Nursing is both science and art. Professional nurses learn to deliver care with art, respect, care, and compassion for each of their patients. According to Ó-Lúanaigh (2015), nurses consider the personhood and dignity of the patient, as well. Being that it is also a science, nursing practice bases its framework on a body of knowledge that is continually changing. Scholars and researchers on the subject continue to make innovations and discoveries that aim at improving service delivery. Learning never stops for a nurse. It is in this school of thought that there are available educational programs that are available for professional nurse education. There are many opportunities available for a registered nurse (RN) to advance their studies. Besides that, license renewal is a requirement for practicing nurses after a given period.
Available Programs
Once an individual gets a Registered Nurse (RN) degree, there are many other educational options available for them. Importantly to note is that the law requires a nurse to maintain their license, hence conduct renewal after every few years. According to Watkins, Hart, and Mareno (2016), keeping or maintaining a nursing license is different from among states. However, the federal government has guidelines or a framework to serve as the basis of the same.
To begin with, as a nurse or an RN, several possibilities are available for educational programs as choices for a practicing nurse. For example, there is the Post-RN Bachelor of Nursing Degree program (Post-RN BScN). It requires 120 credits (Zerwekh and Garneau, 2014). It is an educational program that provides the practicing nurse with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills that emphasize advanced practical and theoretical knowledge with regards to community and family health promotion, management, leadership, primary health care, nursing research, and nursing informatics. All these courses employ current practice competencies. Nonetheless, the specificity is dependent on the educational institution that the nurse chooses to attend (Rapley, Davidson, Nathan, and Dhaliwal, 2008). The basic requirements for this educational program are a degree or diploma in nursing; meaning, one must be a Registered Nurse (RN); and they must have a license.
Besides Post-RN BScN, a registered nurse can pursue a master’s program in the field. It advances training and equips the individual with skills to improve the quality of their nursing practice. It is called Master of Science Nursing (MSN). It is a program that takes between two and five years, depending on the flexibility of the nurse. Typically, nurses that are pursuing an MSN have four choices. They are Nurse Practitioner (NP), Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). According to Pennbrant, Nilsson, Öhlén and Rudman (2013), the RN can decide to take the four programs jointly or take one of them in tandem with another master’s degree. The choices available are MSN/MPH (MSN with master’s in public health), MSN/MBA (MSN with a master’s in business administration), and MSN/MHA (MSN with master’s in health administration). The education programs typically take between two and five years (Watkins, Hart, and Mareno, 2016). The time for competition is dependent on the flexibility and study program that the nurse implements; plus their working schedules.
Maintaining a nursing license is different among the various states. The requirements vary. However, the federal framework demands that an RN must renew their nursing licenses after every two years (Watkins, Hart, and Mareno, 2016; and Zerwekh and Garneau, 2014). To qualify it, the nurse must have at least 30 contact hours, 30 hours of professional nursing, and 320 hours of nursing employment (Watkins, Hart, and Mareno, 2016; and Zerwekh and Garneau, 2014).
Conclusion
Nursing is a field that requires continuing education to sharpen knowledge and skills and stay in touch with innovations and practices. It is both an art and science. Practicing nurses or registered nurses (RNs) have several educational programs available for them for the advancement of their education. They are a Post-RN Bachelor of Nursing Degree program (Post-RN BScN) and Master of Science Nursing (MSN), which has choices that include Nurse Practitioner (NP), Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). Finally, a nurse must renew their license after every two years.
- Pennbrant, S., Nilsson, M. S., Öhlén, J., & Rudman, A. (2013). Mastering the professional role as a newly graduated registered nurse. Nurse Education Today, 33(7), 739-745.
- Rapley, P., Davidson, L., Nathan, P., & Dhaliwal, S. S. (2008). Enrolled nurse to registered nurse: Is there a link between initial educational preparation and course completion? Nurse Education Today, 28(1), 115-119.
- Watkins, C., Hart, P. L., & Mareno, N. (2016). The effect of preceptor role effectiveness on newly licensed registered nurses’ perceived psychological empowerment and professional autonomy. Nurse Education in Practice, 17, 36-42.
- Zerwekh, J. A., & Garneau, A. Z. (2014). Nursing today: Transition and trends. New York: Elsevier.
- Ó-Lúanaigh, P. (2015). Becoming a professional: What is the influence of registered nurses on nursing students’ learning in the clinical environment? Nurse Education in Practice, 15(6), 450-456.
