Nurses perform basic duties that include treating patients under a doctor's orders, educating patients and providing advice and emotional support to a patient's family members. Nurses record patients' medical histories and symptoms, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, administer medications, and help with patient rehabilitation after they leave primary medical care. There are many specializations in nursing, generally based on type of treatment or specialty. For example, nurses may work in pediatrics, emergency medicine, cardiac care, and others. Most nursing programs prefer that students have a Bachelor's degree, which can be in any major, or be specifically a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). Nurse practitioners have an advanced nursing degree, roughly equivalent to a Master's degree in other disciplines. Nurse practitioners can maintain their own practice, prescribe drugs, and do work similar to that of a Physician Assistant.
RN/BSN programs and Accelerated RN/BSN Programs
There are three ways to attain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and become a Registered Nurse (RN):
Each nursing school has its own deadline for application submission. Many have deadlines in February/March for entry into the fall class, and September deadlines for classes that begin in January. Be sure to check with the schools you are applying to for their particular application deadline. Applications all require official college transcripts, letters of recommendation, and often personal statements about your desire to become a nurse.