.

Your passion is the first and most important tool to be with always.

2. Study nursing in a Accredited School

In the field of nursing study, there are different programs that you can pursue to become a registered nurse. Depending on your situation here I will explain the process you can choose which one best suite you.

But make sure you study nursing in an accredited institution, that is the school or university that is accepted by the nursing and midwifery council and the government.

The school with good reputation in teaching students about nursing including teaching clinical experiences in an accredited hospitals.

Durning our time of studying nursing, our clinical instructor prepares our hospital posting in an accredited hospital and distribute students in different health facilities including federal government hospitals, state government hospitals and primary health care center.

The core idea of this he said “Acquiring clinical experiences in different health facilities will help student nurses to learn good interactions with different patients including those in the village and urban areas”

Because nursing is about caring sick people giving each one in need effective care regardless of their age, economic background, culture and beliefs.

You can get this knowledge only in an accredited institutions.

Okay now let’s talk about the studying nursing.

Nursing Diploma program
Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science

The above are the two major ways to study nursing. That is by either studying nursing through nursing diploma program or a bachelors’ degree in nursing science.

Let’s see how you can study nursing from both programs

Nursing Diploma Program.

Acquiring a nursing diploma from an accredited RN program is among the best and simple path to study nursing and become a registered nurse.

Diploma programs are the traditional way that many in the past joined the nursing profession. Though they are less common than BSNs and ADNs today, some hospitals do still offer nursing diploma programs, which typically take two to three years to complete.

Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing Science

In order to become a registered nurse, you will need to earn a degree from an accredited institution.

Bachelor’s degree is the most common degree pursued to becoming a nurse today. Typically offered by colleges and universities, these programs usually take up to four years to complete, but can be completed in less time by those who already possess a prior nursing credential.

3. Sit and pass Final examination

After successful completion of Bachelors’ degree in nursing you need to take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN).

The NCLEX is designed to test your knowledge in key areas of the field of nursing to ensure that you are prepared for the challenges of the job. In order to obtain your state license, you will need to pass the exam. If you don’t pass the NCLEX the first time you take it, you will need to wait 45 days before you can take it again.

4. Register and License with NMC

When you pass the NCLEX-RN you are good to go and you become a qualified nurse. Registration and obtaining your license is the next step.

Requirements for obtaining licensure will vary from one state to another, so make sure to check with your state’s regulatory board to ensure that you meet all of them. If you hope to work in multiple states (or countries), you’ll need to be licensed in each state.

However, from any country you live or you want to practice check with your Nursing and Midwifery council for registration and license.

5. Continue growing your nursing career

After you successfully become a registered nurse, you may want to continue growing your career in nursing by specialization in a specific area or even pursue an advanced degree.

I know you understand about nursing and who is a nurse, also what do nurses do and where they work. More importantly how to become a registered nurse.

But still there is another part of this article that is very important to understand, this important thing is “Nursing specialty.” Let’s see what nursing specialty is now.

Advanced degree program for a nurse

To become an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), such as a nurse practitioner or a clinical nurse leader, you’ll likely need to earn a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) or a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP).

Different types of nursing specialty

With the nursing field constantly evolving, there are a variety of different types of nurses you can be. The demand for nurses is continually growing, and the nursing career path offers many worthwhile benefits such as strong salaries, numerous opportunities, and a feeling of fulfillment. With this article, you’ll learn what kind of nurses there are and the unique opportunities for each of these types of nursing jobs.

Cardiac Nurse.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS).
Critical Care Nurse.
ER Nurse.
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).
Geriatric Nursing.

Cardiac Nurse

Nurses who specialize in cardiovascular care work in hospitals, coronary care units (CCUs) and physician practices that care for patients with heart disease. Certifications for cardiovascular nursesExternal link:open_in_new are administered by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

According to the Wikipedia, a nurse anesthetist is an advanced practice nurse who administers anesthesia for surgery or other medical procedures. They are involved in the administration of anesthesia in a majority of countries, with varying levels of autonomy.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) is an advanced practice registered nurse who has earned a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing. They use their expertise to assess, diagnose, and treat patients. But their role often extends into other areas, like health care management and research.

Critical Care Nurse / ICU Nurse

Critical care nurses work in intensive care units (ICUs) and CCUs. Sometimes ICU nurses are referred to as critical care nurses and vice versa. They specialize in caring for patients who are hospitalized for serious conditions and require round-the-clock observation. Certifications for ICU and CCU nurses are also administered by the AACN.

ER Nurse

An ER nurse is a nurse that works specifically in the emergency room. They treat patients who are facing traumatic or severe, often life-threatening medical conditions.

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).

Family nurse practitioners (FNPs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with specialized graduate educations who provide continuing and comprehensive healthcare for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and body systems

Geriatric Nursing

Gerontological nursing is the specialty of nursing pertaining to older adults. Gerontological nurses work in collaboration with older adults, their families, and communities to support healthy aging, maximum functioning, and quality of life.

Wrap up becoming a nurse article.

Congratulations for reading and understanding this article how to become a registered nurse. I know you are now equip with the knowledge of becoming a nurse from wherever you are in the world.

All you need to know about nursing, completed.

Thanks, Dahbaao Team.

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How to become a registered nurse: Everything You need to Know