Genetics Nurse – Career and Education Profile

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Genetics nurses work with patients dealing with a variety of hereditary diseases, assisting both with treatment and with family planning concerned with genetics.

Job Responsibilities

As a genetics nurse, you could help doctors with a number of tasks, such as evaluating a patient’s condition, recording patient history, checking vital signs, educating patients on home care, and assessing risk for passing on specific genes to children. You could also work in a research setting or help doctors educate patients on risk factors and gene analysis. In addition, genetics nurses are needed in long-term care facilities where they work with patients to manage pain, stay mobile, and deal with having developmental mental and physical problems associated with genetics-related medical conditions.

Salary and Career Options

The salary you’ll make as a genetics nurse depends on your education level, whether or not you have an special certifications, your location, and the type of facility where you work. On average, RNs working in this field can expect to make an average of around $60,000 annually. Genetics nursing can lead to other careers as well, such as working with a specific type of patient (like children) or working with a certain disease. You can also get certified in women’s health or become a certified nurse midwife so you can help couples with family planning from a genetics standpoint.

Educational Requirements

You can get started working as a genetics nurse as an LPN, but most nurses specializing in this area earn at least an associate’s degree in order to become an RN. You can also earn a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree to work in more advanced roles in this field. At higher levels, you can become certified in this field, allowing you to earn even more money as a nurse working in genetics.

LPN to RN College Programs

While several schools have online nursing degrees available, few offer LPN to RN programs. What's the good news? We have listed some accredited schools below that do offer the program in addition to schools with other bridge programs available. Find out more information and contact each school by using any of the links below.

Indiana State University—Indiana State University offers a robust online program designed for LPNs wanting to become registered nurses and earn their BSN degree. Since ISU's credits transfer to over 80 campus majors, this is an ideal program for people wanting to open opportunities for their career down the road.

The College Network—The College Network is a partnership with several universities and organizations like the National League for Nursing that focuses on online education and programs, with several courses for nurses or those interested in a nursing career. Specifically, TCN helps students prepare for their PN and RN licensures and move on to earn graduate degrees.

Other Nursing Degrees

Walden University—Walden University is typically a graduate school with several masters and doctoral programs available, but they do have BSN and RN to MSN bridge programs available. Walden is based out of Minneapolis and offers several options in transferring your previously earned credits to and from (or even within) the school.

Kaplan University—Kaplan University is one of the nation's largest and leading online educators and offers several bridge programs for registered nurses to earn their BSN or MSN degree. If you have previously earned credits, Kaplan makes it easy for you to transfer to any one of their undergraduate or graduate programs.

Herzing University—While Herzing University does not offer an undergraduate nursing degree, it is a great choice for working nurses wanting to pursue leadership positions in Nurse Education or Management. With over 10 campuses and 45 online programs available, Herzing has a massive network that makes it easy to transfer to or from the school.

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