I want to be a nurse, but I'm concerened...?

I want to be a (medical) nurse, so first and foremost, what is the difference between a regular nurse and a registered nurse? How many years does it take to become one? Starting salary? Easy hire? I'm only 19, and have a part-time job, is becoming a nurse expensive? Email me at RuthTeen@yahoo.com if you have more thorough answers...thanks

Practical Nurse takes about a year of classwork and some field work also. This is a great entry level oppty but requires sponsorship sometimes from a hospital based training program.

Registered Nurse takes about two years of classwork and a year of field work.

You can also get a Bachelor Degree and a RN which together takes about five years.

Pay depends on geography. Where I live it is about $32,000 for Practical Nurse, $45,000 for beginning RN, and with bachelors about $55,000. But the big money is most jobs offer a lot of overtime, particularly at the lower end. In other words let the Practical nurse do a lot of the RN duties and save money. RNs can pass medications. So can Practical Nurses in some states but not others.

The best thing you can do is contact a local college and ask them.
Each state has a different set of requirements for such things.
As for costs, well everything is expensive these days.
Try to get some kind of tuition assistance program.
You my fall into a tax bracket that might be beneficial to you.

Check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook, an online government publication that's all about careers. Type "nursing" in the "Search the Handbook" field.

You'll get information about the different types of nursing jobs, pay, education requirements, and a lot of other stuff.

Good luck!

Check with collages in your area, google nursing schools in your area.

I wanted to be a nurse too, so I started out as a nursing assistant now I'm not sure if this field is for me. Traveling nurses make good money they start out at $60,000 depending where you work. Nursing is a stressful job but it is rewarding. Nursing is in high demand so you know it's a safe field to go into.