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Kansas RN Certification and Schools - KS
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February 16th, 2010
Nursing in Kansas has been a steadily growing occupation. In the past ten years, employment has grown by an average 2.15% annually in the state. In 2008, there were about 25,000 registered nurses, which is 20% higher than the number of nurses in 1999. Nursing is the most prolific health care occupation. In the Western Great Plane states, including Kansas, nursing accounts for about 2% of all employment. The outlook for registered nurses is also promising. Nationally, employment of registered nurses is expected to increase by about 22% by 2018. Most of the growth will be at physicians’ offices and in home health care. Due to high turnover rates, some hospitals and clinics have had difficulty maintaining acceptable number of nurses on staff. Because of this, more nursing school faculty members are needed to teach enough new nurses to meet demand. Annual salaries have also gone up for registered nurses in Kansas by about 4% annually, on average.
www.bls.gov
Kansas Registered Nurse Education
There are several educational options for aspiring registered nurses:
- A four-year bachelor’s degree program,
- A two to three year associate’s degree, or
- A three-year diploma from a nursing program.
The most common options are the bachelor’s and associate’s degrees. Students of Kansas RN schools study courses such as anatomy, physiology, nutrition, and chemistry. Clinical components to nursing programs usually include special areas such as surgery, pediatrics, and psychiatry. Other standard coursework in the liberal arts will also be required for the bachelor’s degree. Although the bachelor’s degree is the most rigorous and time-consuming of the options, generally more opportunities for advancement can be realized with this degree than an associates or nursing diploma. More time is spent on leadership and communication skills that can prepare nurses for managerial or consulting positions. A three to four year graduate degree may also be pursued for registered nurses who wish to specialize in a certain field such as nurse midwifes or nurse anesthetists. The graduate degree also helps tremendously when applying for administrative positions.
There are a number of programs offered by Kansas RN schools. Moreover, a multitude of online training schools may also be completed. However, one problem with online or distant learning schools is that many do not have a clinical component to them, and under Kansas state regulations, an accredited nursing school must have a substantial clinical portion to its curriculum in order for its graduates to become licensed.
Through campus or online programs, aspiring Registered Nurses in Wichita, Overland Park and Kansas City, Kansas may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including the St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas, Mid-America Rehabilitation Hospital and Wesley Medical Center.