Long before the rapid spread of COVID-19, the United States was facing a severe nursing shortage, and this brutal illness has only increased the need for new nurses to enter the workforce. The three biggest reasons we are faced with such a drastic shortage are:
- Boomers: By the year 2030, all Baby boomers will be over the age of 65, meaning we will be seeing the largest senior population the United States has ever had.
- Retirees: Over 50% of current, practicing nurses are nearing retirement, creating thousands of job openings around the country at a rate we almost can’t keep up with. Not only will the positions left open by retiring nurses need to be filled, but the constantly changing world of medicine is always creating new and necessary specialties and career opportunities for nursing students to explore.
- Availability: Due to the growing number of retiring nurses and nursing educators, the field of nursing has taken a serious hit to the number of available nursing staff and programs able to accept new students, ultimately making many nursing programs a more competitive and harder to get into.
We understand that these three factors may make you shy away from pursuing a degree in nursing. Here, we’re going to talk about the classes you can take in preparation for nursing school, prior to obtaining your Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), giving you a competitive edge that can put you over the top.
(Psst—you can even start taking some of these classes during high school!)
One of the most beneficial things you can do to boost your career opportunities is to get certified. For instance, all nurses are required to complete certain courses and certificate programs, like the Basic Life Support (BLS) certification course, but obtaining more specialized certificates, like a Pediatric Advanced Life Support certification (PALS), prior to actually enrolling in a nursing program gives you a leg up on some of your fellow nursing school applicants.
A PALS certification or even PALS recertification (be sure to keep up with those recerts!) means that you are qualified to provide life-saving care to infants and children. Now, whether or not you actually decide to specialize in pediatrics doesn’t really matter, regardless of your specialty, you have already met some of the qualifications necessary to provide life-saving care to some of the trickiest patients.
Take advantage of certification courses made available to you because they can help you to address your potential weaknesses as a nurse, before ever working with a patient. Even if you think you’ve found your nursing-calling, it’s important for you to step out of your comfort zone and take some courses in the things that really freak you out.
Protip: If you’re already working in a hospital while working toward your degree, they might even pay for you to attend certification courses or offer them for free. And when you are finally ready to enroll in classes, ValueColleges is there to answer just about any question you could throw at them. They are your handy guide to obtaining your nursing degree in the most financially responsible way possible, without having to sacrifice the quality and integrity of your education!
It might seem kind of crazy, but not all of your courses need to be patient-oriented. It’s also important to take classes that genuinely interest you and can be useful to you in other, non-work-related situations, like a stress management program or even public speaking. Make your education work for you.
