A lot of young people are opting for nursing programs. Anyone can tell you that being a professional in the health care industry makes you future proof. While most of the jobs are highly affected by recession and other economical factors, the job of a medical professional is rarely compromised. For this reason nursing has become an increasingly attractive career option for a lot of young people.

• Do you have what it takes to become a nurse?

The first thing that you need to do is to ask yourself if you really want to become a nurse. As a nurse you will have a prosperous career but it also demands hard work and dedication. The most important attribute that one must possess in order to become a nurse is that of hospitality. You must be of a caring and polite nature. If you find it difficult to deal with people then nursing is not the right career option for you.

However if you think that you get along with people easily and you can dedicate your time well then there is no need to look forward, a glorious and successful nursing career awaits you.

The next step is to decide what course or training program you will opt in order to become a nurse. Currently there are 3 major courses that are available. All three are of different durations and have varied importance attached to them. The most economical and least time consuming training program is called LVN. It stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse. LVN offers 12 months of academics and hospital training.

A lot of people who want to get in to the nursing field fast opt for LVN. The second is ADN, it stands for Associate Degree in Nursing. Depending on the state in which you are taking the course, its course duration can be from 18 months to 2 years. It is considered as a more advanced and intermediate level training program as compared to LVN. An even more advanced and professional training course is BSN (Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing).

Those aspirants who consider a full college level degree opt for BSN against LPN and ADN. The course duration of BSN is same as that of any other bachelor’s degree i.e. 4 years. It must be noted that irrespective of the fact whether you have done ADN or BSN, the starting income of all nurses is same. However, nurses who have come through BSN training programs are better trained, hence the chances of promotion increase as compared with AND.

• Do I need to study after becoming a nurse?

The answer is yes. Like all other major professions you will be required to stay updated. If you decide to study more after becoming a nurse then it also brightens up your chances you getting promoted. A lot of nurses who have practiced for 3 to 5 years apply for Accelerated Training Programs. Most of the Accelerated Training Programs are designed in such a way that the candidate can study without having to resign from his/her job.

By now it must have gotten clear to you that a career in nursing is a serious one, it demands expertise, knowledge and hard work. As to what training program you are going to join is completely up to you. Think about the time that you can spend on academics and take the budget factor into consideration. Once you have the answers, you’ll be well on your way to a successful nursing career.

Dr. Jean Batist is a professor in a reputed nursing training institution. She loves to blog about different topics in nursing.