Top Resources for Future and Career Nurses

Understanding Accreditation

---

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is the accreditation branch of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. It oversees nursing programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate levels. You’ll want to choose a nursing school or program that is accredited by this party or by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). For those who attend two-year nursing programs, accreditation through the Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing is ideal.

You also want to make sure the school you plan to attend has regional accreditation. Regional accreditation is handled by several different agencies:

These entities oversee the accreditation for colleges and universities across the country. And it’s very important that you choose a school that is accredited. Otherwise, you might not be allowed to sit for certification exams or be dismissed by future employers, which would mean that all your work was for nothing.

Financial Aid for Future Nurses

---

Most students can’t whip out their checkbook (or debit card) and write a check for their full tuition. Generally, a nursing student needs financial help to pay for their education. This help can take the form of various kinds of aid: grants, loans, and scholarships.

Grants are the best option for financial aid because students will at no point need to pay them back. They are most often given to those who can prove financial need. Students who do need grants to help pay for school can find them in a variety of ways. The Federal Pell Grant is available to all undergraduate students who meet the income guidelines and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Other grants are also available and are often based on the occupations, organizations, or military service of either the students or parents. Your guidance counselor or college advisor can assist with finding grants that could help you.

If grants aren’t enough to get you through, there are loans available. Student loans are provided by the Federal government or private lenders. Loans that are from the government are often based on income and need; the qualifications are less stringent than those for a private loan. Unlike grants, students are required to pay back loans. However, while the student is still enrolled in school the loans may be deferred, which means no payments are required.

The final option is scholarships. There are many different scholarship opportunities for students with good grades and an excellent essay. Like grants, your advisor or counselor will have a listing of nursing scholarships that might fit your needs.

Nursing Associations for Students

---

There is strength and safety in numbers. Students enrolled in healthcare majors should have organizations that represent them and protect their rights, as well as supporting ongoing research and even offering scholarships and grants of their own. That’s the main mission of the organizations listed below.

Student or Open Access Journals

---

Nursing students do a lot of reading. Part of this should be journals and magazines that cater to working professionals. Reading nursing journals while still a student is a good practice to start. These publications provide needed information for working nurses, such as where to find continuing education credits, job openings, and what’s going on in the world of medicine and nursing. Here is a list of journals students can read.

Nursing Study Resources

---

In the old days, nursing students spent hours in a library poring over medical journals and magazines looking for the information they needed. But now, with the Internet and smartphones, all the information a nursing student needs is literally in the palm of their hands. Here are some online resources to help you navigate the adventure that is nursing school.

Popular Apps

---

There is pretty much an app for anything and everything. For those studying to become nurses, this concept still applies. Apps can make finding time to study and learn easier. Now, instead of zoning out while commuting back and forth to school, a student can use a study app to keep up with coursework. When the time comes to start preparing for certification exams, there’s an app that provides quizzes, flashcards, and other information. And of course, all students love apps that help to keep them organized. Here are some examples of apps that will make you wonder how you got along without them.

Nursing Certification Options

---

There are close to 200 different nursing certification options. The certifications you choose to pursue will depend on the area of expertise in which you choose to work. There are certifications focused on geriatric or pediatric care, intensive care, emergency and trauma, acute care, and many other areas. It’s quite possible and accepted for a nurse to have several certifications. Each certification has its own requirements including education requirements, testing requirements, and internships. Specific education and work experience might also be a requirement for some certifications, and in some cases, a certification in another area might be a requirement for an upper-level certification.

Some of the more popular certifications include:

Certification Study Resources

---

After years of classroom training as well as hands-on experience via internships, the time to take the certification exam to gain licensure has arrived. Whichever certification test you choose, you can be sure it’s going to be difficult and you should be prepared for. Finding a good study guide and practice test for your chosen exam will help prepare you to pass the exam the first time around.

The best way to find the right practice and study materials is to visit the site that matches your desired certification. We’ve listed some examples below.

Job Boards

---

When you’re ready to start looking for a nursing job, a good place to start, especially if you’re willing to relocate, is with the job boards. Fortunately, you don’t have to depend on generic job boards such as Monster or Indeed. There are several boards that cater specifically to nursing or healthcare jobs.

Here are some sites where you can begin your search for nursing jobs:

Professional Nursing Associations

---

Professional associations are important for a person’s growth in their industry. Nursing associations help nurses stay in tune with the happenings in their field. These publications also link nurses with places and organizations that offer educational opportunities and chances for nurses to communicate with each other. Learning the newest techniques and methods in the nursing field helps nurses provide the best care possible while reminding them why they entered the profession in the first place.

Popular Nursing Journals

---

Nurses read journals for a variety of reasons, from keeping up with what’s new to finding out who is offering continuing education credits. They’re also a good way to connect with others in the field, something that comes in handy when you’ve been working a lot of hours and are wondering if it’s worth it. Knowing others are dealing with the same issues makes situations more bearable. We’ve listed a few of the more popular journals nurses read on a regular basis below. Please keep in mind this is far from an exhaustive list of every publication at your disposal. Some journals are stand-alone publications, while others are connected with a professional organization.