Nursing Schools
Is nursing school worth it?
Should I apply to join one?
These are questions most nursing school applicants often ask.
What aspects of a nursing career do find exciting, or unappealing?
To answer these questions, you need to conduct a cost benefits analysis.
Such an analysis would involve analyzing the entailed:
- Costs/ Challenges
- Benefits
Nursing Programs
Can all the sacrifice be justified? – the limited hours of sleep, writing care plans, literature reviews, capstones, presentations, etc.
Before you evaluate the different challenges and benefits, it is Important to first understand the various nursing programs available.
Such an understanding would give you a clearer picture on what to expect.
This is because these programs have different demands.
The programs include:
1. LPN or LVN Programs
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) programs are generally short- usually about 1 year long.
Nurses under these programs work under the supervision of a registered nurse.
So, considering the limitations of such a program, is nursing school worth it?
Maybe. Maybe not!
The questions is, “what are the exact challenges and benefits?”
2. ADN Programs
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is another program option for nurses in the U.S.
The program requires between 15 months and 2 years of schooling.
Unlike the above programs, ADN demands that students complete pre-requisite courses before enrollment.
3. BSN Programs
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is considered one of the most popular nursing programs in the U.S.
It takes 4 years to complete and offers endless nursing jobs opportunities.
With that in mind, is nursing school worth it for BSN students?
Only a good evaluation of the real benefits can tell.
4. Accelerated BSN Programs
The accelerated programs are designed for students with a prior degree.
These baccalaureate programs usually take 12- 18 months and provide the fastest route to becoming a registered nurse (RN).
5. CRNA Programs
On the other hand, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) programs equip students with theory, techniques, and knowledge necessary in the application of anesthesia.
They take between 1 and 2 years to complete.
6. MSN Programs
Master of Science Nursing (MSN) programs include different advanced nursing disciplines into one course.
The programs are however in the process of being phased out.
For MSN students, is nursing school worth it?
First, note that the program offers numerous work opportunities.
However, you also have to consider the entailed costs, financial or otherwise.
7. DNP Programs
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs train students in research methods.
They are the ones designed to replace MSN programs, which are being phased out.
The programs required 25 credit hours more than MSN.
They take between 18 and 30 months to complete.
Is Nursing School Worth It?
Is nursing school worth it?
This is one question that nursing students grapple with.
As earlier mentioned, answering this questions requires a detailed comparison between the involved costs/ challenges and benefits.
Costs/ Challenges
Different challenges make nursing school quite demanding.
Your capacity to handle each could be the difference between a successful nursing career and a failed one.
These challenges include:
1. Financial Costs
Financial costs could be a major obstacle in nursing school.
Is nursing school expensive? If yes, how expensive?
Nursing school financial costs vary widely.
Note that depending on the program and college, nursing school in the U.S. can be expensive.
The average costs are:
| Average Nursing Program Costs | |
| Nursing Program | Average Costs in U.S. Dollars |
| LPN | 8,000 to 12,000 |
| AND- RN | 18,000 to 25,000 |
| BSN- RN | 40,000 to 80,000 |
| APRN | 63,000 to 100,000 |
To most, these costs are quite high.
So, is nursing school worth it? Should you pay this much?
Besides costs on one side, what about the benefits?
2. Time Taken to Complete the Course
How long is nursing school?
This is a typical questions asked by nursing school applicants.
It is an important factor in determining whether nursing school is worth it.
When a course takes too long complete, it might become too demanding and therefore pose challenges for students.
As noted above, different nursing programs require different time frames to complete.
So, how long is nursing school?
In most cases, it is between 2 and 4 years.
| Time Taken to Complete Nursing Programs | |
| Nursing Program | Required Time to Complete |
| LPN | 1 year |
| AND- RN | 15 months to 2 years |
| BSN- RN | 4 years |
| APRN | 12 to 18 months |
3. Rigors of Nursing School
You cannot talk about nursing school without mentioning the involved academic demands.
How difficult is nursing school? How much work is involved?
Nursing school is quite demanding, and for two main reasons:
- Fast pace
- Complicated subjects
So, how difficult is nursing school?
Difficulty can be reflected in the number of hours required during study.
On average, nursing students have to dedicate about 40 hours a week to classes and studying.
This makes it very challenging for students will poor focus and determination.
Considering all this, is nursing school worth it? Is it wise to rethink?
Benefits
Various benefits are associated with nursing jobs.
They include:
1. Availability of Nursing Jobs
The availability of nursing jobs is definitely one of the main advantages of pursuing the nursing career path.
How are nursing jobs? How does nursing jobs market look like?
The nursing jobs market is very promising for aspiring nurses.
This is evident in the available statistics that indicate a significant nursing shortage in the U.S.
| Current Nursing Shortage | ||
| Nursing Job | Shortage (%) | Shortage (numbers) |
| Registered nurses | 10% | 350,540 |
| Licensed practical nurses | 7% | 46,920 |
| Nurse practitioners | 32% | 100,620 |
| Nurse anesthetists | 5% | 2.660 |
| Nurse midwives | 5% | 570 |
2. Future Nursing Jobs Market
The future of nursing jobs looks bright.
It is expected that the demand for nurses will only increase in the future.
While average job growth for all occupations is projected to be 2.8% through 2032, the growth for nurses will even be higher.
| Expected Nursing Jobs Growth | |
| Nursing job | Growth |
| Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) | 4.1% |
| LPNs and LVNs | 5% |
| NPs | 45% |
| RNs | 5.6% |
3. Increasing Patient Numbers
The projected increase in demand for nursing jobs is occasioned by the expected increase in the number of elderly people.
These include people 65 years and older.
Age comes with various health challenges that require more attention.
The need for this attention will drive nursing jobs demand.
| Changes in Elderly Population | ||
| Year | 2020 | 2040 |
| Elderly population | 55 million | 80 million |
Nursing Jobs Environment
Job environment is another factor to consider when conducting the cost benefits analysis.
The environment can be determine by two main elements:
- Job flexibility
- Salary/ wage levels
1. Job Flexibility
In the near future, nursing jobs flexibility will largely entail remote work.
More priority will be given to part time remote nursing jobs.
So, how available will be part time remote nursing jobs?
The answer is, “very available!”
These jobs include:
- Health advocate nurse
- Nurse reviewer
- Telehealth nurse
- Case manager
- Medical standards implementation
- Psychiatric mental health practitioner
- Clinical operations coordinator
- Clinical quality program administrator
- Utilization management
- Quality information specialist
- Data abstraction specialist
- Discharge care manager
- Exams tutor
- Nurse coder
- Clinical instructor
Although these are some of the common part time remote nursing jobs, many others can fit into this category.
Indeed, it is expected that in the future, the scope of part time remote nursing jobs will only increase.
Nurses prefer them since they help create a healthy life-work balance.
2. Nursing Jobs Salaries
What are the average nursing jobs wages in the U.S.?
Are there high-paying remote nursing jobs?
Nursing jobs wages vary based on the job and state.
| Average Nursing Salaries | |
| Nursing job | Average annual salary |
| Nursing assistants | $36,220 |
| LPN/ LVN | $55,860 |
| RN | $89,010 |
| NP | $124,680 |
| Nurse midwives | $122,450 |
| Nurse anesthetists | $205,770 |
| Nursing teachers and instructors, postsecondary | $84,180 |
Considering these salaries, is nursing school worth it?
Note that salaries vary widely with experience, state, and institution.
So, looking for high-paying remote nursing jobs? How do you find one?
Which practice do you think suits you the best?
To answer the question whether nursing school is worth it, you can start by considering these entailed costs and benefits.
Is nursing school expensive?
How long is nursing school?
How difficult is nursing school?
Do you intend to seek part time remote nursing jobs?
Are high-paying remote nursing jobs easily available?
You will have to answer all these questions- sometimes even more.
Do the cost-benefits analysis! Determine whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
If they do, then nursing school is worth every penny.
