Do I Really Need a Four Year Degree in Nursing to Get a Job?


So many people are retiring now a days! With advancements in medicine, people just are also living longer. For these reasons among others, there has become a greater need for healthcare professionals in the United States today. Nursing is a top the list and is desperately in need of more qualified workers. The Nursing industry has been forced to make some changes to keep up with the demand for more qualified staff. One way the industry has changed is by offering Nursing students more educational opportunities, options, and career choices.

Students are now being given the opportunity to earn an associates degree in nursing. This allows Nursing schools to generate the numbers of new Nurses needed at twice the rate as before due to the fact that the associates degree only takes two years to complete as compared the four year bachelors degree in Nursing program. Naturally there are differences between the associates and bachelors degree programs. These new two year associates degree Nurses however, seem to be more than capable of handling the responsibilities and duties performed by Nurses with a four year degree.

What are the differences between the associates and bachelors nursing degrees? The biggest difference between the two programs is in the amount of time it takes to complete the courses and earn your diploma. Bachelors degrees generally take four years to complete while an associates degree can be realized in just two years. The demands by the health-care industry for Nursing staff has encouraged schools to make changes in order to get more qualified candidates into the workforce sooner. The new two-year Nursing degree program is often referred to as a fast track degree.

The four-year Nursing Degree program will give Nursing students a more well-rounded education. Nurses who obtain a bachelors degree in nursing are required to take subjects like english, mathematics, science, psychology, communication, and others in order to earn their degree. In comparison, the associate degree Nursing program will offer shorter blocks of classes that focus on the ways that history, psychology, communication, English, science, and mathematics relate to the field of nursing.

So, why would students want to spend the extra two years and earn a bachelors degree? Nurses who graduate with a bachelors degree can expect to earn more at first than those who graduate with an associates degree. Most health-care employers encourage their staff to continue with their education by taking classes in their free time and most even offer to pay for it. This is one reason why starting with only a two-year degree seems to make more sense.

Faster training and specialized educational programs will become more normal as demand for Nurses and other health-care professionals continues to rise. The demand for more qualified healthcare professionals will only be greater as our population ages.

A Memory Technique To Help You Succeed on Exams


The memory technique discussed in this article could help you improve your grades when writing exams. The technique is designed to empower the revision capabilities of an individual (aka you). So keep reading.

When writing exams you need to recall large amount of information right on time. It is possible to overuse your brain during the process so here's a technique to help you succeed. What you need to do is create what I like to call an "Information Cloud".

What is an Information Cloud?

For every particular subject/chapter/book you study you need to create a list of important points. This will be your info-map. This list can be enhanced and grow in size as time goes by and you study even more.

When studying for exams you usually need to read something twice or even more in order to understand and absorb the information. So when reading for the first time you can create a basic list outlining the most important things. By nature your brain will be ready to absorb more information easier the second time you read the information. Enhance your list and keep adding information to it. Make sure you take notes about all possible information contained in what you read so that it is available to you through the Information Cloud later.

After finishing your list you can create labels for every significant point and rewrite the list in an ascending/descending order placing the most important information on top of your list. It's better to have a numbered list because otherwise you may forget a label on a line. By writing numbers next to the labels your brain automatically associates the number with the specific label thus, you have better chances of remembering every information contained in your cloud.

After you're finished with all the writing it's time to create an image of your information cloud in your mind. Try to visualize the image of the paper in your mind. Imagine it full of information you've written with your hands. Imagine recalling all information from the cloud easily and effectively.

Recalling information from the cloud can then be as easy as running through a mnemonic in your mind. At the end you will be ready to dominate every subject. Always keep your Information Cloud handy and look at it often to keep the image in your mind alive and kicking.