RN Degree programs are highly helpful for those who want to enter in this rewarding and challenging career in healthcare industry. As a registered nurse, your position will be above nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses. You can even work during weekends, evenings, or on-call hours. Mostly, students are attracted to RN nursing career due to lucrative salary and job satisfaction. RNs need to undertake diverse job responsibilities depending on their area of expertise and work setting.

Responsibilities of Registered Nurses (RN)

Before selecting RN Programs, you should be aware of the duties and responsibilities of a registered nurse. As an RN, you must handle various duties such as:

* Treat patients
* Operate medical equipment
* Assisting with medical tests
* Administer medications
* Keep patient’s records
* Public events like blood drives
* Supervise staff members
* Provide support, education, and advice to the public and patients
* Manage and assign tasks to LPNs and nursing assistants
* Provide emotional support to patients and their family members
* Establish a plan to care patients
* Observe and record the medical history and symptoms of patients, etc.

Educational Requirement to Become an RN

Most registered nursing schools offer three RN degree programs to the students. They are:

* Nursing diploma
* Associate degree in nursing (ADN)
* Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN)

The duration of BSN programs is 4 years. It is offered by universities and colleges. Junior and community colleges are conducting ADN programs, which require 2-3 years to complete. Mostly, hospitals are conducting diploma programs and it takes around 3 years to complete. If you enroll in a bachelor degree program, you will get more training in areas such as critical thinking, leadership, and communication. Besides, you will also get more clinical experience if you select a bachelor degree nursing degree program. Any online RN degree program include classroom studies and supervised clinical experience in healthcare facilities and hospitals. During this period, you need to study subjects, such as:

* Ethics in nursing
* Health assessment
* Research in nursing
* Reproductive healthcare
* Public health nursing
* Pathophysiology
* Nursing technology
* Nursing leadership
* Anatomy
* Physiology
* Microbiology
* Chemistry
* Nutrition
* Psychology
* Nursing and other behavioral sciences, etc

Licensure and Certification

After completing your RN degree program successfully, you need to appear for a national licensing examination for getting licensure and certification for working as certified registered nurse. The examination is known as NCLEX-RN.

Online RN Degree Programs

If you do not have time and money to enroll in a campus oriented RN degree program, you can earn a degree through online. Accredited online RN degree programs provide you greater flexibility, so you can handle your personal and professional responsibilities together.

The coursework of online associate nursing degree programs depends on educational institutions. However, the subjects for a typical online nursing program include:

* Human anatomy
* Pharmacology I and II
* Nursing health assessment
* Nursing management concepts
* Introduction to microbiology
* Human growth and development
* Business communications

Salary of RNs

The salary of a registered nurse is determined on the basis of geographical location, experience and education. Nurses must be sympathetic, caring, detail oriented, and responsible. They must be able to cope with emergencies, human suffering, and other stresses. As per Bureau of Labor Statistics,  those who want to become an RN can earn around $79,020 per year. They are also eligible for getting lots of other benefits.