Nursing Schools in Kentucky

Guide to Kentucky Nursing Degree Programs

There are plenty of high-quality Kentucky nursing schools available for people who are interested to pursue a nursing career. The Bluegrass State is a good place to start your career as a registered nurse particularly because there are many high-caliber hospitals here. The Jewish Hospital and the Frankfort Regional Medical Center are known for providing topnotch healthcare, while the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington is considered as a top rated teaching hospital.

If you are really serious about becoming a highly paid nurse you should not only consider applying in good Kentucky nursing schools, rather you should also join organizations in the state that will help you become a better professional in your chosen career. In Kentucky, you can rely on the Kentucky Association of Nursing Students to guide you and provide you with necessary tools to help you get the best education and training. For registered nurses, the Kentucky Nurses Association can be relied upon to promote good working conditions and protect the welfare of nurses working in Kentucky, also known as Tobacco State.

Kentucky Nursing Job Outlook and Salary

Students of Kentucky nursing schools do not worry too much about finding work in the state. According to a poll done by the Kentucky Hospital Association in 2002, there are about 1,750 unfilled vacancies of full-time nursing positions in many hospitals in the state. Although private and government health institutions in Kentucky have already increased the base salaries of registered nurses, there are still a lot of positions that needed to be filled in.

Since finding money to study nursing is one of the problems facing a lot of individuals who are planning to attend Kentucky nursing schools, the state government, as well as private companies, continues to find ways to help students of nursing. In fact, the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority has created a loan forgiveness project for nurses who work for state-owned hospitals. This is really a good incentive for newly passed registered nurses to continue working for healthcare institutions backed by the state of Kentucky.

Working in this state as a registered nurse is not really a bad idea, particularly because of the high base pay and also the attractive remuneration package. In Lexington, the median salary of staff nurse is $58,450. The average base salary of nurses in Louisville is $60,201, slightly higher than in rural areas in Kentucky. Some companies and hospitals also offer attractive sign-in bonuses to encourage registered nurses to stay in the jobs.