Resources And Tools For Nursing Students

Over 30 Education, Job & Tech Info Resources Just for Nurses

Students beginning a nursing career need to know where to go for important information. Here are key resources, information about education, a list of places to find an internship or new job and a host of other tools that will help nursing majors through school and into their careers.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Nurse - Nursing Timeline

A typical nursing degree can take 2-4 years to complete. Each level of nursing has its own timeline, and that timeline can vary depending upon factors like part-time vs. full-time enrollment, certification, and the type of program. 

Below is an overview of the typical amount of time it takes to complete a nursing degree, keep in mind that the length provided is for the amount of time it takes to complete that segment of the degree, not the entire academic path overall:

Apps, Tools & Tech in Nursing

Technology is everywhere, from your pocket to the equipment used in exam rooms. Nurses and nursing students benefit from staying ahead of the tech curve with some of these handy tools. They can help you ace that next test or ensure you give the right dose to the next patient—or even entertain you while you're on a break.

13 Nursing Education & Skill Development Options

A nurse is required to earn continuing education units to keep a license. Units should be chosen wisely, because there are an infinite number of courses to choose from. Listed here are just a few of the many continuing education options out there, from online learning opportunities to two-day local workshops.

#1 American Association of Colleges of Nusing

• Lifelong Learning in Medicine and Nursing
  A cumulative report on lifelong learning in the workplace, through point-of-care and through continuing education methods and activities.
• Your Guide to Graduate Nursing Programs
  A comprehensive guide to nursing education options as well as nursing preparation at the graduate level and beyond. 

#2 American Nurses Credentialing Center 

• The Value of Accreditation for Continuing Nursing Education
  This white paper explores the benefits of earning continuing education units from an accredited source and its impact on the nursing industry. 

#3 Coursera

• Disaster Preparedness for the Health Care Professional
  Offered by Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, this six-week course helps nurses and others in the health care industry with foundational knowledge in disaster preparedness, management and response.
• Infection Prevention in Nursing Homes
  This course, offered through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, teaches nurses how to implement precautions to prevent the spread of bacteria in nursing care facilities. 

#4 Johns Hopkins Nursing 

• Lifelong Learning
  When you become a nurse, you agree to become a lifelong learning—for the benefit of your patients and the profession in general. 

#5 Khan Academy

• Circulatory System Diseases
  Participants look at how different diseases can affect the circulatory system, including hypertension, stroke, heart failure and cardiac dysrhythmias.
• Endocrine System Physiology
  This course takes a look at the endocrine gland hormone, other glands and how these work in relation to the body in general.
• NCLEX-RN Practice Questions
  Those preparing for the NCLEX-RN assessment will benefit from this large collection of practice test questions. 

#6 Mighty Nurse

• 5 Reasons Nurses Should Focus on Continuing Education
  Nurses must take continuing education hours to keep their licenses, but there are other reasons why they should stay on top of continuing education hours. 

#7 National League for Nursing

• Advancing Care Excellence for Veterans
  This course provides a simulated experience of continuity of care for nurses so they can provide the best care possible to patients who are veterans. 

#8 Nurse.com  Online Course learning

• Preventing Medical Errors for Nurses
  Students learn approaches to prevent medical error (both systems- and human performance-based). The course is a requirement for Florida nurses.
• Transitions of Care
  This free course teaches nurses about the concept of transitioning patients through different stages in care in an effort to avoid readmissions. 

#9 Lippincott Nursing Center: CE Connection

• Creative Strategies to Improve Patient Safety: Allergies and Adverse Drug Reactions
  Those who take this course gain an understanding of how to improve patient safety regarding allergies and adverse reactions to drugs.
• Horizontal Hostility
  Students learn about horizontal hostility in nursing settings and the implications of this phenomenon. 

#10 Nursing Knowledge International

• Health Care Ethics Certificate Program
  Delivered in an online course model, students learn about key ethical issues in their field. This program contains 22 ethical studies cases. 

#11 Sigma Theta Tau International

• The Effectiveness of Interventions for Improving the Research Literacy of Nurses
  This is a free online course that synthesizes recent evidence for improving research literacy of nurses. 

#12 SkillStat 

• Six Second ECG Essentials
  This one-day course gives nurses a practical, usable and reliable method to interpret ECG rhythms. 

#13 Merlot II: University of California Open Educational Resources for Nursing

• Classical Genetics Simulator
  This online course delivered through the MERLOT online teaching program explores genetics inheritance over generations.
• The Biology Project – Lung Toxicology
  Using tutorials and quizzes, this course explores the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory organs.

Industry News & Scholarships within the Nursing Field

Staying on top of the latest in the nursing industry is vital for your career and your patients. These news sites and trade journals will do just that, keeping you up-to-date and providing you a world of information that you can put to use immediately.

9 Nursing Academics & Research Programs

Completion of a thesis may or may not be a requirement for earning a nursing master's degree, depending on the specific school and degree program. The same goes for nursing doctoral degrees and dissertations. Nevertheless, nursing grad students should expect to conduct research for one purpose or another during the course of their studies. Not surprisingly, a healthy abundance of research materials can be found online.

1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) – National Guideline Clearinghouse
   An initiative of the AHRQ, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The National Guideline Clearinghouse is a is a searchable public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
2. AgingStats.gov
   Website of the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. The site offers access to reports and data regarding the well-being of older Americans.
3. American Nurses Association (ANA) – Nursing Research
   The ANA offers a number of resources for nursing research on this site, including a research tool kit, an essential nursing resources list, nursing research news and more.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Sortable Risk Factors and Health Indicators
   Sortable Stats is an interactive data set of behavioral risk factors and health indicators taken from state-level data of various published CDC and federal sources. The format permits users to view, sort, and analyze data at state, regional, and national levels.
5. March of Dimes PeriStats
   Developed by the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center, PeriStats provides access to maternal and infant health data for the U.S. nationally, and by state and region.
6. National Cancer Institute (NCI) – State Cancer Profiles
   A collaboration of the NCI and CDC, this State Cancer Profiles site provides data, maps and graphs to aimed at prioritizing cancer control activities at the state and local levels.
7. National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
   One of 27 institutions making up the National Institutes of Health. The NINR supports clinical and basic research and research training on health and illness, much of which can be accessed through this site.
8. PubMed.gov
   A resource of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, PubMed.gov offers over 25 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books. In many cases, citations link to full-text content.
9. Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR)
   Another resource of the AHRQ, the SRDR operates as a tool for the extraction and management of data for systematic review or meta-analysis, as well as an open and searchable archive of systematic reviews and data.

Groups & Networking

No matter what the profession, networking and participating in professional organizations will have personal and career benefits. It is worth it to consider joining the national or local chapter of one of these professional societies. Even with very little time to spare, networking is possible, since many organizations have online options for staying connected to professional leaders.

10 Internships for Nursing Students

Internships can make or break nursing job searches. There are many opportunities available, from overseas missions to internships closer to home. A nursing graduate needs to know where to look. Whether looking for a first job or trying to find a new one, these resources have just what a nursing job seeker needs—job centers, resume help and interview techniques.

1. AllinaHealth
   Paid summer internships are available to students preparing to graduate from a registered nursing program.
2. American Red Cross
   Undergraduate and graduate students can gain hands-on experience in both summer internships and programs during the school year. Internships are both paid and unpaid and located at one of more than 500 Red Cross units across the country.
3. Centers for Disease Control
   The CDC has a number of nursing and public health internships for students in their junior or senior year of schooling.
4. Looksharp
   Looksharp, which hosts internships from InternMatch, lists all the latest internships from specific geographic locations.
5. Mayo Clinic
   Nursing students work in an externship as a part of an interdisciplinary team, alongside an experienced registered nurse. Opportunities exist in all specialty areas.
6. National Institutes of Health
   The NIH's Clinical Center offers summer internships to students enrolled in nursing programs. Students work with health professionals and attend weekly lectures by NIH investigators.
7. Projects Abroad
   International internships are available on this site in areas such as Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Senegal, Bolivia and other countries. Some language requirements may be necessary.
8. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
   Externships at St. Jude allow students who are nearly ready to graduate an opportunity to work with trained staff in a pediatric oncology environment.
9. Study Abroad.com
   A variety of foreign language and nursing internships are available for nursing students, in countries like Scotland, Costa Rica, Chile, Spain and Italy.
10. Work the World
    Nursing students from any nursing field can intern in low resource areas overseas and receive practical, hands-on experience.