Within the healthcare industry, registered nurses will be seeing some large employment growth—22 percent from 2008 to 2018—which means that more than 1 million new and replacement positions will be available, according to the BLS. This growth is expected because of the growing elderly population in the United States, the BLS reports. Also, more hospitals are cutting costs by staffing additional registered nurses who are qualified to do work that more highly paid health workers would normally do.
To become a registered nurse, there are three routes you can take: a four-year university program with a bachelor of science in nursing, a two-to-three-year plan for an associate's degree in nursing, or a three-year diploma program from a hospital. Regardless of the path you choose, you have to pass a state licensing exam for registered nurses in order to practice. There are many opportunities to advance within the nursing field, and those with at least a bachelor's degree will have more job opportunities, according to the BLS. To get a bachelor's degree, RN-to-BSN programs are offered through both traditional ground-based universities and online schools. With the online degree programs, clinical work is typically done on campus in conjunction with the online courses. Those who want to become a nurse and have earned a bachelor's degree in another field can attend an accelerated BSN program that usually takes 12 to 18 months, which is one of the fastest ways to earn a BSN. The median salary for registered nurses is $62,450, and the job comes with many employment benefits, including flexible work schedules, child care, education stipends, and bonuses.