Alabama Nursing Schools

Nursing schools in Alabama can help you launch a career in the vast field of nursing. The job market for registered nurses has grown tremendously in the past year, majorly due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 virus.

Nurses are very essential components of the medical industry and provide much-needed assistance to physicians and doctors. If you want to become a part of this high-growth field in Alabama, the following guide on Nursing Schools in Alabama would be of great use to you.

Nursing Degrees in Alabama

If you are planning on getting a nursing degree, you need to be aware of the options available. For students who want to begin working quickly and need a program that provides them with a speedy entry into the field, an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) would be ideal. This 2-year long program provides fundamental knowledge in various nursing areas. Students who want better paying jobs with a more enhanced set of responsibilities ought to go for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). This 4-year long program would expose students to a variety of subjects in the field of nursing and would equip them with both theoretical and clinical knowledge.

Other nursing degree options include a 2-year long Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, which may take 4 to 6 years to complete. The graduate level degrees typically lead to senior nursing positions or leadership roles.

Admission Requirements for Nursing Degrees in Alabama

Even though admission requirements for nursing schools in Alabama vary significantly according to program level and individual institute requirements, there are certain general requirements common across different schools. For instance, nearly all nursing schools would require applicants for an ADN degree to have a high school diploma at least. Similarly, for an MSN degree, most nursing schools would require students to have at least a bachelor’s degree, provide official transcripts, multiple letters of recommendation and GRE scores. Students applying to any nursing degree in Alabama are advised to get in touch with the admission boards of their shortlisted schools to get a complete list of requirements for admission.

Licensing Information for Nurses in Alabama

Nursing school graduates who want to practice must first clear the NCLEX-RN exam in order to get licensed. This process would cover a formal registration, transcripts, application fee, receiving an authorization to test or ATT, scheduling of the exam, presenting the correct identification and finally appearing for the exam.

Advanced Practice Nurses in Alabama can get their license after completing a master’s degree in nursing or a doctoral program. Following this, aspiring APNs would have to complete the relevant certification requirements. Possible certification options include Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Certified Nurse Midwife and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).

Salary and Job Outlook for Nurses in Alabama

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Registered Nurses in Alabama made an annual mean income of $60,230 in 2020. The predicted growth rate for Registered Nurses in Alabama was 10% between 2018 and 2028, which is higher than the national average for all occupations of 7%, as per O*Net Online.

To become a geriatric nurse practitioner in the US, there are certain educational and licensure requirements you will have to meet. Aspiring geriatric nurses will have to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and clear the NCLEX-RN exam to enter the workforce as a registered nurse (RN). Following this, registered nurses will have to complete a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree with a specialization in geriatric care. Once this is complete, you will have to pass the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam. This certification would be valid for five years and has to be periodically renewed to remain valid. After the successful completion of the certification exam, newly qualified geriatric nurses can start looking for jobs in their local hospitals or healthcare centers.

National Estimates for Registered Nurses in Alabama

Employment 1Hourly mean wageAnnual mean wage 2Employment per 1,000 jobsLocation quotient 9
48850$28.96$60,230261.2

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a “year-round, full-time” hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

College Resources

More Alabama Colleges