Obviously the purpose of nursing school is to make sure that the aspiring nurse has the necessary skills and qualifications to be able to handle the responsibilities of a professional nurse. In nursing school, students learn how to carry out important procedures such as placement of IVs and catheters; gain important knowledge about various medical subjects such as how to monitor patients' vital signs and calculate doses of medication; and receive exposure to a variety of different clinical training sessions.
Nursing schools come in different types. The vast majority of nursing schools exist within colleges or universities. Training for registered nurses, the most common type of nurse, occurs either in a community college via an associate degree program (the minimum education required for a registered nurse) or in a university via direct entry into a program for a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). Many university-based nursing schools also have bridge programs designed for registered nurses who already have an associate degree but wish to attain a BSN. Any nurse who wishes to work for a master's degree or higher, such as nurses who wish to become nurse practitioners, will need to attend a graduate level nursing school in a university.
Training programs for nurses who wish to become licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are usually found in community colleges or vocational schools. In some cases individual hospitals or health care facilities may run accredited nurse training programs for LPNs, but this is less common.
The time frame for nursing school depends on the level of licensure that the student wishes to attain. The lowest level of licensed nurse, not counting nursing assistants, is the licensed practical nurse -- and most certification programs for LPNs are at least nine months long and more commonly 12-18 months for full-time students, but students may need to spend at least one or two semesters taking prerequisite courses as well. RNs who wish to enter the profession with an associate's degree need to spend at least two years in nursing school as full-time students, but they may need to spend a full year or longer taking prerequisite courses. A BSN degree takes about four years for a direct entry student but a bridge program for licensed Registered Nurses may be as little as a year or two in length.
Master's degree programs for nurses wishing to attain higher levels of licensure or to qualify for advanced positions, such as working in research or faculty positions, will need to spend around two years in a graduate-level nursing school.
As stated above, nearly all nursing schools require prerequisite courses. The specific courses vary by the school and prospective students should always check the exact requirements of the schools they wish to attend, but most RN-level nursing schools require some variation of the following: cell biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, general psychology, English, proof of math proficiency, and possibly a cultural awareness course.
With the increasing interest in the nursing profession, some nursing schools are overwhelmed with applications every semester and thus admission can be competitive. It behooves would-be nursing students to achieve as high grades as possible. Some nursing schools also will use additional factors in admission decisions such as prior experience in the health care profession (such as being a certified nursing assistant) or having letters of recommendation from previous employers or professors, and they also may require pre-admission interviews.
There are an increasing number of nursing schools that offer online degrees. Many of these programs are legitimate such as the one offered by Excelsior College, but it is always a good idea to research the accreditation status of any nursing school you are considering with particular emphasis on these online nursing schools. Although accredited online nursing degrees can lead to licensure without problems in some states, other states do not recognize these online nursing degrees at all, and still others will have additional requirements (such as a supervised clinical internship) of any student wishing to seek licensure after receiving an online degree. Always check with the board of nursing in the state where you hope to work for the details if you are considering using an online nursing school.