What is a Nursing Major?
A nursing major trains students to become registered nurses. As an integral part of the health care system, nurses assist doctors, perform medical procedures, administer medications, and communicate with and educate patients, as well as many other crucial functions.
There are several ways that a student can earn a nursing degree.
- Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN). Many positions require or prefer that students have a four-year degree in nursing from a college or university, known as a BSN.
- Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN). These two-year programs are located at community colleges and tend to be more technical than theoretical. Many students earn an ADN first in order to get into the work force more quickly, and then eventually complete a BSN.
- Hospital Diploma Degree. These training programs are located at hospitals and are usually three-year programs. Students in these programs typically also take required courses at a local community colleges. Hospital diploma programs used to be the norm, but they are becoming much less common.
- Master's Degree in Nursing (MSN). These programs allow established nurses to specialize in an area of their choice. It's common for nurses to earn master's degrees, or to do some kind of additional training throughout their career.
All nursing programs are very hands-on and pre-professional. As part of their training, nursing students get real world experience at hospitals, clinics, social service agencies, and other medical facilities.
What Courses Does a Nursing Student Take?
Nursing coursework is fairly similar to premedicine coursework, with a heavy dose of science. Students often also take courses such as psychology and sociology in order to better understand how to relate to patients. Common courses that a nursing student might take include:
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Nutrition
- Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Skills and Health Assessment
- Psychology
- Sociology
Many nursing students take specialized courses in order to work in an area of their choice, such as obstetrics, geriatrics, emergency room care, home health care, or mental health care.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Nursing Major?
The biggest disadvantage is probably just the difficulty of getting into to a nursing program. With all the talk of the critical nursing shortage, you might think it would be easy to get a degree as a nurse-- but that's absolutely not the case. The application process can be rigorous and may include a personal interview. If you are interested in becoming a nurse, be sure to get as much information as you can about the application process and how you can best get yourself in a position to be accepted.
One advantage of nursing programs is that they are so hands-on. What you learn in the classroom will be applied directly to your work.
See also:
Scholarships for Nursing Majors
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