The demand for healthcare jobs grows as the population expands. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the field of nursing will expand at a rate of 7% between 2019 and 2029, which is significantly faster than the national average. If you decide to enroll in a free nursing program, you can obtain your education while becoming a nurse without accruing debt.
In this article, we’ll outline what to expect from nursing school curriculum and look at different free nursing programs.
Steps for Becoming a Nurse
Let’s review the typical stages needed to become a nurse before we discuss the various programs.
select a Nursing career
Nurses come in many different varieties and hold a variety of titles. You could train to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA), registered nurse (RN), licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN), or nursing administrator. You can choose your career based on where you want to work and what you want to do. To elaborate, CNAs can be found in nursing homes, but registered nurses often work in doctor’s offices, hospitals, and other medical environments.
Acquire a Degree
You will receive the training necessary to become the kind of nurse you want to be. Both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing can be obtained online. Although companies may prefer to hire nurses with bachelor’s degrees, registered nurses can work with an associate’s degree rather than a bachelor’s.
Get a License
You must pass a license exam before you may start working as a nurse. Once more, the kind of exam needed will depend on the kind of nursing employment you want to apply for. An summary of what to anticipate is given below:
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): pass the state competency test and obtain a license
- Registered Nurse (RN): take the NCLEX-RN exam, obtain a state licensure, and obtain a nursing diploma, bachelor’s degree, or associate’s degree.
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): pass the NCLEX-PN exam, obtain a state licensure, and complete a certificate program approved by the state.
- Nurse Practitioner (NP): acquire a master’s degree, pass the NCLEX-RN exam and another national certification test, and obtain a state license
- Nurse midwife (CNM): Obtain a master’s degree, pass the NCLEX-RN exam and any other necessary national certification exams, and obtain a state license.
- Nurse Anesthetist (CNA): pass the NCLEX-RN and certification exam, obtain a master’s degree (a DNP is necessary if you graduate after January 1, 2022) and a state license
The typical price of nursing school
The prices of attending nursing school varies widely. It depends on your educational setting, the course of study you choose, the length of your degree, etc. But nursing school expenses can mount up rapidly, particularly if there is a tuition charge.
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in America is expected to cost between $40,000 and more than $100,000 annually (for private or large universities).
Contrast that amount with Norway’s nursing programs, which are generally free at public universities. Or, let’s think about the typical expense of attending nursing school in Australia, which often ranges from $20,000 to $30,000.
Just these three instances demonstrate how where you acquire your degree can have a significant impact on the expenditures you will incur.
Options for Free Nursing Schools
There are affordable and even free nursing school options, in addition to a large selection of expensive ones. Here are a few instances of free nursing programs:
College of Agder
The University of Agder in Norway provides a world-class nursing curriculum free of charge. Only semester fees are charged as part of the tuition. The nation also provides subsidies for public transit. The majority of the program’s courses, meanwhile, are taught in Norwegian.
Bremen City University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule
However, there is a semester charge at Germany’s Hochschule Bremen City University of Applied Sciences (HSB). While some may be taught in English, the majority of courses are offered in German. The nursing program is an international degree program that mandates students study abroad for a semester at one of its more than 300 partner universities across the world.
University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg
The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, which is also in Germany, charges students less than 350 euros per semester, with the money going toward the student body and other services. The five nursing programs—three bachelor’s degree programs and two master’s degree programs—are all offered without charge to students.
Norwegian Arctic University
The Arctic University of Norway does not charge tuition for either domestic or foreign students. To pay for administrative expenses such ID cards, counseling services, tests, and registration, there is just a semester fee of NOK 625.
Free Nursing Programs Online
There are several free online nursing programs from different universities, in addition to the various free nursing programs offered in various nations across the world. You could research the following course subjects, for instance:
- Relations of Care – Open University
- Training Program for Nursing Home Infection Preventionists – Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- Diet therapy in nursing studies – Allison
- Coursera: Understanding Clinical Research
- Open Learning for Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Health science degrees are comparable
The University of the People in Health Science also offers a free degree program for students who wish to work in healthcare but may not want to pursue a nursing career. Find out what kinds of jobs you can get with this degree by reading this.
Final Reflections
Without a doubt, nurses are essential to the healthcare industry. You can become a nurse without having to sacrifice your finances or worry about the cost of attending an expensive program by enrolling in a free nursing school.
