The USMLE assesses a physician’s ability to apply knowledge, principles, and concepts, and to determine fundamental patient-centered skills that are important in disease and health and that constitute the basis of effective and safe patient care. Examination committees composed of medical educators and clinicians from across the United States and its territories prepare the examination materials each year.

Students and graduates of U.S. or Canadian medical school programs accredited by the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education), leading to the M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree, or by the AOA (American Osteopathic Association), leading to the D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) degree, register for Step 1 and Step 2 of the USMLE with the NBME.

Students and graduates of medical schools outside the Canada or United States register for Step 1 and Step 2 with the ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates). Graduates of medical schools in and outside the United States and Canada register for Step 3 with the FSMB or with a medical licensing authority in the United States. Each of the three steps of the USMLE examination complements the other; no step stands alone in the assessment of readiness for medical licensure. The USMLE program recommends that for Step 3 eligibility, licensure authorities require the completion, or near completion, of at least one postgraduate training year in a program of graduate medical education accredited by the ACGME (Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education) or the AOA (American Osteopathic Association).

If you want to take the NCLEX exam, you have to apply for nursing license from your state board of nursing. Your board will evaluate whether or not you meet its criteria for NCLEX examination. If you are credible, then you must register to take the exam.

You will receive an NCLEX Examination Candidate Bulletin in the mail after you have applied for a license from your state board of nursing. Then You may register with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s testing service by phone, or by filling out a mail-in registration form. After your state board of nursing has verified your eligibility to take the NCLEX exam, you will receive an ATT(Authorization to Take the Test). It will come along with a list of testing centers and instructions for how to schedule an appointment to take the examination.

The NCLEX exam is a quite difficult multiple choice exam which uses an interactive system called CAT (Computerized Adaptive Testing) to gauge your level of competence.registered nurses candidates will answer a minimum of seventy five questions, LPN candidates a minimum of eighty five questions. After you have answered the minimum number of questions, the computer will attempt to access your level of competence.

You will have five hours in which to complete the exam. This includes the time set aside for the introductory computer tutorial and for two 10-minute breaks. The NCLEX examination is scored once by the computer on which you are taking it, and a second time by the National Council’s testing service. It will take about a month for your state board of nursing to mail you the results of your exam.

If you fail the test, your state board of nursing will mail you a diagnostic profile that will outline both the areas of knowledge in which your performance was satisfactory and the areas in which it was not.

Of course, you can retake the test as many times as you need to. But The National Council’s policy states that you have to wait at least 91 days before retaking the test. Individual state boards may impose other, stricter requirements.

The person who wants to become a professional nurse, in all cases, must acquire some education and later tests. Even the CNA(nursing assistant) today must obtain hands-on and classroom education and also seek certification through testing that involves questions with multiple choices and assessment(hands-on and supervised).

Certifications and education are very significant to regulate the quality of nursing profession and not least important to keep patients safe from nurses who are not skilled enough in the nursing practice. The licensed nurse practitioner (LPN) often become a representation of the first steps on the nursing career ladder. The LPN traditionally requires an one-year studying course from a junior college or vocational school as well as usual testing for certification.

Finally, the nurse or nursing student can go on to earn a master’s or doctoral degree and serve as an APN (advanced practical nurse), CNS (clinical nurse specialist) or as a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist) among other nursing specialties.

These nurses either focus on a specific illness, , disease procedure or health care setting, or they can become skilled in a wide range of health care issues, much like a general practitioner physician. Nurses who obtain a graduate degree or higher often work autonomously, in tangent with a physician, or in administrative positions in various health care environments.

The role of the nurse has changed drastically over the past century, and today nurses can find great satisfaction in the choice of roles of increased responsibilities and in health care settings. On the other hand, it’s true that many nurses are often overworked, because of the nursing shortage which is a problem among an aging nurse population. It usually takes approximately two to six years to get viable nursing skills, said nursing shortage can keep forefront demand for nurses for the next decade or maybe longer. After that, it is prognosticated that nursing salaries will increase as rapidly as the demand for nursing skills.

The profession of nurse has a huge appeal to those people who want to help other – sick and traumatized. But it needs to be stated that the nursing means much more— through nursing specialties, person can hone in on an large and important area of concentration that can help many future generations through precise hands-on research, education and observation. These nursing specialties and also their sub-specialties are, probably, more varied than specialities in any other profession.

So, to easily say that you want to be a nurse is surely a very broad statement. The one and only profession that can come close to the wide-ranging perception of “nurse”  is the surgical- medical nurse who provide cares mostly for adult patients, usually before and after surgical procedures. The surgical nurse has, in a sense, represented the foundation of nursing profession, as this area is the hospital practice where new graduates can receive fundamental experience. But, the medical-surgical nurse recently has become a specialty which focuses on holistic care, and that even though nurses who’ve entered the nursing field starting with this specialty have become professionals on one of almost one hundred other focused nurse specialties.

Among other specialities, these are most common and widely demanded.
Cardiac nursing, which includes many sub-specialty areas that relate to patients with heart problems.

Dialysis nursing – provide extensive care for patients who suffer from renal failure or chronic kidney conditions.

Emergency nurses care for patients in the critical or emergency phase of an illness or trauma, but they are not limited to working in a hospital’s emergency room.

Forensic nursing is a relatively new field that combines the health care profession with the judicial system.

Also – Hospital Nursing, IV Therapy Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Military Nursing, Neonatal Nursing, Neurosurgical Nursing, OB Nursing, Oncology Nursing and many others.

Personal rewards, professional advantages and endless chances to help others—the licensed practical nursing field delivers it all. With an desperately expanding  job market and career opportunities which open up in a range of industries, the licensed nursing arena is calling out to those candidates who are really ready to put their minds and hearts to work for those of peop;e who are in need of care.

The LPN (licensed practical nurse) also is known as a LVN (licensed vocational nurse) in some states of USA and as a RPN (registered practical nurse) in Canada. When a graduate nurse enters the  clinical health care field as a vocational or licensed practical nurse, this nurse will have distinct advantages to expanding  their nursing career. This license is needed for those students who want to enter the nursing field within minimum amount of time, yet it will leave room for advancement and further education later.

After earning an associate’s degree licensed practical nurses often take the leap into the registered nursing field. LPN degree, along with other appropriately accredited programs such as BSN  or a hospital diploma, demands a nurse to take the NCLEX exam in any given state

Student with doctoral degree in nursing can expect to get jobs in health research, administration, teaching,  in advanced clinical practice and consulting.

This educational course is quite demanding and can take from three to six years to complete, but in the after match nursing graduates with a doctoral degree in addition to any previous nursing education and experience can expect to be in high demand for many years or even decades as experienced nurses even after reaching retirement age.

There are usually several available doctoral programs that a student in nursing can choose from. The Doctor of Nursing(ND), traditionally requires from three to five years of study with a focus on obtaining the role of the advanced nurse practitioner. The Doctor of Nursing Practice(DNP) is an emergency program that requires a minimum of three years of full-time study. The DNP program prepares graduates for leadership managerial positions in research, patient outcomes, clinical care delivery, and also system management.

Nurse researchers and scholars who choose to focus on theoretical foundations of nursing, further research, and scholarly inquiry usually lean toward the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs which are available to nurses. Also, the Doctorate in Education (EdD) prepares the nurse for being a teacher themselves.

If you are a nurse interested in gaining a PhD  you may do so with help of dual programs as well. Each program is unique and has its own prerequisites, but most of them require that the nurse obtain a master’s  or bachelor’s degree and have some experience in the field before acceptance.

This ASN degree is course which is available to get in two years. Rather than on leadership and management qualities and philosophical courses it focuses on technical nursing skills. A graduate of an associate’s degree in nursing program can become an RN(registered nurse) near the end of course completion and can start working immediately after certification. This degree is also considered the first step in obtaining a BSN(Bachelor of Science in Nursing) degree. This degree is ideal for those who are not capable to immediately afford a full four-year education course.

Even though Associate of Science in Nursing degrees are only available in the United States, students from all over the world can obtain an ADN through online programs. Usually it’s required that candidates must complete one or more preparation courses in several related fields and also provide at least 940 SAT score. Candidates from foreign countries must provide a minimum of five Cs on the GCSE test.

For USA high school students it may be found possible to obtain a nursing education while they are still attending high school. Graduates of these special programs are presented with an Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) certificate, depending upon the institution.

The ADN degree is commonly considered a standard requirement for RN (registered nurses) who seek to enter the clinical workforce as quickly as possible with an lawfully accredited degree. After graduation, it needs to be said, many hiring institutions will require that the graduate pass the NCLEX exam in a given nursing branch after earning the ADN degree. Upon certification and after passing the exam, many better jobs are open to RNs even outside nursing management and hospital administration; that said, in many environments nursing shortages have pushed individuals with a minimal or almost that degree into leadership managerial positions, which depends on experience.

The most common and well-known program  of master’s degree in nursing is the standard 2-year master’s program at a teaching hospital or at a graduate university.

A MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) degree is typically a eighteen- to twenty four-month program which allows a nurse to take a specialization in a particular narrow area, such as, for example, an area of advanced clinical research or training or healthcare administration. Sometimes students who study nursing and want to have wider or more practical education may take on joint degrees in several related fields such as public health, business administration or psychology.

Master of Science in Nursing

Students usually  attend MSN programs with a basic training – after they completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing program, obtained an RN license, and can provide minimum GRE and GPA scores and also document which confirms at least one year of experience in a real clinical environment.

However, there are some alternative ways to obtain an MSN by this method. Several programs allow a nurse with an ADN to earn their bachelor’s or master’s degrees with a single curriculum.  There are also available programs that accept students graduated from non-nursing backgrounds. Each nursing school has its specific requirements, so it’s important to check those schools before applying for a degree.

The basic online bachelor nursing BSN programs are created for all kinds of students, even those, who have no previous prepartion in nursing and require a full program of four academic years. Studying usually includes direct supervision of faculty members, facilities of large clinics and hospitals, schools and health agencies in the community in order  to provide optimal learning experiences for BSN students.

As with other nursing course, BSN education can be full-time,  part-time, and also with transfer options.

For Registered Nurses graduated from another degree programs in nursing  a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program is 2 plus 2 years program.

Bachelor Nursing Degree

As for career prospects nurses with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing  often fill management and supervisory positions in hospitals, colleges , and health facilities.

Nurses provide patient with care and professional help in a huge variety of settings including performing diagnostic exams, monitoring patients’ vital signs, educating patients on wellness and nutrition and giving medications.

A large number of nurses specialize in a narrow specific kind of care. Some of them specialize even in a particular disease or body organ.

Registered Nurse with a BSN can have a claim on leadership positions and of roles greater responsibility in nursing education or health care.

About All Nursing Degrees

1.Student loans
2.Grants and scholarships

There are a number of loans that can be very convenient for your purposes. You can borrow a loan and when your studies are over and you are a well-paid professional you can pay back.

Regarding grants, you should take them under careful consideration, as they abound in the terms of great demand on nurses. Grants are in any case better than loans, for the sole reason that you will not have to pay back.

Here is the list of some of these grants; there are more of them, but these ones will show you the trends:

1. The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Foundation gives a $500 grant to nurses interested in their development. It means that nurses studying to advance in their career have a chance to get this grant. The grant is given if a nurse changes from LPN to BSN, from LPN to RN, from RN to BSN and from RN to masters.
2. The Oncology Nursing Students Association offers scholarships (up to $10,000) for students bachelor’s nursing degrees.
3. Exceptionalnurse.com gives a $500 grant to a qualified nurse with a disability.
4. The Native Alaskan Native American Indian Association awards ten grants $500 each annually.
5. The National Association of Hispanic Nurses offers scholarships.
6. Grants (from $500 to $2000) are offered by the National Black Nurses Association. To get a grant a student is to qualify: to be in good standing, have a full year of school remaining and be enrolled in a nursing program.
7. There are Pell Grants available to students without a bachelor’s or professional degree. In 2007-2008 the maximum grant was $4,310. The grant is calculated according to the program and to the students needs.
8. There are grants and scholarships offered to minority groups’ members. It should be ascertained in each particular case.
9. The National League for Nursing gives grants for students who intend to pursue nursing careers in the areas of research and education.
10. The National Student Nurses Association offers a scholarship program to students enrolled in various types of nursing programs.

Nursing School Grants

As you see there are many grants and scholarship available to students pursuing nursing career. However, you should understand that none of these grants is going to be enough to pay tuition fees to the full extend. Consider the option of taking out some students loans as well.

Taking out students’ loans shouldn’t be confusing as there are ways out of stressful situation caused by paying back after your graduation. Many employers would agree to pay back your loan if you would sign an agreement to work with for them for a particular period of time. For example, in Florida, registered nurses are to be repaid up to $4,000 a year for four years as part of the Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program, in exchange for working at an appointed place with the acute need for nurses.

All states have programs of the kind; all you need to do is to be attentive and ready to use all possible means: grants, loans and other opportunities (such as paying back your student loan through you employer). It will be the financial basis of your nursing student career.