Nursing Profiles

Nursing Career Info

Featured Article

Demand for Nurses
Nurses may be the most in-demand health care position in the country.

Nursing Articles

Nursing Schools by State

Featured College

Kaplan University
Kaplan University has a well respected nursing program for students looking to obtain their degree online. Kaplan is an accredited university with a history of placing students in high-growth nursing careers.

Featured Program

LPN to BSN
University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and offers nursing degrees at affordable prices.

What Is Nursing?

Nurses are on the front lines of the health care delivery team. They independently assess and monitor patients, and taking a holistic approach, determine what patients need to attain and preserve their health. Nurses then provide care and, if needed, alert other health care professionals to assist. Thus, nurses coordinate care delivery by physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, physical therapists and others. Nurses assess whether care is successful. If not, they create a different plan of action.

One of the most important roles of the nurse is to be a patient advocate–to protect the interests of patients when the patients themselves cannot because of illness or inadequate health knowledge.

Nurses are patient educators, responsible for explaining procedures and treatments. For instance, nurses teach patients and their families how to eat in a healthier way, take medicines, change wound dressings, and use health care equipment.

Nurses empower patients, guiding them toward healthy behaviors and support them in time of need. When patients are able, nurses encourage and teach them how to care for themselves. Nurses provide physical care only when patients cannot do so for themselves.

As patients near the end of their lives, nurses provide dignity in death by advocating for sufficient pain medication and the opportunity to die at home to allow them to spend meaningful time with family members in their final days.

Hospital nurses are responsible for discharge planning, deciding together with other health professionals when patients can go home, and helping patients adapt to their conditions and work toward full recovery.

Nurses, especially those working in community settings, work to prevent illness through education and community programs designed to decrease transmittable illnesses, violence, obesity and tobacco use, and provide maternal-child education–to prevent some of the leading health problems of our time.

Top Nursing Colleges

University of Phoenix - Certification & Associate's Degree.
University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and offers nursing degrees at affordable prices. Phoenix allows students to practice what they learn with hands on teaching methods.

Herzing University - Associate's & Bachelor's Degrees.
As the of the most well-known online universities, Herzing University has prepared numerous students for nursing careers. Flexible and affordable online nursing classes are available.

Kaplan University - Certification, Associate's & Bachelor's Degree.
Kaplan University has a well respected nursing program for students looking to obtain their degree online. Kaplan is an accredited university with a history of placing students in high-growth nursing careers.

South University - Certification & Bachelor's Degree.
South University is one of the most respected names in online colleges and provides a variety of nursing degree plans. South University makes it possible to earn your entire nursing degree online.

Virginia College - Associate's & Bachelor's Degrees.
Challenging students to be the best student they can be, Virginia College has a large diverse community. A variety of healthcare programs are available at their campus locations or online.

Western Governors University - Bachelor's & Master's Degrees.
At Western Governors University, students will learn the valuable knowledge and practices needed to succeed in the nursing field. The university accepts first time students or working professionals.

Baker College - B.S. in Nursing.
With a variety of online healthcare degrees, Baker College updates their educational curriculum to keep up with the standards of today. Students attending this college will be equipped with the skills and practices needed to become confident medical professionals.

Keiser University - B.A. in Health Services Administration.
Equipped with qualified instructors, Keiser University helps students gain top-notch education in the healthcare field. Keiser gives students the opportunity to complete their nursing degree completely online, allowing them to learn from the comfort of their own home.

Indiana State University - Bachelor's Degree.
Offering upper level nursing degrees, Indiana State University educates students with interactive nursing programs. Indiana State challenges students with a dynamic learning curriculum in a variety of nursing degrees.