Nursing

Did you know that only 100 years ago, Florence Nightingale fought to create the nursing profession? Did you know that we are facing a major nursing shortage today? Nursing can offer an exciting career in a growing profession.

Nurses are caregivers, counselors, educators, and advocates who work with clients of all ages. They also need to be skilled in math and science to be successful in providing nursing care.

Educational Choices

Some practitioners in this field are trained as licensed practical nurses. LPNs need specialized education and have to pass a licensing exam. Other practitioners in this field are registered nurses. RNs need to complete a college degree. This can be either a two- or four-year degree, depending upon which program one chooses. RNs are also required to pass a licensing exam. Some nurses pursue an advanced degree, which allows them to practice in specialized roles such as nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, nurse practitioner, or nurse educator.

Education for Nursing at TC3

Students who graduate with an A.A.S. degree in Nursing are prepared to take the state board examinations and become a registered nurse (RN). TC3's rigorous and highly praised Nursing program offers diverse clinical experiences in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community agencies. Graduates have an excellent placement record, finding jobs locally and around the country.

Skills and Tasks

• Provides health care, first aid, and immunization in facilities such as schools, hospitals, and industry.
• Uses interpersonal skills in working with clients and other health team members. Uses math skills to administer medication, orally or by injection, and notes time and amount on patients' charts.
• Uses psychomotor skills while doing procedures such as dressing wounds, taking blood pressure, and inserting intravenous catheters.
• Uses computer and technology skills while working with nursing equipment.
• Uses critical thinking skills needed to diagnose and treat patients. This includes identifying symptoms, designing nursing treatment alternatives, knowing drug properties and interactions, and implementing preventive health-care measures.
• Collects samples, such as urine, blood, and sputum, from patients for testing, and performs laboratory tests on samples.
• Uses knowledge of plant and animal living tissue, cells, organisms, and entities, including their functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Job Titles

• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Nurses' Aid
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Home Health Aid
• Case Manager

Types of Employers

• Hospitals
• Home-Care agencies
• Physicians' offices
• Public Health clinics
• Mental Health institutions
• Long Term Care agencies
• Schools and Universities
• Hospices
• Family Planning agencies

Salary Range

• In 2000 the U.S. average annual salary for full-time RNs was $46,782, and the average for the Mid-Atlantic region (includes New York state) was $45,435. Within New York state the average annual salary for full-time RNs is $47,154.

back to top