If you study to become an LPN or RN in Minnesota your job prospects are diverse as are the nursing schools. The list of accredited MN schools below includes small community colleges where you can earn a Practical Nurse or ASN degree, private college that offers baccalaureate nursing degrees, and major universities that deliver BSN, MSN, post-grad certificates, and doctoral degrees.
Innovative nursing programs that have been developed to help put nurses in job faster include:
Major healthcare centers in Minnesota include the world famous Mayo Clinic and St. Mary’s Hospital, Abbott Northwestern, and the University of Minnesota Medical Center. The largest number of RNs is employed in facilities like these. This is not to say that the nursing shortage is nonexistent in them. In fact the problem with a major hospital is nursing burnout. Part of the nursing shortage problem in Minnesota and beyond is the massive nurse exodus versus the influx of new nurses—many more have been leaving and part of it’s due to poor and unsafe work environments and patient care units.
But as hotly trafficked as are the major medical centers many very good nursing positions remain open in smaller community hospitals, urgent care centers, nursing homes and long term care facilities, veterans’ hospitals, doctors’ offices, and even rural community health centers.
Advanced Practice Nurses: not only are jobs available in Minnesota’s major medical facilities, but primary care specialists—Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, and even Nurse Anesthetists-- are urged to pursue jobs in rural communities where many remote individuals have rare access to good healthcare. And if you’re a nurse interested in rural health, look for schools with possible rural community health specializations.
As a student nurse you could have access to aid programs that help you pay for your college loans available through Minnesota state sources:
Besides the above programs make sure you check the following sources for state nursing scholarships and other forms of financial aid: