Nursing Schools In Oregon: Nursing Profession

If you go into surgery, the highest paid person in the room might not be the doctor. It's more likely to be the person to the side keeping a very careful eye on the anesthetic being dripped into your vein. Called a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, nurse anesthetist for short, this specialty is one of the elite of the health profession and one more highly specialized in nursing school.



There are two more common levels of nurses: ADN (Associate Degree Nurses 2 years of study), and BSN (Bachelor of Science Nurses 4 years of study. Accelerated programs are available for both degrees, especially if you have college credits or a degree in another field. Those with bachelor's degrees can expect to make more money the national average for a BSN is $52,000 and advance to supervisory or management positions more quickly than those with an ADN. In its most recent rankings for the top nursing schools, U.S. News and World Report put the University of Washington in Seattle at the top of the list, followed by the University of California-San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Nursing.



Close behind were the Oregon Health and Science University, one of the nursing schools in Oregon, the University of Illinois-Chicago, the University of Maryland-Baltimore, the University of Pittsburgh, and Yale University. A total of 395 college nursing programs were examined in the ranking process.



The program involves an additional 24 to 36 months of further education, then onto the Association for accreditation. Most candidates gain much of their continuing education through online colleges, usually walking out with an online Masters of Science degree. It should be noted that Doctorates in Nursing Anesthetics are also available with further study. After all this education, the payoff is considerable. Unlike registered nurses, who usually only get state certification, a nurse anesthetist is certified nationally. This means he or she can work anywhere in the U.S. without having to retake certification if they cross state borders. The average salary of a nurse anesthetist is considerable, averaging $150,000. Work shifts usually are made of three 12-hour shifts per week, with the other four days off. The benefits package can also be quite handsome, depending on a professional's bargaining ability.



The University of Washington has partnerships with local hospitals that provide on-the-job training, which is perhaps the most important part of learning to become a nurse. Pick a school that is close to at least one good hospital and has an active training program. Other important factors to consider are research opportunities, nursing board passing rates, and class.