Wisconsin boasts the largest collection of indoor water parks, and is the third-best state in the country for skiing and snowboarding. This state also offers 22,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. So, tourists love this snow country, and nurses might be intrigued with it as well. Wisconsin named registered nurses to its list of five jobs with the most openings through 2012, and opportunities for nurses are predicted to increase by over 31% over upcoming years.

Becoming a Nurse in Wisconsin

If you can put your ski gear aside and study nursing, Wisconsin proves to be one of the best states to study nursing skills. Marquette University in Milwaukee provides the BSN, MSN and doctoral degrees in nursing, with programs such as adult care, anatomy and family care. Concordia University Wisconsin, located in Mequon, also provides students with a BSN and MSN in several programs. Concordia students can study programs such as adult care, anatomy, community health, management, parish nursing and more. Bellin College of Nursing in Green Bay can provide the BSN, with focuses on cardiology, community health, geriatrics, management, nutrition and triage. For those who seek a smaller college, try Chippewa Valley Technical College in Equ Clair, where students can study for CNA certification and receive an associate’s degree in nursing.

Nursing Jobs in West Wisconsin

Some of the largest employers in Wisconsin are in the health care industry. Some of these facilities include UW Health, a comprehensive system of health care providers serving patients at more than 60 clinical locations throughout the state of Wisconsin, 44 of them in Dane County; Marshfield Clinic, which operates 41 centers throughout northern, central and western Wisconsin; and, Columbia St. Mary’s, sponsored by Ascension and Columbia Health Systems. Columbia St. Mary’s is an organization of four hospitals, thirty clinics, a college of nursing, a partnership with the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, River Woods Outpatient Center, and Cathedral Square Urgent Care Center. Nursing salaries vary in Wisconsin depending upon the nurse’s skill and degree earned, the job description and location of the job. For instance, an LPN in Green Bay can earn, on average, $31,000 per year, and that same nurse can earn, on average, $28,000 per year in Oshkosh. RNs earn, on average, $54,000 per year statewide.