Vocational Nurse Degrees
by Nick Robertsnick.roberts@medicahealthcarecareerschool.com
Medical Healthcare Career Schools Columnist
Becoming a vocational nurse can be one of the first crucial steps in your nursing career. While you don't need a degree to become a vocational nurse, you do need training and certification.
A licensed vocational nurse (LVN) provides basic healthcare services to patients under the supervision of a doctor or a registered nurse. These services, depending on the location, may include administering medications and drawing blood.
You can obtain a license as a vocational nurse usually after completing a one-year program in a junior college or a vocational school. Online degrees are also offered by many schools. One thing to bear in mind when you choose your nursing program is to make sure it is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).
You can also become a licensed vocational nurse to work in nursing while obtaining a degree as a registered nurse. Some nursing schools will even give you credits or allow you to skip some courses if you have obtained your vocational nurse license.
The healthcare industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, but that also means that healthcare educators are hard to find and programs have long waiting lists.
Once you have your nursing degree in hand, your chances of finding a job are very good. Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
