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Maine RN Certification and Schools - ME
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February 16th, 2010
Nursing is always going to be a field that is needed as people continuously need quality healthcare and a huge segment of the population is aging and needs geriatric care, where a nurse can also be employed. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation of registered nurse (RN) is current employing the largest amount of healthcare practitioners. Registered nurses occupy approximately 2.6 million nursing jobs with 60% of those jobs being found in hospitals, though there are other locations they can work in. It is a lucrative field to enter as there will never stop being a need for educated and quality healthcare providers.
A fair amount of education is needed to become a registered nurse. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are usually three main ways one becomes a registered nurse and gains their required education. Those three ways are as follows:
- The person can opt to study for a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree through Maine RN schools, which will normally take four years to obtain
- Get a shorter associate degree in nursing (ASN), which will take either two to three years to finish
- Earn a diploma; programs to earn a diploma are offered through a hospital facility and can take about three years to complete, like an associate degree.
If one wants to advance in the field of nursing, they should go for the higher levels of education. Above the bachelor’s degree are accelerated master’s level nursing programs (MSN) that take three to four years, the same as a bachelor’s degree, but the student earns both a BSN and an MSN in that same amount of time.
On the Maine State Board of Nursing website, there is a list of board-approved nursing programs. Some offer associates degrees and others offer baccalaureate degrees. The website can be found at:
Website: http://www.maine.gov/boardofnursing/Board%20Information/rnschools.htm
Continuing Education Requirements/Licensure Renewal for Maine RN's
Registered nurse licenses are renewed every two years in Maine. An application for renewal will be sent to all license holders 30 days before the renewal is due. Statute dictates that the renewal fees will never be more than $100.00 but the current fee to renew as an RN is $75.00.
Through campus or online programs, aspiring Registered Nurses in Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, West Scarborough and Sanford, Maine 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 Maine Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Brighton Medical Center and St. Josephs Hospital.