Arkansas Times

Features

Taking the Pulse of Nursing

The world of nursing is changing. Increased health care demands, nurse shortages, the wave of retiring baby boomers, health care insurance mandates and higher educational standards are all things that weigh on the mind of today’s nursing student. But while the health care field offers its share of challenges, it also provides the opportunity for great rewards.

Finding a Job

A few weeks ago, a group of registered nurses gathered at St. Vincent Infirmary to talk about nursing, and all agreed that it isn't just a job but a profession, and one to be proud of.

Nursing wasn’t always the “profession” it is today, say many of the nurses who started 30 or so years ago.

Why Med-Surg Nursing?

Katy Coston enrolled in college right out of high school but decided her intended courses of study, teaching and music, weren’t for her.

“I knew I wanted to work with people; however, I was completely uninterested in the majors I signed up for,” she says.

It would be about three years before Coston would be interested in trying college again.

“I realized I had to do something,” she says.

Degrees of Nursing

Whether you’re looking to attend school for two years or four, part-time or full, Arkansas’s colleges and universities have a number of programs that will get you on the path to a nursing career. Read about the different nursing degrees below then check out the chart for schools that best meet your needs

Getting Educated

Each student who pursues nursing has his or her own reasons for doing so. Maybe it’s something as lofty as fulfilling a lifelong desire to reach out to others, to help ease their pain. Perhaps it’s something more practical, like job security or a profession that offers plenty of opportunity for advancement.

Funding the Dream

Arkansas’ colleges and universities are welcoming a record number of students with a variety of degrees – two-year, four-year, on-campus and online – fitted to your needs. Whether you’re a recent high school graduate or someone who left school long ago, don’t let financial concerns deter you from pursuing a nursing degree. There is plenty of help available; you just have to know where to look to find it.

Keeping It Real

When Jared applied for a spot in Baptist Health Schools in Little Rock, he met all the requirements and passed the drug test but he was denied admission after a background check. While it might seem reasonable that certain violent crimes can keep a person from achieving his or her dream of becoming a nurse, smaller offenses, like lying, can too.

Silence Can Be Golden

Practical social media advice for healthcare workers from Tonya Gierke RN, BSN, JD, Corporate Compliance Officer & Risk Manager for Conway Regional Health System

Enhancing the Learning

While the nursing student of 2012 will not completely get away from folders, pens and stacks of books, new nursing students are finding learning to be a more hands-on experience than nurses of the past.