How to Become a Nurse:
Your Nursing Career Guide

You graduated from nursing school. The only hurdle between you and your new professional career was passing the National Clinical Licensure Examination (NCLEX). NCLEX has only one purpose: to evaluate the ability of new graduate nurses—both RN and PN—are capable of providing safe care to patients.The NCLEX is not an easy examination. It covers the entire range of your nursing education. Questions—called test items—are ...

It’s inevitable. As a nurse, you will witness death. You will sit with a dying patient; you will support a grieving family. You’ll cry at times with them, as well as with co-workers and by yourself.One of the hardest aspects of nursing is dealing with death: knowing what to say to someone whose life is ending and how to comfort those left behind. Then there is caring for yourself when death can happen daily, and you’re expec ...

One of the biggest challenges for a new nurse is to learn to navigate through a busy shift. There’s so much to do: patient assessments, passing medications, doing treatments, preparing for procedures and discharges…and that’s without the inevitable urgent events that can happen at any moment. How can so much be squeezed into 8 or 12 hours?Time management is essential from your first day on the job. In a recent ANA webinar ...

You won’t find test items on humor when you sit for your NCLEX. And there probably wasn’t a chapter on telling jokes during your nursing education. Yet humor is one of a nurse’s best tools and an accepted part of nursing practice. Laughter is good for you, your co-workers, and your patients.Humor is a crucial component of life. Every human is born with a sense of humor, and every culture has its own form of comedy. Mark Twain ...

Have you ever heard this: “Oh, so you’re just a nurse. Why didn’t you become a doctor?” Or: “Nurses only do what the doctors tell them.” Or “Nurses are really doctor assistants.” Maybe you have even said it about yourself: “I’m just a nurse.”It’s time for every nurse to stop being humble and self-deprecating. Remember that every year since it began, the Gallup Poll finds th ...

During your nursing education, you learn everything from Anatomy to Z-track injections. One topic that isn’t always emphasized is the absolute need for civility, how important it is when you enter the workplace, and how it can impact your ability to provide excellent care.What is civility?The dictionary defines civility in two words: courtesy and politeness. But in the high-pressure environment of today’s healthcare, we need a b ...

Choosing to specialize in geriatric nursing—also called gerontological nursing--can be a great decision, no matter where you are in your career. Caring for adults who are 65 years and older is both challenging and meaningful. If your perception of gerontology is restricted to administering medications and cleaning up after clients with dementia, we’re here to expand your thinking.The American Geriatrics Society cites studies showing ...

Being a nurse is satisfying. Providing excellent care to clients allows you to combine both critical thinking and compassion. But it can also be challenging; juggling priorities, meeting job expectations, and still finding a few minutes to sit with a client can lead to feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. You’re reading one of our “Nursing Career Guide” articles. Need to practice for your upcoming exam? Take our free NCLEX practic ...

Congratulations on earning your nursing license! You are now a member of an elite profession that involved jumping many hurdles to reach your goal:Getting accepted to nursing school is extremely competitive. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reports that in 2019, 80,407 qualified applicants were turned away from programs. You were accepted! The Nursing Standard and Health Foundation found that since 2006, 25% of nu ...