Jul
hi, I'm going in for nursing next year and i was wondering about whether i should specialize or not. what are the specialties you can get into, and how much extra time in college are they? I'm already going to do 4 for becoming an RN.
thanks
Answer:
Specialties are too numerous to list here, but to start, there is medical / surgical, oncology (relating to cancer/blood), pediatrics, obstetrical / labor & delivery, orthopedics (relating to bones), neurology, psychology, emergency, home health care, hospice, etc.
You can get into any of these specialties as a regular RN with no extra education - hospitals will train you to your specific department and provide education that pertains to your specialty including common conditions, treatments, medications, etc. After a few years of experience, you could earn certification in that specialty by taking an exam.
If you're looking for a higher degree, you can earn a master's degree and become a Clinical Nurse Specialist, which focuses on a certain condition or physiologic group like cardiac or obstetrics, or a Nurse Practitioner, which focuses more on a patient population, like pediatric or geriatric.
Or you could be a nurse educator, teaching in nursing schools or training hospital employees.
You could also become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, performing many of the same duties as an anesthesiologist, and CRNAs generally make the highest wage of all RNs with a master's level education.
Answer:
If you are interested in something like pediatrics, Maternity, Psychiatric nursing, oncology, etc….. you will learn all that you need to on the job. To the ideal of my knowledge, there are no additional courses to take at the undergraduate level.
Now, if you are interested in becoming a specialist or a practitioner in one of these areas, this requires a masters degree and specialized clinical experiences.
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