Future registered nurses can gain their required education and training through a hospital diploma training program. Programs typically last between two and three years. Hospital diploma programs are becoming increasingly rare; there are only about 100 such programs remaining in the United States. Students practice supervised patient care in a hospital environment while simultaneously fulfilling classroom curriculum through an affiliated community college or university.
Upon completion of additional course work, some hospital diploma programs offer graduating students associate degrees as well. This is advantageous for students who want to apply their education toward the increased employment and earning opportunity offered by a four-year bachelor's degree; hospital diplomas do not have any credits that students can transfer toward earning a bachelor's degree.
Most registered nurses earn an Associate of Science in Nursing degree (ASN). This two-year degree is offered in community colleges and some universities. Students complete classroom instruction in general education courses and nursing theory and practice patient care supervised by licensed registered nurses. Students who wish to eventually earn a four-year bachelor's degree can transfer the credits earned during their associate degree program.
Regardless of whether they earn a hospital diploma or an associate degree, nursing students need to complete course work in the following subjects: microbiology, anatomy, physiology, psychology, chemistry, nutrition, nursing and behavioral science. Associate degree students will also take classes in liberal arts.
In addition to classroom instruction, nursing students in associate degree and hospital diploma programs are provided with clinical experience supervised by registered nurses. Areas of patient care include surgery, psychiatry, pediatrics and maternity. Clinical experience for two-year nursing degrees can take place in nursing homes, health clinics and hospitals.
The purpose of two-year nursing programs is to prepare students to take the National Council for Licensure Exam (NCLEX). The NCLEX tests recent graduates on the four main areas of nursing: safe and effective care environment, health promotion and maintenance, psychosocial integrity and physiological integrity. The multiple choice test is computer adaptive, meaning the content and difficulty of the test adjusts itself depending on the progress of the person sitting for the examination. Some students finish the exam in as little as 2 hours; the maximum testing time limit is 5 hours.