Almost all accredited North American universities and Continuing Education organizations offer a wide range of Nursing Continuing Education Courses as part of their Certificate, Diploma and Degree [Associate to Doctorate level] Programs. These Continuing Education Courses are so designed that any nursing aspirant can join the course of his/her choice by following any one of the programs below. Undergraduate Registered Nurse [RN] to Bachelor's Degree [such as BSN]: This program allows any registered nurse to work for and acquire a Bachelor's Degree. RN-BSN-MSN program: This is a bachelor's degree completion program in which the aspirant can earn credits towards a Master's Degree while completing upper-level BSN coursework. RN-MSN Bridge Program: This program prepares RNs who already have a BA/BS degree in a non-nursing subject area to work for an MSN Degree course. BSN, MSN and PhD Programs: These courses allow nurses to work for one particular degree program. Program Nomenclature and subject combinations are determined by the Continuing Education Organization or the University that runs the program. Some offer courses such as Master of Hospital studies [MHS], EdD in Nursing [Doctor of Education in Nursing] etc. The program routes mentioned above are illustrative and not comprehensive. Getting back to Continuing Education Courses, they are usually short and very affordable. For instance, Wild Iris Medical Education, a Continuing Education organization for nurses, seems to offer, according to its website www.nursingceu.com, courses such as `Herbal Medicine,' a one-hour course costing $10.00; `Chest Pain', 1.5 hours, $15.00; `Endoscope Cleaning', 1 hour, $10.00; and `Post Anesthesia Care Complications', 5 hours, $35.00. According to a recent release by the U.S. Census Bureau, a Bachelor's degree holder earns approximately $1 million more than a high school graduate, and a Master's degree holder earns nearly $1.5 million more than a Bachelor's degree holder in his/her lifetime. "If there's a will, there's a way," they say. There are many ways open for willing people to climb up the ladder. |
