Nursing offers great flexibility, allowing early entry into the workforce, continued professional development, and advancement through retraining and attaining higher degrees. Consequently, there is no “typical” timeline: students can combine education and work into unique paths that suit their needs. Students can complete a degree, work, and then return to complete a higher degree. The exact scope of a nurse’s practice depends on the state they practice in and their license level. Each degree allows greater opportunities for new assignments, promotion, administrative/managerial work, responsibility, and potentially higher salaries. The most widely available nursing qualifications include:
- CNA, Certified Nurse’s Aide, or Nursing Assistant (8-12 weeks)
- LPN, Licensed Practical Nurse (1-1 ½ years)
- RN, Registered Nurse (2-5 years)
- APRN, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (MSN)
- Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
- Nurse-Midwife
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Doctoral degree in Nursing (DNP or PhD)
Nursing Degree Comparison Chart
CNAs, sometimes called hospital attendants, work under the direct supervision of a RN or LPN and assist with the routine daily care of patients, making beds and maintaining patients’ environments; helping patients eat, bathe, dress, and walk; responding to patients’ calls for assistance; collecting test samples; taking vital signs; and transporting patients. They work in various settings including home health, hospitals, and nursing homes.
LPNs, sometimes called licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), work under the supervision of an RN and provide bedside care, such as taking vital signs, feeding and bathing patients, dressing wounds, giving injections and vaccinations, administering medications and treatments, collecting samples for testing, assessing patients status, providing ongoing education, and assisting physicians. LPNs also carry out various administrative tasks. They are responsible for providing direct patient care and for carrying out treatments ordered by physicians. They can work in different settings like home health, doctors' offices, and nursing homes.
RNs are responsible for providing direct patient care and for carrying out treatments ordered by physicians. They take medical histories, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, administer treatments and medications, assist physicians with medical procedures, administer and monitor IVs, give injections and vaccinations, educate and provide support for patients and their families, and help with patient follow-up and rehabilitation. RNs also supervise staff. RNs work in all areas of healthcare – family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, geriatrics, and so on. Consequently, there are many different types of nurses as well: private duty, operating room, critical care, office (work for physicians, dental surgeons, etc.), school, community health, occupational health, public health, nurse educators, and so on.
Advanced degrees. RNs who hold a bachelor’s degree can earn advanced degrees at the master’s or doctorate level, which can bring increased opportunities, responsibilities, and higher salaries. Advanced degrees also allow RNs to work as nurse administrators or nurse educators. Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) are highly trained nurses with training in 1 of 4 areas: clinical nurse specialist (CNS), nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner (NP), or nurse-anesthetist. Advanced degrees are usually required for university-level teaching and research.
- CNSs (clinical nurse specialists) complete advanced training in specific areas of expertise: cancer, cardiac, neonatal, mental health, etc. CNSs also train and mentor nursing students, perform research, practice in a clinical setting, and provide consultation and management. The advanced education requirements of a CNS better equip them to diagnose and provide treatment for a wide range of illnesses.
- Nurse-midwives, or midwives, care for women throughout pregnancy, labor, delivery, and post-delivery. They also provide routine gynecological care and counseling on family planning. Midwives serve only carefully screened women whose pregnancies are unlikely to present complications and work closely with obstetricians and other specialists to provide a wide net of support for their patients. Midwives focus on maintaining the well-being of mother and child and on educating patients on nutrition, exercise, breastfeeding, childcare, and family care. Midwives usually work in private practice but are often affiliated with a hospital.
- NPs (nurse practitioners) handle a wide range of activities, including taking medical histories, conducting physical exams, and diagnosing and treating common injuries and illnesses. NPs order and interpret laboratory tests, advise patients, and perform routine procedures such as injections, immunizations, and wound care. The duties of an NP are similar to those of a physician assistant, but NPs are more autonomous, working independently or cooperatively with physicians. Currently, in 21 states including Hawai'i, NPs do not require any physician oversight when prescribing, treating, and diagnosing patients.
- Nurse anesthetists administer anesthesia to patients. Nurse anesthetists differ from anesthesiology assistants in that assistants work under the direct supervision of an anesthesiologist whereas nurse anesthetists can work independently without supervision in some states, and in other states work with others. They select and administer the appropriate anesthetic and dosage for each procedure and monitor patients under anesthesia. They may also assist in surgical, obstetric, or dental procedures.
Doctoral degrees in nursing include the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The DNP is a clinical degree that prepares students for careers in advanced clinical practice, nursing education, and administration; in such capacities, DNPs are well-equipped to implement advancements in nursing research in the clinical setting. The PhD is a research degree that prepares students for careers in administration, health care policy, and education who conduct research and teach at the university level.
