For nursing students in Colorado, career options are plentiful. The state is hungry for trained nurses, embroiled as it is in a worsening nursing shortage. The Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence is whittling away at various solutions including tons of nursing recruitment incentives and increases in available RN programs.
Level I Trauma Centers, Denver Health Medical Center and St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, along with the other 13 hospitals strewn about the city, establish Denver as THE state healthcare hotspot. Of course most of the state’s RNs are concentrated in metropolitan areas, leaving rural and remote medical facilities wanting for good nurses. Here are ample career opportunities for Advanced Practice Nurses in specialties like Nurse Anesthetist, Nurse Practitioner, and Nurse Midwife, as well as many jobs for willing RNs.
Smaller communities are always needy for RNs and LPNs. Many have well-equipped community hospitals and regional medical centers. Consider that much of Colorado’s population swells in the Spring, Summer, and Fall with vacationers and adventurers, all of whom put a strain on the state’s healthcare system and nursing resources.
The Colorado Board of Nursing is your go-to resource for licensure, state nursing regulations, scope of practice for LPNs and RNs, lists of approved RN schools, current news and issues that impact Colorado nurses, continuing education requirements, and much more.
The Colorado Nurses Association is a thriving organization that welcomes all types of nurses to its membership. Use this association to find continuing education sources and providers, network with fellow state nurses, gain access to the national and regional conferences, search for nursing scholarships, and find jobs, among other things.
Always consider what sources may provide loan repayment or forgiveness to student and working nurses. Consistently solid sources you may consider exploring in Colorado include various hospitals and medical centers, state student loan agencies, and state government.