The best nursing colleges are committed to provide top quality nursing programs to students who wish to become nursing practitioners, registered nurses and nursing specialists. Working along with surgeons, doctors and other healthcare professionals, nurses provide healthcare to both individuals and communities. Nurses can earn more if they have specialization in nursing.
Overview of Nursing Programs
Accredited online nursing colleges are highly beneficial for people who are already working and seeking to earn a higher nursing degree. Authentic online nursing degree empowers students to grow further in professional nursing. Most of the online nursing colleges offer undergraduate and graduate programs.
Undergraduate Nursing Programs
Nursing Diploma
This is the most popular program offered by most online nursing colleges. Depending on the institution, the duration of course ranges from one year to three years. This program prepares students to work in entry level nursing programs. The topics of this course include:
- Clinical practice,
- Introduction to patient care,
- Elements of patient care,
- Nursing informatics,
- Basic pharmacology,
- Psych nursing,
- Psychology/Sociology,
- Lifespan nursing concepts such as infants, children, adults, geriatrics and family, etc
Mostly diploma in nursing is undertaken by hospitals and you will get opportunities to spend more time in clinical practice and patient care.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Programs
This is an entry level course and you will be eligible for appearing NCLEX-PN examination after the successful completion of this course. The responsibilities of LPN vary from state to state. They are trained to do some basic patient care and dispensing some medications. Generally, community colleges, vocational nurse training schools, etc are providing training in LPN. You can also enroll in online nursing colleges for getting this degree. Curriculum of LPN includes:
- Basic nursing,
- Introduction to pharmacology,
- First aid,
- Anatomy and physiology,
- Psych care,
- pediatric care,
- Geriatric care,
- Diet and nutrition,
- IV Therapy, etc.
After the completion of LPN program you can enroll in RN licensure program for getting a highly paid job in nursing.
Associate Degree in Nursing
This is the most popular undergraduate nursing program and the minimum duration of this course is two years. This program is mostly career centric and you can enroll in evening courses or online courses for getting this degree. This is also skill centered nursing program and the coursework of this program include:
- Human anatomy and physiology,
- Psychology,
- Anthropology,
- Microbiology,
- Basic pharmacology,
- Practical training in various nursing clinics, etc.
After the successful completion of this course, will be able to undertake responsibilities such as making patient’s bed, analyzing normal abnormal breathing sounds, nursing nomenclature, analyzing heart sounds, catheres, tube feeding systems, administering medicines, etc.
Bachelors of Science in Nursing Degree
Most of the best nursing schools and colleges offer bachelor’s degree in nursing to the students. This is a four year course and it is organized by medical universities and community nursing schools. The curriculum of Bachelors of Science in Nursing Degree includes:
- Anatomy and physiology,
- Nursing research,
- Nursing theory,
- Overview of community, geriatric, family and psych,
- Basic pharmacology,
- Math for medicine,
- Life span,
- Nutrition and diet,
- Nursing assessment,
- Statistics,
- Psychology/ Anthropology,
- Microbiology, etc.
The students also need to study subjects such as English, literature, art, history, social sciences and physical education as a part of their course. You should also undergo clinical training during this nursing program.
Graduate Nursing Programs
The best nursing schools also conduct Masters, Doctoral and Post Masters nursing degree programs to students. They are:
Masters of Science in Nursing
This is an advanced course in nursing practice and you will be specialized in leadership/administration, midwife, anesthesia, public health, case management, etc after the completion of this course. You should enroll in the best nursing colleges for earning this degree. You can also enroll in online nursing colleges for attaining this degree. The topics coming under most Masters of Science in Nursing degrees include:
- Advanced nursing theory,
- Pharmacology,
- Issues in nursing,
- Informatics,
- End of life care,
- Ethics,
- Evidence based research, etc.
PhD Nursing Degree Programs
The best nursing colleges are also conducting campus based and online nursing doctorate programs to the students. Studying in online nursing colleges will be more convenient for students because they need not compromise with their present jobs. After the completion of this course, you can work as director of nursing research, nurse scientist/lead researcher, nurse faculty/PhD professor, director of nursing clinical research, director of nursing education, etc.
Nursing Post Masters Programs
Accredited online Nursing Post masters Programs are very popular among students. Most of the nursing schools offer highly educated faculty to students. Common Post Masters certification programs include:
- Nurse educator,
- Nursing informatics,
- Occupational/Environment nursing
- Leadership/administration,
- Family therapy,
- Community/Public health,
- Mental health nursing, etc.
Some Best Nursing Colleges
There are lots of nursing schools and colleges provide high quality training to the students. Here are some of the best nursing colleges, which offer online and campus based training to the students.
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD
This is one of the top ranked nursing schools and it offers various courses such as bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing.
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA
This is a private research school and it offers online nursing programs as well to the students. The college undertake various undergraduate and graduate nursing degree programs. Students of graduation in nursing need to study topics such as family health, pediatrics, gerontology, nurse mid-wifery, women’s healthcare, mental health care, psychiatry, etc. Other best nursing schools are:
- University of Washington in Seattle, WA,
- University of California, San Francisco,
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
- Duke University,
- Oregon Health and Science University,
- University of Pittsburgh,
- Yale University, New Haven,
- University of Iowa,
- Rush University, Chicago,
- University of Virginia, etc.
These are some of the best nursing colleges and they offer training in various graduate, undergraduate, masters nursing degrees to the students. Before selecting online nursing schools, you should ensure that the courses of such colleges are accredited by state or nation.