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How to Become a Nurse in Virginia, VA

To become a professional nurse in Virginia takes at least a year of studies after high school, as in the case of a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) diploma. And becoming a Virginia Registered Nurse (RN), and become part of the largest group of health care professionals in the United States, one must commit to at least two years of studies.

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Aspiring Virginia Registered Nurses usually choose one of two college-based RN education programs: an Associate Degree, Nursing (ADN), which takes two years of full time study, or a Bachelor’s Degree, Nursing, which takes around four years to complete. Both require a semester or two of prerequisites—specific requirements vary from college to college—and both give nurses a wide variety of skills and knowledge from hands-on patient care, to nurse management, nursing theory and research. The big difference is that BSN students have two extra years to explore advanced nursing concepts and practices, as well as choose from an array of elective courses that give graduates specialized knowledge and access to a wider variety of careers.

Regardless of whether one chooses an ADN or a BSN nursing education program, they finish it with the NCLEX licensure exam. A test that is the same for nurses nationwide, the NCLEX is the gateway to professional nurse licensure—once it has been passed students become Virginia nurses and are ready to enter the workforce.
More Virginia Nursing Information

To learn more about becoming a nurse in Virginia, visit our in-depth Virginia nursing page. There you will find information about nursing salaries, jobs and duties, and alternative education programs and nurse licensure.