Nursing Employment - Fundamental Steps on Your Path to Success As a Nurse

1Nursing Employment - Fundamental Steps on Your Path to Success As a Nurse So you have decided to become a nurse--or maybe you have had exposure, but you want to expand your horizons in the field. It is an undeniable fact that the 21st-century is the best time in history to become a nurse. Nurses have been in very high demand for years, and the trend will continue indefinitely. Think of it this way: the law of supply and demand dictates that the more demand there is, and the lower supply that exists-the higher that the price will be. Simply said, nurses receive top pay in the healthcare field as well as the overall U.S. job market. Not a believer? Check out the Bureau of Labor's web site and compare numbers.If you are a newcomer to the field, getting your college/vocational education is paramount. Usually, students apply for and receive jobs such as nursing assistants-which generally only require about a year of college and a certification. The certification is on that comes from a school specializing in nursing and/or general healthcare and that has been certified by either the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).Once you are graduated and acclimated to the medical assistant's job, continue your career with the LPN, or Licensed Practical Nurse. Before you are awarded with a LPN, or LVN in some states, you must complete from one to two years of a community, junior or vocational college that is state-approved. From there, complete the NCLEX-PN exam and you have a LPN license under your belt and as gold on your resume.To the Top, Good SirFor those individuals who would like to become fully-fledged Registered-Nurses (RN), even more lucrative opportunities await you. Obtain Bachelor's degree from an accredited college (usually, for nurses, is a Bachelor of Science) and continue studying for your next license. The NCLEX-RN is a nationally required license for all U.S. nurses. This test will examine your core competencies and knowledge of all aspects of patients' healthcare.As you browse online for nursing jobs, you will immediately notice that there are no shortages of nursing jobs available-not by the farthest stretch of the imagination! Many of them require all the licensing, in addition to a set number of years of experience; however, if you are a bright, motivated individual who knows his or her field, much of the experienced is required is sometimes waived. It all comes back to the supply and demand scenario.Incomparable BenefitsBenefits for registered nurses (usually LPN's as well) generally include 401K accounts with full-employer matching, full health coverage as well as dental and tuition reimbursement. Salaries are very competitive with LPN's starting around 30K a year and topping out at an average of almost 50-thousand dollars-it varies widely from state to state. RN's can expect to earn a minimum of 45-thousand. As for the maximum, consider this: the national average for registered nurses (2010) is $74,000. That alone should be a very good indicator of the possibilities with nursing.

LPN Travel Nursing Employment in Five Easy Steps

1LPN Travel Nursing Employment in Five Easy Steps You always wanted to travel the country as a nurse but you don't think that you can do it because you are only an LPN. Wrong! Many people will say there is not jobs out there for LPN travelers. That is not true. Here are some five easy steps that you can do as an LPN to get started correctly with your travel nurse employment!* Ask: Know what you want. It sound pretty basic and silly to most but it is true. If you know why you want to go in the career of LPN travel nursing then it will be easier to find your assignment. So, list all the reasons why you want to go. Really spend a day or two on this one. See yourself already in your new travel assignment. Where are you? What are doing? What does it look like? Are you driving an RV? Get specific. Do you want to meet new people? Discover new things? This is a crucial step. The more specific you are the better chances you will have finding travel nursing employment.* Analyze: Now you that you are specific on what you want it is time to check your resume and analyze what you already have. How done LPN work? What are your specialties? Are you I.V. certified? Make a list of what you have done. NG tubes? Foleys ? Get specific. Grab a skills check list and go over it to see what you are proficient in. Do you work in a Long Term Care Facility, or a hospital? Are you organized? Being organized is essential for a successful LPN travel career. Ask your self questions objectively such as can I handle going away from my home for three months? What about my house my family? List all your to do lists. Utilities costs while you are gone. Plants everything for three months.* Prepare: Now that you have researched what you want, how are you are going to do it, now it is time to prepare. The best way to prepare for a successful LPN travel career is to get your resume typed up with references in order. If you can, get two letters of recommendations and any thing you would normally prepare for as you would for a job interview. TIP: Use a cell phone number or a message number like found at k7.net for recruiters to call you back. Generally after you start submitting applications you will get calls from EVERYONE! You want to weed those out. Some great companies to work with are Medical Staffing Solutions, Right Solutions, and Qshift . They are all LPN friendly and seemed to have better jobs. Start looking online job boards to the area you want to go sometimes companies that need travel nurses will advertise on Craigslist or Indeed locally to save on travel costs. That doesn't mean you can't apply.Generally that AD will state that they are an agency and travel nurses accepted as well. Look on the job boards like Medical Mingle, All Nurses, or Indeed. Talk to LPN travel nurses out there. There is a fantastic website called AbsolutelyHealthcare that is easy to manage and finds great LPN travel jobs too. While your getting the word out or marketing yourself this is a good time to get forward address cards, luggage ready start packing. Pack about 14 sets of scrubs for now. Be flexible when recruiters talk to you . Fill out the paperwork and be as open as you can on where you will go. More specific you the less likely you will get a travel job now. Laid back and open will always get the job. With that said, do not take the job if it doesn't fit!* Signing Up: When you are offered the job, before you go you MUST look over your contract thoroughly. Unfortunately, there are some shady companies out there that take advantage to LPN's and there have been many stories about LPN's getting poorly treated. Remember the contract is the gate to all good travel experiences. Take it to a lawyer or accountant for finally review. Then sign. Majority of your correspondence with companies will be from the phone and fax. Make sure you keep a copy with you.* The Assignment: If you are flying or driving you must carry near you a bag full of at least one pair of scrubs and all your important documents. Take your time getting there and enjoy the experience do not rush. While working be pleasant and enjoy the newness. Do your job and stay out of the politics. The assignment is the reward of all your hard work! Get to know the culture and try new things! Enjoy the experience and take care of yourself. This is what you worked for all your life.LPN travel nursing employment is wonderful career opportunity for LPN's. If you ask yourself why you want to go and analyze your credentials and current living situations it's time to prepare for the adventure! Get signed up and take that assignment!

LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) Job Description - They Perform a Much Needed Service

1LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) Job Description - They Perform a Much Needed Service If it weren't for licensed practical nurses (LPNs), an already overworked staff of registered nurses and nurse practitioners, would find their days even more stressful. LPNs, called LVNs (licensed vocational nurses) in Texas and California can be thought of as those who provide a very personal level of care to the patient.While they normally work under the supervision of physicians and RNs, their responsibilities increase as they become more proficient. You'll find LPNs taking vitals, monitoring in and out volumes, turning patients to prevent bedsores, treating and/or dressing wounds, providing enemas and much more.You'll also see LPNs recording vitals, taking measurements of height, weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration, giving alcohol rubs, helping patients deal with personal hygiene and providing a friendly face and caring heart as each patient journeys toward recovery.In the old-time war movies, you'd see wounded soldiers speak of an angel of mercy (meaning a nurse), and while LPNs did not exist in those days; today's LPNs are the ones helping patients on a day-to-day basis, providing the personal care a registered nurse or nurse practitioner might be too busy to provide.Because state laws vary, you'll find some LPNs administering prescribed medicines, starting IVs, while in other states this may not be part of their job description. Because many patients will finish their convalescence at home, it's often necessary for LPNs to spend time with family members, instructing them in the intricacies of home care for a loved one, providing instructions to family who otherwise might seem overwhelmed.LPNs and Babies: Because policies often vary from state to state, or in a particular hospital, it's difficult to provide a definitive answer LPN's job description, some LPNs would be involved with assisting in the delivery, care and feeding of a newborn.While most LPNs will find they are generalists, meaning their work is in various areas of medicine and healthcare, certain LPNs will spend their time in nursing homes, a doctor's office, or home health care. Certainly LPNs have a place in assisted living facilities or nursing homes where they will assist in the evaluating of residents, develop plans of care, and of supervise nurses' aides.You might find an LPN in a doctor's office or clinic, being responsible for appointments, scheduling flu shots, filing medical charts, etc. LPNs are vital to the smooth flow of the health care profession and without them; RN and NP would certainly find their jobs more difficult. While we've sought to give a general feeling of an LPN's job description, the particulars may be unique to their place of employment.Remember this as you consider your career as an LPN. Doctors and administrators may be at the top of the ladder, but nurses and LPNs are the heart and soul of the healthcare industry.

How to Make a Resume Stand Out - Smart Strategies to Beat the Competition

1How to Make a Resume Stand Out - Smart Strategies to Beat the Competition When seeking employment your resume will be one of the most important tools in your arsenal. I think that many people believe that a resume is just words on a paper however it is much more than that. The resume is your future employer's first glimpse of your skills, therefore you want to ensure that employers can take one glance at your resume and see your skills displayed concisely and efficiently. Your resume should gain trust not provide any source of reservation in the eyes of an employer.Employers typically have tons of resumes to go through, especially in this current job market because so many people are unemployed. They are literally looking for resumes that don't foot the bill so they can easily weed them out. You don't want to stand out in a bad way so ensuring you have no grammatical errors, no missing punctuation, and no crazy claims is the first step to crafting a great resume. You want a resume that is clear, concise, correct and logical that highlights your skills in a way that shows how you would benefit the company.Following the above basic tips will at least get the employer to look at your resume longer than two seconds, but once you're past this point then you want them to actually read your resume. What they are looking for in your resume is how your skills will benefit the company. If you can sell yourself in ways that show how you would be beneficial, then you my child, may just be lucky enough to get an interview.To get the interview don't sound robotic instead you need to start all your sentences with action verbs such as, "provided, implemented, supported, achieved," all these words are great action verbs that should lead into and explanation of how you helped the company. For instance you don't want to just say, "I answered incoming calls", instead, "Provided incoming phone support with 98% efficiency and one call resolution," This gives more details not only does it tell that you handled incoming calls, but it tells that you handled them efficiently and that your customer's didn't have to call back after talking to you. This is what any good company wants to know.The next time you are filling out your resume make sure that you follow these simple steps because they will help your resume get pushed to the top of the stack.

How To Fill Out A Job Application The Right Way-5 Easy Steps To Success

1How To Fill Out A Job Application The Right Way-5 Easy Steps To Success While it may not seem as important as a resume, most people don't realize that a badly filled out job application can be much more costly than a bad resume. A recruiter will see hundreds of application forms, so any that are filled in badly will stand out for all the wrong reasons. These tips should help you avoid problems like that and show you exactly how to fill out a job application the right way!Read through the application before you begin filling it in, and follow any instructions to the letter. While most applications will ask for similar information, they will not all do it in the same way, so it's a good idea to make sure you are following the guidance given. If you make a mistake here, the potential employer will likely think "This candidate doesn't know how to fill out a job application correctly, why should I trust them with anything else?" And there go your hopes of getting an interview!Do a practice run- Photocopy the form and have a practice run at filling it out. This will help you get an idea of how many words you can fit into the boxes etc, and will definitely improve the way the finished article reads.Be consistent. One of the things that people often overlook when learning how to fill out a job application is the consistency of their data. Make sure the form is filled out with information that matches with your resume. If you "stretched" the dates on your resume because one of your jobs ended prematurely, you will need to make sure your application information covers exactly the same dates. A smart recruiter is well aware of such tricks, and finding you out to be dishonest at this early stage can only be a problem.Check it. How to fill out a job application 101-Make sure there are no mistakes! Read through it once immediately after you finish it, and then if possible you should leave it a day or two and re-check it. It's much easier to spot mistakes and other errors when the document is not fresh in your mind, and for this reason it's a good idea to give yourself some "edit time" between filling it out and sending it away.Never volunteer negative information. The object of filling out an application is to get yourself in for an interview, and giving out negative information will only hamper this goal. Try and give all your answers as positive a spin as possible, and leave the lengthy answers for the interview. There are many different schools of thought on how to fill out a job application, but one thing is for sure, it's very hard to use the small space on an application form to explain away any negative information that you have volunteered.As you've seen, the methods of how to fill out a job application can be every bit as tricky as writing a resume, so just make sure you stick to those guidelines and you should be a winner every time!

How to Choose the Right Nursing Career Path

1How to Choose the Right Nursing Career Path If you are thinking of becoming a nurse, then finding a right nursing career path is an important decision you need to make. Once you know what type of career path suits you, it will become your career goal. You need to work toward meeting this career goal by choosing a right nursing degree program that prepares you to kick start a nursing career smoothly after your graduation. At the moment when you deciding you want to become a nurse, there are a few decisions you need to make. You are expected to decide the type of nurse you want to be, either to be an LPN, RN or BSN. Each type of nursing career will need different education level to qualify for. Therefore, once you know what you want to be, you can in-line the career goal with a right nursing degree program. But, what do LPN, RN and BSN mean? And, what are the requirements to achieve one of them? LPN is Licensed Practical Nurse, RN is Registered Nurse and BSN is Bachelor's in Nursing. Generally, these are types of nursing degrees you can choose to earn. The distinctions between these three not only affecting your future career in the area of practice, but they are also affecting the income level and future advancement opportunities. Moreover, each type of degree level has its requirements that you need to meet before you qualify to pursue it and you will also need to meet the certain amount of education in order to complete it successfully. LPN is generally can be completed in a year of nursing schooling after completing of a GED or high school diploma. Once you have graduated from an LPN program, you will be issued with a diploma or certificate that can be used to apply an entry level nursing job. This is one of the quickest paths to enter a nursing career. Many nurses choose to be an LPN while continuing their education in parallel to achieve higher career level. In order to become a registered nurse (RN), you must study for at least two years. The courses in an RN program involve both hard sciences and the liberal arts. In addition, an RN must complete clinical training, the compulsory training to equip you with hands-on experience in nursing. Many students who study to become an RN may take a direct path to complete a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), while other may choose to start their career as an RN and at the same time, they continue their study in RN-BSN degree program to achieve high qualification for future career advancement. Since, the license requirements for RN and LPN are varying from one state to another, you need to take into consideration of the license requirements of the state where you plan to work after completing a nursing degree program. Check the requirements of your selected state, then finding a nursing degree program that meets the requirements will help you to start a nursing career smoothly. Summary Once you have decided your nursing career goal, then choosing a right nursing degree program will prepare you to kick start a nursing career smoothly after your graduation. Amelia Turner, an educational article writer focusing on online education. Visit Amelia at http://www.your-online-degree.info to find out more details information and free resources about the online nursing degree program, financial aids and online education options that can help you to make decision to earn your degree online. Related Articles - nursing degree program, nursing career, LPN, RN, BSN, registered nurse, career goal, career path, Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box!Subscribe for free today!