LPN to RN

Everyone knows there is a nursing shortage in America and a developing shortage in many other countries around the world. Some people will say that the reason is that the baby boomers are getting older, living longer due to advances in medicine, and hence there is an increased demand for nurses so there is a shortage. But, we knew that the baby boomers were going to get to this stage many years ago, why have we waited this long?

The reason is, that we haven't waited this long. The prospects of a shortage in nursing has been predicted for a long time, and many governments (both state and federal) have thrown a lot of money at the problem to fix it. But they don't understand that the problem is not that there aren't enough people who want to be nurses, there are many eligible nursing students who are turned away from schools every year. The problem is that there aren't enough nursing instructors because an instructor (who has an advanced degree above the regular nursing degrees) gets paid less than a regular nurse. Once this is solved, everything else will fall into place.

Many people are looking to switch to nursing as a second career because they, like many others, have been laid off during this recession. Some people may just be interested in moving to a better paying career. Nursing has a very bright future due to the imminent shortage which is causing salaries and job security to increase very quickly.

If you are interested in switching to nursing from another career and you have a bachelor's or higher degree in a non-nursing field you can sign up for one of the many programs which will culminate with you as a Registered Nurse (RN). The course would take an average of two years (depending on what major your first degree was in) and preparation for the NCLEX-RN, which is an exam that you need to pass to be a certified RN. The Bureau of Labor Studies ranks nursing as one of the most promising careers in the near future, if you feel nursing is for you right now is the best time to get moving, good luck.