A day in the life of a registered nurse typically involves working 12 hour shifts for three days a week. Registered nurses complete tasks such as checking vitals and administering medication. One of the most important parts of the job is interacting with each patient.
“Really, they’re the individuals that are just the compassionate front-line caregivers to those who need to be admitted into the hospital,” said Catherine Kelley, Valley Health Director of Talent Acquisition.
In order to become a registered nurse, you’ll need to obtain certain educational requirements. Nurses can either complete an Associates or Bachelor’s degree and will need to pass a state exam to become registered.
The median yearly salary for a registered nurse is around $68,000. New workers start around $50,000 and highly experienced workers earn up to $95,000.
So why is this a career in demand? That’s because of a national nurse shortage due to a low supply of nursing educators.
“There are not enough educators….to put individuals into the programs fast enough to kind of pop them out on the other side if you will,” said Kelley.
For more information on how to become a registered nurse, you can visit Lord Fairfax Community College’s website: https://lfcc.emsicc.com/careers/registered-nurse?region=Middletown,%20VA&radius=25%20miles