Nursing Schools Near Me | How to Become an RN - Hunt Valley MD

How to Choose a Nursing College near Hunt Valley Maryland

Hunt Valley MD surgical nurse assisting surgeon Selecting the best nursing college near Hunt Valley MD may feel like a difficult undertaking, particularly if you don’t know what to search for in a good degree program. As you may already understand, to practice as a registered nurse, you must receive the proper education and training in order to become licensed. So it is vitally important that you research and determine the qualifications of each school you are thinking about before enrolling in your ultimate selection. Regrettably, too many future students base their decision solely on the price of tuition and the proximity of the school. Deciding on the least expensive school or the one that is closest to your home is undoubtedly not the most reliable way to decide on a nursing program. There are a number of key additional aspects to check out before you determine where to attend classes. But before we delve into that checklist, let’s first go over what the function of a registered nurse is in our healthcare system, as well as the nursing degree alternatives that are available.

Registered Nurse Job Activities

Hunt Valley MD Neonatal Nurse with baby Registered nurses are the most significant occupation in the medical care delivery system. RNs practice in many different medical settings, including Hunt Valley MD hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, nursing homes and even schools. Their basic role is to support doctors in the care of their patients. However, the particular duties of a registered nurse will depend on their job or area of expertise in addition to where they work. A portion of the functions of an RN may include:

Providing medications
Observing patients
Conducting physical examinations
Managing care
Supervising LPNs, LVNs and nurse aides
Informing patients and their families
Maintaining health records and charts

Nurses with a more advanced degree may have more complex job duties and accountabilities. Nurse practitioners (NP), as an example, must hold a Master’s Degree and normally work more independently than their RN counterparts. They can deliver primary or specialty care services, prescribe medications, and diagnose and treat routine illnesses or injuries.

Nursing Degrees

There are several degree options available to become a registered nurse. And in order to become an RN, a student must enroll in an accredited school and program. A student can acquire a qualifying degree in just 2 years, or continue on to attain a graduate degree for a total of six years. Following are some brief descriptions of the nursing degrees that are available in the Hunt Valley MD area.

Associates. The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is commonly a 2 year program made available by community colleges. It readies graduates for an entry level job in nursing in medical facilities including hospitals, clinics or nursing homes. Many use the ADN as an entry into nursing and subsequently attain a higher degree.
Bachelor’s. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) supplies more comprehensive training than the ADN. It is generally a four year program offered at colleges and universities. Licensed RNs may be qualified to complete an accelerated program based on their prior training or degree and professional experience (RN to BSN). Those applying to the program might want to progress to a clinical or administrative position, or be more competitive in the employment market.
Master’s. The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is commonly a two year program after obtaining the BSN. The MSN program offers specialization training, for example to become a nurse practitioner or concentrate on administration, management or teaching.

Once a graduating student has earned one of the above degrees, he or she must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in order to become licensed. Various other requirements for licensing can vary from state to state, so don’t forget to contact the Maryland board of nursing for any state mandates.

LVN and LPN Training

Hunt Valley MD LPN assisting patient There are principally two academic accreditations offered that provide instruction to become either an LPN or an LVN. The one that may be finished in the shortest period of time, normally about twelve months, is the certificate or diploma program. The next option is to earn a Practical Nursing Associate Degree. These programs are broader in nature than the diploma alternative and generally require 2 years to finish. The advantage of Associate Degrees, along with offering a higher credential and more in-depth training, are that they furnish more transferable credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing. Regardless of the kind of credential you pursue, it should be Maryland approved and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or any other national accrediting organization. The NLNAC guarantees that the syllabus adequately prepares students to become Practical Nurses, and that the majority of graduates pass the 50 state required NCLEX-PN licensing exam.

CNA Courses

Unlike some other licensed nurses, certified nursing assistants do not need to earn a college degree. CNA education can be obtained at Hunt Valley MD area community colleges or at vocational or trade schools. The duration of the training can take anywhere from one to 3 months, resulting in either a certificate or a diploma. Within the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act, students are required to obtain at least 75 hours of instruction, 16 of which have to be clinical or “hands-on” training hours. Bear in mind that this is the minimal amount of instruction required and every state has its own requirements. So it’s crucial to make sure that the course you enroll in not only complies with the federal requirements, but likewise those for Maryland or the state where you will be practicing. One suggestion is to contact the health or nursing board for your state to make certain that the education is state certified. As well as the training, each state mandates a passing score on a competency test for certification. Depending on the state, there may be additional prerequisites as well.

Questions to Ask Nursing Schools

geriatric nurse with elderly patient in Hunt Valley MD Once you have selected which nursing degree to pursue, along with whether to attend your classes on campus near Hunt Valley MD or on the web, you can use the following guidelines to start narrowing down your choices. As you probably are aware, there are a large number of nursing schools and colleges within Maryland and the United States. So it is necessary to lower the number of schools to choose from so that you will have a workable list. As we earlier mentioned, the location of the school as well as the price of tuition are most likely going to be the first two factors that you will look at. But as we also emphasized, they should not be your only qualifiers. So before making your final decision, use the following questions to evaluate how your selection compares to the other schools.

Accreditation. It’s a good idea to make sure that the degree or certificate program in addition to the school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization. Besides helping confirm that you get a premium education, it may assist in acquiring financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not offered in Hunt Valley MD for non-accredited schools.
Licensing Preparation. Licensing criteria for registered nurses differ from state to state. In all states, a passing score is required on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) together with graduation from an accredited school. Certain states require a specified number of clinical hours be completed, as well as the passing of additional tests. It’s essential that the school you are attending not only provides an exceptional education, but also preps you to satisfy the minimum licensing requirements for Maryland or the state where you will be practicing.
Reputation. Look at internet rating services to see what the reviews are for all of the schools you are considering. Ask the accrediting agencies for their reviews as well. Also, contact the Maryland school licensing authority to determine if there are any complaints or compliance issues. Finally, you can call some Hunt Valley MD healthcare organizations you’re interested in working for after graduation and ask what their opinions are of the schools as well.
Graduation and Job Placement Rates. Find out from the RN colleges you are looking at what their graduation rates are as well as how long on average it takes students to finish their programs. A low graduation rate may be an indication that students were unhappy with the program and dropped out. It’s also essential that the schools have high job placement rates. A high rate will not only verify that the school has a favorable reputation within the Hunt Valley MD healthcare community, but that it also has the network of contacts to assist students attain employment.
Internship Programs. The best way to obtain experience as a registered nurse is to work in a clinical setting. Essentially all nursing degree programs require a specific number of clinical hours be completed. Various states have minimum clinical hour prerequisites for licensing also. Find out if the schools have associations with Hunt Valley MD hospitals, clinics or labs and help with the placement of students in internships.

Nursing Online Classes

woman attending nursing school online in Hunt Valley MD Attending nursing schools online is emerging as a more in demand way to receive training and acquire a nursing degree. Many schools will require attendance on campus for a component of the training, and virtually all programs call for a certain number of clinical rotation hours conducted in a local healthcare facility. But since the remainder of the training may be accessed online, this option may be a more practical approach to finding the time to attend college for some Hunt Valley MD students. Concerning tuition, many online degree programs are less costly than other on campus choices. Even other expenses such as for commuting and study materials can be lessened, helping to make education more easily affordable. And many online programs are accredited by organizations like the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for BSN and MSN degrees. And so if your job and household commitments have left you with limited time to work toward your academic goals, it could be that an online nursing school will make it easier to fit a degree into your hectic schedule.

Attending a Nursing School near Hunt Valley MD?

Perhaps you have already made your decision to attend a Nursing Program in the greater Hunt Valley Maryland area. If that is the case, then the following information may prove to be both educational and useful regarding the location of your future Alma Mater.

Hunt Valley, Maryland

Hunt Valley is an unincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Its traditional name was based on being just east of Maryland's traditional Horse Country (like the Kentucky Blue Grass region), and the site of the venerable Maryland Hunt Cup championship of steeplechase horse racing and jumping established 1894. It lies just north of the city of Baltimore, along the York Road (former old historic Baltimore-York Turnpike) which is now Maryland Route 45 off Interstate 83. The Loch Raven Reservoir nearby is an important drinking water resource and with its surrounding forested watershed is one of three reservoirs (Loch Raven, Prettyboy and Liberty) established for the City of Baltimore and its surrounding metropolitan areas in Baltimore County since the 1880s and expanded in the 1910s. Located at a latitude of 39.5° North and longitude 76.7° West.

Hunt Valley is the home of AmTote International, Inc., Systems Alliance, Inc., BreakAway Games, Atradius North America, Sinclair Broadcast Group, McCormick & Company, Textron Systems (formerly AAI Corporation), Dunbar (Armored Vehicles), TESSCO Technologies, ZeniMax Online Studios, and Drchrono. It was the former home of Noxell Corporation, makers of Noxzema, before Noxell was acquired by Procter & Gamble in the early 1990s. It was also the former home of KCI Technologies, Inc., PHH and Firaxis Games, all of which now reside in Sparks, Maryland which is a few miles to the north of Hunt Valley. MicroProse, a leading video game developer from the 1980s, was originally based in Hunt Valley. The Hunt Valley Inn is the most popular hotel in Maryland for annual regional Science fiction conventions for fans of the TV shows and feature movies Star Wars and the ever-popular Star Trek and their "Trekkers"/"Trekkies". Over the years it has hosted Balticon, ShoreLeave, Horrorfind, Monster Mania, Nostalgia Con, FaerieCon, ClipperCon and Farpoint.[citation needed]

Hunt Valley is served by the old Cockeysville, Maryland post office, which is also a neighbor of the burgeoning Timonium suburban community, and also is home to a satellite campus of the Community College of Baltimore County in this northern central area of Baltimore County (which has three regular full-size campuses - Catonsville in the southwest, Dundalk in the southeast and Essex in the east). Nearby is the Timonium Race Course which although not as active as in decades past, still has a small amount of horse racing in conjunction with better known local tracks such as northwest Baltimore City's Pimlico Race Course (home of the annual Preakness Stakes, run since 1873 as one of throughbred horse racing's Triple Crown) and Laurel Park Racecourse in the northeastern suburbs of Washington, D.C.'s Prince George's County, Maryland. The Timonium Fairgrounds however are still home to the over century-and-a-half Maryland State Fair held in late August and early September.

Pick the Right Nursing College near Hunt Valley MD

Hunt Valley MD nursing student Picking the right registered nursing school is probably the most crucial step to launching a new career in the medical care industry. There are many variables that you should think about when choosing a nursing school. These variables will be prioritized differently contingent on your existing career goals, obligations, and economic situation. As we have pointed out within this post, it is important that you pick an RN college and a degree program that are each accredited and have exceptional reputations within the healthcare community. By utilizing our list of qualifying questions, you will be able to create a shortlist of schools to pick from so that you can make your final selection. And with the appropriate degree and training, combined with your hard work and drive to succeed, you can become a practicing nurse in Hunt Valley MD.