Job Description

Southwestern Illinois College’s Nursing Education (NE) program provides students the basic skills necessary to become a registered nurse (RN).

Registered Nurses:

• Provide for the physical, mental and emotional needs of their patients
• Must have good knowledge of the principles and practices of nursing
• Have good interpersonal skills and oral and written communication skills
• Have the ability to relate to different cultural and economic backgrounds
• Organize, set priorities and manage a caseload

Nursing includes a variety of specialties:

• Case manager
• Emergency/trauma
• Home health/hospice
• Infection control
• Labor & delivery
• Medical/surgical
• Neonatal
• Pediatric
• Psychiatric
• Telemetry
• Transplant

Career Resources

The National League for Nursing web site provides nursing resources for students.

The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook provides additional information.

Career Opportunities

Nurses work in a variety of settings, including:

• Hospitals
• Public/community health settings
• Ambulatory care settings
• Nursing homes/extended care facilities

Career Outlook

According to U.S. Department of Labor 2014-24 Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of registered nurses is expected to grow by 16 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations

Salary

Average Starting Salary

The average full-time starting salary for a registered nurse is $35.24 per hour or $73,000 per year.