Since 1860, when Florence Nightingale was the pioneer in setting up the first nursing school at the St Thomas’ Hospital in London, nursing has been a viable career for people all over the world. The USA followed in 1873, when the Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing was opened in New York City. This school was founded on Florence Nightingale’s principles of nursing and operated until 1969 when it was closed.
From there, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing opened in 1889, and then the Yale School of Nursing opened in 1923 outside of Ms Nightingale’s influence. In 1956, the Columbia University School of Nursing began offering a master’s degree for Clinical Nursing.
Since that time, thousands of nursing schools have operated across the world and millions of nurses have been trained to take care of patients in a variety of specialties by obtaining certifications including:
- Diploma in Nursing
- Associate of Science in Nursing
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Master of Science in Nursing
- Doctor of Nursing Science
In order to attend nursing school there are several pre-requisites including required including math, and English. And you will be required to take several core courses in biology, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology.
Job description – Registered Nurses (RN) work closely with patients and their families. This is an important role and they can notice problems sooner and help to deal with them with their doctor. RNs are usually responsible for performing the patient evaluations, including monitoring and tracking vital signs, IV placement, phlebotomy, and administering medications, and of course, they need to have an amazing bedside manner!
Daily routines for an RN can change dramatically depending on the placement, but overall they are responsible for promoting good health and preventing illness. They work to educate patients as well and help to treat them and support their rehabilitation. They are also usually great at providing support not only to the patient but to their families and visitors as well!
RNs can also supervise other staff including licensed practical nurses (LPN), nursing aids, and orderlies. There are also a variety of specializations that can be taken in nursing school from critical care nursing to pediatrics, oncology, and cardiac emergency.
In nursing school, you can also take more advanced training including: nurse-practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, Certified Nurse-Midwives, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
Some nurses choose to work as nurse educators or as researchers. Some also become forensic nurses working with law enforcement agencies, or working with assault victims specifically or in private clinics or offices.
In the United States, students graduate from nursing schools are then qualified to take one of the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) exams, the NCLEX-PN for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) or the NCLEX-RN for Registered Nurses (RNs).
For this website we will be focusing mainly on nursing schools located specifically in:
Top Nursing Schools – Once you have made the decision to pursue a career as an RN, then you need to find out where the top nursing schools are located to ensure that you receive the best possible education for your new job.
Accredited Nursing Schools – Finding the right nursing school for you is just one step; you also need to ensure that this nursing school has the right accreditations. Read here to find out more about what those accreditations are.
Online Nursing Classes – Historically if you wanted to become an RN you had to physically attend a nursing school. Now there is the option to attend some online nursing classes. These classes have to be taken along with clinical hands-on training but can help with scheduling.
NeoNatal Nursing Schools – If you want to know more about specializing as a NeoNatal Nurse, then here is some more information on these specialty nursing schools and what is involved.
LPN Nursing Schools – These nursing schools will certify Licensed Practical Nurses who are usually responsible for taking vitals, monitoring volumes, treating ailments such as bedsores, and dressing wounds etc.