Nurses are a hot commodity right now. In the US alone, the expected shortage of available nurses is expected to be over 1 million by 2020. Indeed, this lack of available nurses all but ensures a steady upwards pressure on salaries, which are already averaging just over $50,000 per year or higher. The most sought after qualification is the status of registered nurse (or RN, for short). RNs have a significantly higher pay scale and have the freedom to work in more fields of nursing, including military and forensic specialties. In addition, RNs are also in a much higher demand and will find it easier to advance to a more administrative role. If you’re interested in this exciting career, we’ll show you in this post how to fulfill the registered nurse requirements. 

The first step is to obtain some form of formal education. There are two primary types: an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. The associate’s degree is perfect for those who wish to get working in the field as fast as possible. A two-year degree will permit you to sit for the RN exam. However, more and more employers are requiring a four-year bachelor’s degree to become a registered nurse. Thus, if you do choose to take the associate’s route, you’re likely going to want to upgrade that over time to a bachelor’s. The exam itself encompasses a wide range of topics including physiological integrity and health promotion and maintenance. 

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When figuring out how to become a registered nurse, the options are very much like that for any other career. Get a decent education – if you want into the field right away to help pay for your degrees, then go the associate’s route. However, if you can afford it, a B.Sc. in nursing is the fastest way to go (doing the associate’s degree won’t give you full transfer credits to the bachelor’s thus making it longer to do the bachelor’s afterwards).

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