Best Nursing Programs for Students with a Medical Background

male doctor with crossed arms and a pensive stareIf you’ve had experience working in the healthcare industry, or are currently working in the medical field and considering other career options, why not look into Florida National University’s (FNU) Nursing programs? With some careers, it’s required to have a specific type of academic training. That is usually the case in most medical professions. When making the decision to go to school for nursing, sometimes a medical background may be helpful to you as you advance your academic studies. If you’ve had experience in the administrative part of the healthcare industry, you will already have some knowledge of medical coding and transcribing, not to mention general office procedures. In short, your work experience in the medical environment plays a big role in starting your academic career in Nursing off to a good start.

Usually, students who enroll in any collegiate program may not have much formal experience in the field they are pursuing. And they’re not expected to—that’s what college is for, to educate and prepare students to successfully work in the career of their choice. Many FNU students have gone on to do just that.

Read some of FNU’s student success stories here.

However, former experience in the healthcare field may be just what you need to help jumpstart your academic career should you choose to enroll in one of FNU’s nursing programs.

With a general knowledge of the medical profession, you’ll already have the advantage of understanding medical references and some terminology. As a result, learning new terms might come with a little more ease as most advanced medical terms might relate to basic terminology.

Other Ways Medical Experience Helps Your Studies

As an FNU Nursing student with a medical or healthcare related background, you’ll already have acquired the knowledge of professional principles and skills needed to adapt to an ever changing healthcare environment. Furthermore, you’ll be able to apply your medical or healthcare related background to your academic studies by effectively using the fundamental concepts, procedures, and practices that you used when working in the healthcare field.

Advantages of Earning a Nursing Degree

While already possessing the knowledge and skills needed for most entry-level positions in the healthcare industry, a nursing degree will empower you with an advanced knowledge of this particular field that will challenge you with a well-planned curriculum of complex assignments designed to make you into one of the most competent and skilled nurses in the industry. Earning a nursing degree will also help you stay current with the latest technological advances in the healthcare field industry making you a viable candidate for any prospective employer, such as a hospital, or nursing facility.

FNU’s Nursing Programs

FNU offers three nursing programs at the associate’s (AND), bachelor’s (BSN) and master’s (MSN) level. Our academic staff can assist you in figuring out which one of our programs best fits your goals while taking into account your current knowledge and experience that you may already have in the healthcare industry. We are confident that we will place you into the right nursing program at FNU.

Programmatic Accreditation is also very important at the time when choosing a Nursing Program. The baccalaureate nursing program at Florida National University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, (CCNE), 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

Our nursing programs teach students to critically think by using the nursing process in order to assess, analyze, implement, and evaluate nursing interventions. Our nursing programs follow evidence-based practice, to make sure our students receive the latest and greatest on nursing education. With your experience in the healthcare field, you’ll also be able to better identify and resolve problems by applying your acquired skills in a professional and ethical manner.

Basic Nursing Courses Taught

Whichever FNU nursing program you decide to enroll in, you can be sure that you’ll learn the latest concepts and skills of this profession taught by an exemplary staff of professors with real life nursing experience that is applied in all of our nursing curriculums. Graduating from an FNU nursing program will prepare you to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s NCLEX-RN exam in order to become a registered nurse (RN) fully equipped to provide entry-level safe nursing practices and deliver direct patient care to diverse client populations in a variety of healthcare settings.

While enrolled in our nursing programs, you can expect to take classes such as Fundamentals of Nursing, Adult Health Assessment, and Medical-Surgical Nursing. Students will also learn the principles of Maternal and Infant Nursing, Pediatric, Psychiatric, and Community Health Nursing. You’ll also learn about Nursing Pharmacology and safe medication administration.

How far you want to go in learning about nursing depends on your personal education and career goals. If you plan to advance in the nursing profession, then your career goals may require you to enroll into a more extensive academic program, such as one of our MSN tracks.

If you’re undecided about where you want to be professionally in the nursing industry, then see one of our admissions advisors and enroll in some of the nursing pre-requisite courses such as Chemistry, College Algebra, Microbiology, or Anatomy and Physiology to at least get a solid academic foundation in this field. During that time, you can decide if you want to set your goal on an Associate Degree in Nursing or Bachelors Degree in Nursing. Upon completion, you can always continue to pursue higher education, such as a Masters Degree in Nursing.

Another thing to take into consideration is the clinical hours that our associate, bachelors and masters programs offer as part of the nursing curriculum. After completing a certain number of credit hours and passing key courses, you will be required to work as a part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team by shadowing and assisting registered nurses and collaborating with physicians and other healthcare professionals in order to provide safe and effective nursing care to patients. The number of clinical hours required varies based on the class and nursing program you select. The higher the degree program, the more clinical hours you have to complete.

For a full list of FNU’s nursing programs, view our online academic catalog here. Contact FNU today to schedule an appointment now!

The baccalaureate nursing program (BSN) at Florida National University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccneaccreditation

The Master’s degree in nursing at Florida National University is pursuing initial accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccneaccreditation