Arkansas Nursing Colleges

A directory of information about top nursing schools and nursing colleges. Nursing schools train you to be able to play a critical role in helping address this demand. The nursing schools listed below include licensed practical nursing schools, and schools that offer degree programs such as the RN to BS in nursing programs and RN to MS in nursing programs that help prepare you for movement into more senior roles in the nursing profession. Each nursing school below offers clinical training in your area to help insure that everything you learn in your classes is readily applied to real world experience. Check with each school to see if it is NLN accredited.

There are three major educational paths to registered nursing: a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in Nursing (ADN), and a diploma. BSN programs, offered by colleges and universities, take about 4 years to complete. In 2002, 678 nursing programs offered degrees at the bachelor’s level. ADN programs, offered by community and junior colleges, take about 2 to 3 years to complete. About 700 RN programs in 2002 were at the ADN level. Diploma programs, administered in hospitals, last about 3 years. Only a small and declining number of programs offer diplomas. Generally, licensed graduates of any of the three types of educational programs qualify for entry-level positions as staff nurses. We have a list of nursing schools with programs available to you in Arkansas below. Also please use the Nursing Career Guide as a resource if you are looking for additional information on nursing careers, training, job outlook etc.

Online Nursing Colleges

Jacksonville University
RNs with an accredited AA degree may be well on their way towards their BSN degree. Jacksonville University will award up to 32 credit hours for students with an RN license and a maximum of 64 transfer credits from other regionally accredited universities and institutions of higher learning. JU also accepts up to 32 hours through CLEP exams. Programs: RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Location: Online.

University of Phoenix Campus - Campuses Nationwide
Since 1976, University of Phoenix has been a recognized leader in adult education. Their commitment to high educational standards and exceptional student service has made them the largest private accredited university in the United States. With campuses in over 140 locations, University of Phoenix has helped thousands of working professionals achieve their academic and career goals every year. Programs Browse all Programs. Campus Locations: Find a campus near you.

Liberty University
Programs: - Arts in Religion (M.A.R.) - Business - Business (MBA) - Counseling - Divinity (M.Div.) - Doctor of Education - Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) - Ed.D – Doctor of Education - Ed.S – Education Specialist - Education (M.Ed.) - General Studies - Nursing Degree Completion Program - Ph.D. Counseling - Psychology (BS) - Religion - Theology Degree (T h.M.)
Locations: New York NY.

Kaplan University (Online)
Kaplan University helps students looking to either change or advance their careers by offering online flexibility, reduced costs, financial aid assistance, and a fast path to a degree. The instructors at Kaplan have the academic background and professional experience that allows them to pass on real-world knowledge to their students. The degree programs have a curriculum that is focused on career goals, and they feature various areas of emphasis. Programs: Accounting - Alternative Dispute Resolution - Branding and Visual Communications - Business - Business Administration/Accounting - Business Administration/Management - Business and Communications Entrepreneur - Computer Information Systems - Corrections - Criminal Justice - Database - E-Business - Elementary - Finance - Health Care Management - Information Technology - Law Enforcement - Management - Management of Information Systems - Management/Health Care Management - Multimedia and Animation - Networking - Paralegal Studies - Private Security - Programming - Sales and Marketing - Secondary - Teaching and Learning - Teaching Literacy and Language - Teaching Students With Special Needs - Teaching With Technology - Web Development - Web Optimization and Integration.

SPOTLIGHT:NURSE ANESTHETIST

Background:

W.T.G. Morton, a dentist, first demonstrated the efficacy of ether as an anesthetic agent at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846, and J.Y. Simpson began using chloroform in 1847 to relieve the pain of childbirth in England. The idea of general anesthesia for surgery gained rapid popularity. However, some physicians and laymen believed it might be a mixed blessing, and they were proven right at the time. Having no qualified anesthetizer, the job of anesthetist was passed to whomever was available, from house officer to medical students to janitors. From 1850 until about 1875, surgical morbidity and mortality could be blamed on either infection or anesthesia. After 1875, anesthesia was cited as the cause of the greatest incidence of morbidity and mortality. The furor over the high death rate was common to both the United States and Europe. American surgeons decided that the major cause of the adverse anesthesia effects was the "occasional anesthetist." They called for clinicians to dedicate themselves solely to the specialty of anesthesia, and the new professional nurse answered the call. Nurse anesthetists have been providing anesthesia care in the United States for more than 100 years.

Roles:

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are anesthesia specialists who administer approximately 65% of the 26 million anesthetics given to patients each year in the United States. CRNAs are the sole anesthesia providers in approximately 50% of all hospitals and nearly 70% of the rural hospitals in the United States.

CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients in collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists and other qualified healthcare professionals. When anesthesia is administered by a nurse anesthetist, it is recognized as the practice of nursing; when administered by an anesthesiologist, it is recognized as the practice of medicine.

Managed care plans recognize CRNAs for providing high-quality anesthesia care with reduced expense to patients and insurance companies. The cost-efficiency of CRNAs helps keep escalating medical costs down. Legislation passed by Congress in 1986 made nurse anesthetists the first nursing specialty to be accorded direct reimbursement rights under the Medicare program.

A total of 45% of the nation's 28,000 CRNAs are men, versus approximately 5% in the nursing profession as a whole.

Specialties:

The advanced nursing profession of nurse anesthesia requires a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's degree in nurse anesthesia. A PhD also is available. Certification is granted via examination by an accredited educational facility, and recertification is required every two years.

Qualifications:

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are licensed professional registered nurses who have obtained, through additional education and successful completion of a national examination, certification as anesthesia nursing specialists. CRNAs are qualified to make independent judgments relative to all aspects of anesthesia care, based on their education, licensure, and certification. The practice of anesthesiology by nurses has been recognized by the courts as the practice of nursing since 1917. CRNAs provide anesthesia and anesthesia-related care upon request, assignment, or referral by a patient's physician (or other healthcare professionals authorized by law), most often to facilitate diagnostic, therapeutic or surgical procedures.

Practice Settings:

CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered:

Traditional hospital surgical suites
Obstetrical delivery rooms
Dentist offices
Podiatrist offices
Ophthalmologist offices
Plastic surgeon offices
Ambulatory Surgical Centers
U.S. Military facilities
Public health service facilities
Veterans Administration medical facilities

Salary Range:

As advanced practice nurses, CRNAs practice with a high degree of autonomy and professional respect. They carry a heavy load of responsibility and are compensated accordingly; the average annual income for a CRNA in 1998 was approximately $94,000 based on the AANA Membership Survey.

Education:

Education and experience required to become a CRNA includes:

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or other appropriate baccalaureate degree.
A current license as a registered nurse.
At least one year's experience in an acute care nursing setting.
Graduation from an accredited school of nurse anesthesia educational program ranging from 24-36 months, depending on university requirements. These programs offer a graduate degree and include clinical training in university-based or large-community hospitals.
Pass a national certification examination following graduation.
Associations:

American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
222 S. Prospect Avenue
Park Ridge, IL 60068-4001
Phone: 847-692-7050
FAX: 847-692-6968
E-Mail: info@aana.com
Website: www.aana.com
www.AnesthesiaPatientSafety.com

Publications:

AANA NewsBulletin
AANA Journal