| Being a nurse has long been considered to be the | | | | Simply put, nursing continuing education is an “earn |
| noblest of professions. In fact, even to this day, people | | | | while you learn” scheme. When working nurses |
| from certain ethnic groups or communities look at | | | | sign-up for nursing continuing education programs, they |
| nursing as the only viable career option. Apart form the | | | | can continue to work at their regular hospitals while |
| tremendous satisfaction it brings from the sheer act of | | | | they improve their qualifications on the side. Most |
| caring for and nursing people to good health, nursing is | | | | Diploma in Nursing holders can thus sign-up for a |
| slowly but surely becoming a lucrative profession. Most | | | | Degree program and work for their degree part-time |
| nurses today in American hospital and private nursing | | | | while working as a regular nurse. Of course, such a |
| homes earn reasonably good salaries. And hospitals | | | | course might be longer than a conventional full-time |
| continue to recruit scores of nurses from all over the | | | | course, but the working nurse need not give up her job |
| world to cater to the demand for qualified nurses. | | | | to pursue her education. |
| But becoming a nurse is not really inexpensive. Apart | | | | Most hospitals in the United States have a tie-up or |
| from the fact that the course itself is expensive, most | | | | affiliation with a college or university that provides |
| nurses have to appear for certifying exams in order to | | | | nursing continuing education. Since the hospital itself |
| get the necessary licenses or registrations that enable | | | | administers the program, the nurses stand to benefit |
| them to become full-fledged nurses. Which is why, a | | | | as they can schedule their rounds conveniently in order |
| vast majority of nurses complete their basic nursing | | | | to accommodate the demands of the course. They |
| qualification (usually a diploma) before they enter the | | | | also prefer hospitals which provide the option of |
| workforce. | | | | nursing continuing education because this is a |
| Once inside, they realize that for nurses with better | | | | guarantee that they will have chances to grow in their |
| qualifications, there are tremendous growth | | | | chosen profession and consequently, earn more. And |
| opportunities. This usually puts them in a dilemma. If | | | | for the hospitals, it makes commercial sense because |
| they quit their jobs to take up further courses of study, | | | | they have a steady pool of nurses guaranteed to |
| they not only stand to lose valuable income, but also | | | | undertake the course. Further, hospitals favor the |
| run the risk of further students loans to pay for costly | | | | nursing continuing education programs because it helps |
| education. If on the other hand, they stay back in their | | | | them retain staff in an industry that is always short of |
| jobs, they may never see a promotion or an | | | | qualified nurses. It makes for better business sense to |
| opportunity for growth for a long time to come. The | | | | retain and train their existing nurses than to find new |
| answer to such a dilemma is nursing continuing | | | | nurses. |
| education. | | | | |