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Career Options for Nurses


Becoming a nurse will open a huge world of professional possibilities. A good first step is to decide what interests you the most about nursing.

Nurses work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities. When providing direct patient care, they assess and record symptoms, reactions and progress, act on that assessment, advocate for patient needs, assist providers during surgeries, treatments, and examinations, administer medications, and help in convalescence and rehabilitation. Nurses work in diverse settings from the hospital to the office setting and have varied, interesting roles that adapt as education, skills, and talents advance.

career-choicesMore than 100 different specialties exist within the field of nursing!  To learn more about all the different career paths that exist, check out the following tools from Johnson&Johnson’s Discover Nursing campaign.

Find Your Specialty – What kind of nurse do you want to be? If you’ve been thinking about nursing school, are in school now, or are a nurse considering a new specialty, this five-minute test will help you find your best career matches.

Explore Specialties – Learn more about all the different field in nursing by category, degree requirements or job characteristics. Click on any specialty title to learn more about on job duties, education/career paths and other helpful information.

Now that you have an idea of what you might like to do as a nurse, the next step is to get the right education.

Explore nursing careers by visiting The Oregon Center for Nursing.

Article Shared from the Oregon Center for Nursing

Nursing in the 21st Century

21st Century nursing is the glue that holds a patient’s health care journey together. Across the entire patient experience, and wherever there is someone in

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Paying for Nursing School- Scholarships

Sumner College understands that every student’s financial situation is unique. Our financial aid department can provide you with more information about Oregon financial aid options

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How to Prepare for Nursing School

Nursing school can be intimidating, but here are some helpful tips for you to make the most of your time and studies. As always, feel

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Bend, Oregon, Our New Home!

In a recent article with the Bend Bulletin, our School President Joanna Russell shared how we are enrolling for February 24, 2025 at our newest

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RN to BSN – Career Upgrade!

Here at Sumner College we offer a program for current Registered Nurses, to further their education in a flexible schooling style and get a Bachelors

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Niche Award!

Exciting news! Sumner Nursing College was recently ranked by Niche, listed as #1 in Best Value Colleges in Oregon, #1 in Best Value Colleges in

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Check Out Our New Campus!

Welcome to our new campus in Bend, Oregon! We are excited to be welcoming the first BSN cohort February 24th, 2025. Stay tuned as we

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Upcoming Info Sessions

On the fence or have questions about starting your education at Sumner College? Check out our upcoming BSN Info Sessions! Available for on-campus in Portland

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All About TEAS

If you're considering enrolling at Sumner College (or other nursing schools!) you will be required to take the TEAS Exam. This stands for Test of

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Nursing School Study Tips

Nursing school is known to be extremely difficult, but there are ways to make it easier on yourself! NursingWorld.org suggests a few different things to

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$5,000 Education Award Available!

Exciting news! DiversityNursing.com is offering a $5,000 education award, with easy entry and no essays, why not enter for a chance to win $5,000 to

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New Member Bend Chamber of Commerce

Sumner College is proud to share we are new members of the Bend Area Chamber of Commerce. Coming soon our official ribbon cutting and social

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Spirit Week!

Happy Spirit Week! Stop by the Lobby or Front Desk throughout the week to say hi and show some school spirit! Monday: Meal Prep and

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Sumner College Student of the Month | September 2024

Congratulations Kristina, for being the September 2024 Student of the Month at Sumner! Kristina completed the LPN program from Sumner College and recently returned to

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Virtual Tour: SIM Lab 202

Welcome to Sumner College! Before you head in to our Portland Campus take a virtual tour where you can see our Simulation Lab, Hospital Simulator,

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New Campus Alert!

We are extremely excited to announce the opening of our new additional campus location in Bend, Oregon! Conveniently located just around the corner from Bend's

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The Heart of Healthcare

Nursing can be described as both an art and science; a heart and a mind. At its heart, lies a fundamental respect for human dignity

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Labor Day Weekend

Happy Labor Day! We will be closed Monday to enjoy a long weekend!

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Upcoming Class Start Dates

Join us on one of our upcoming start dates for RN's looking to achieve a BSN completion!

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What is an RN-BSN Program?

RN to BSN Degree- What is it? The RN-BSN degree is designed for nurses that earned their Registered Nurse licensure and would like to continue

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There’s Still Time!

There's still time to enroll for the September 3 class start date! All three programs are starting fresh this fall; BSN, RN to BSN, and

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Sumner College Student of the Month | August 2024

Congratulations Hanna, for being the August 2024 Student of the Month at Sumner College! Hanna was inspired to pursue a career as a Practical Nursing

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Tips for Great Admission Essays

Writing an admission essay may feel like a daunting task to accomplish, much less three, as we require here at Sumner. While they are short

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Is Nursing for Me?

Have you ever wondered whether nursing is the right profession for you? Take our personality exam to see if you have the characteristics of a

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Join the Nursing Workforce

When deciding what career to go into, one often will research the career to find out information like: average income, durability in the economy, and

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Celebrating 50 years!! Everyday NW’s Ally Osborne visits with Joanna Russell

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Sumner College in Northeast Portland is celebrating 50 years of helping people level up and reach for their career goals in

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Why choose to complete a BSN?

Sumner College is proud to offer multiple different nursing programs, suitable for all stages of life. However, completing the Bachelors of Science in Nursing is

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Our Application Process

As you find yourself getting ready to make the jump for the new term here at Sumner College, you may have questions about our application

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BSN Info Sessions – August

This month's BSN group information meetings are scheduled for August 1, 6, 8, 15 at 12p.m on campus, 8338 NE Alderwood Road, Portland, OR 97220

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BSN Info Sessions – July

In preparation for the September classes, please plan to attend either of these informative hour long presentations to learn more about the program, the requirements

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