Just how many types of nurses are out there? Even professional organizations have a hard time keeping up with the variety of specialties out there. One can say this is due to the extreme growth of the medical profession, but what area one wants to specialize in is an important decision a student must make when signing up to an online college.
Basically, nurses can best be categorized according to their industry licensure and any further specialized credentials. These categories often denote a particular degree level attained type of work environment, and even salary range. From there, it’s a virtual alphabet soup of varieties, whether one wants to become an RN, LPN or something even a cruise nurse.
Critical to all this is certification. While Registered Nurses (RN’s) don’t need a specific kind of certification, you will need some certification to work in any magnet hospital or decent research facility. Certification means a nurse is an expert in a certain field, ranging from surgical to home health care. It’s another important decision one must consider when entering the field. If you need more information on university degrees, look on the internet.
The broadest category is the Registered Nurse (RN). They are loosely defined as advocates for the care of the sick and maintenance of their health. From there, an RN’s responsibilities/powers are defined by each U.S. state’s Nurse’s Practicing Act (NPA). It takes a minimum of three years to get an RN diploma. The national average for salary is about $60,000.
Another key category is the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). They are often found working under the supervision of physicians in clinics and hospitals, or in private home health care. Education and training is vocational-based, hospital-based, or college-based, and can vary from 9 month to 3 years in time for certain specialties and require an associate degree in practical nursing. The average salary here is about $34,000.
Below the LPN is the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). The Nursing Assistant still holds a high level of ability, but is unable to often perform some tasks due to issues of liability and legality. They provide the bulk of the grunt work in a hospital setting, depending again on the NPA. The CNA’s salary is the widest ranging, usually starting at just short of $20,000 and into the 30’s. In you are looking for more on accredited degree online, check the web.
From there the nursing field diversifies into a number of different specialties, and can range anywhere from social work and cruise nurses to setting up their own offices as nurse practitioners. Salaries and certification can go into the $100,000 range. Naturally, there is some sort of certification that comes with the specialty, but that’s a decision one can make after getting licensed by a state.
A nurse can also jump from one category to another, depending on their personal desires. Many health institutes encourage their nurses to attend an nursing university, rewarding them by paying their tuitions or salary increases upon graduation with an accredited degree. No matter what, nursing has become a broad field for anyone willing to put in the effort.
