The decision to become a nurse leads to other priority decisions. You will soon discover, nursing has a leveled licensure system in the United States. The system evolved over the years to meet the need for nurses. Now you have to determine the nursing role and license you want to pursue. Once decided, choosing the type of education is next. In this post, let’s look at the kinds of nursing roles and the education programs out there.
Nursing roles include:
- nursing assistant
- licensed practical nurse (LPN, or licensed vocational nurse or LVN in some states)
- registered nurse.
The role differences also come with differences in education and salary. All the programs include classroom or online learning along with supervised clinical experience. The time required for education varies. Becoming a nursing assistant may take as little as a few weeks. LPN takes about a year. The more advanced role of the registered nurse may take up to 4 years to complete a bachelor’s degree. Of course, the salary of the nurse increases with more education.
Let’s start with the most foundational role, the nursing assistant. A nursing assistant provides personal care to people who are unable to do so for themselves. Skills learned throughout the training help people with grooming, mobility, and nutrition. Infection prevention and safety are vital components of nursing assistant education and practice. Communication and providing for patients’ rights are part of the preparation. Nursing assistants work in hospitals, nursing homes (long-term care settings), homes, and schools.
Nursing assistant education varies by state, often with 75-120 hours required. (See this link for more information for your state.) The training may take from 2 weeks to a full semester to complete, depending on the course schedule. Courses are offered by health care agencies, colleges and some private companies. Once the training is done, the state may require competency testing to become certified as a nursing assistant (certified nursing assistant or CNA). The CNA’s name is then placed on a state registry of those who have met the competencies of the role. Nursing assistant education may be required before beginning more advanced nursing education.
The LPN/LVN provides care to stable patients. The role includes more advanced skills such as medication administration and dressing changes. With more skills, the LPN/LVN has a wider range of job opportunities. Workplaces include many of the same settings as the nursing assistant. They also include physicians’ offices and clinics. The LPN/LVN may supervise the nursing assistants. They work under the direction of the registered nurse or physician.
Education for LPN/LVN include a 1-year diploma program at a community college. The curriculum will include courses such as biology, anatomy and physiology, and pharmacology. Nursing courses will include medical-surgical, geriatric, maternal-child, and mental health content.
The registered nurse (RN) has the widest range of skills. The RN provides care to a wide variety of individuals. Care provision can focus on health promotion or acute and chronic illness. With advanced skills, the RN can work in many areas. These include surgery, emergency, intensive care, or maternity areas, to name a few. The RN supervises the nursing assistants and LPN/LVNs.
RN education is professional education. An RN must have an associate degree from a community college, or a bachelor’s degree from a university. An associate degree in nursing (ADN or associate of applied science-AAS) takes 2-3 years. A bachelor’s degree in nursing usually takes 4 years to complete. The bachelor’s degree may be a Bachelor of Science in nursing or a Bachelor of Arts in nursing. The degrees are similar, one focusing more on sciences and the other on arts and humanities. Both lead to the RN licensure. Preparatory courses may include biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and psychology. Courses may include English or writing courses, speech, history, sociology, and diversity studies.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published “The Future of Nursing” report in 2010 recommending nurses achieve higher levels of education. Since then, the emphasis has been to move to the bachelor’s degree for nursing practice. Many completion programs are now available to allow nurses to move to the higher degrees. In addition, some schools offer an LPN-to-RN completion program. Most employers prefer nurses to have a bachelor’s degree.
Exploring options is important to decide the best way to begin your nursing career. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each nursing role with nurses. Think about your ultimate goal. Speak with occupational or academic counselors, too. Here are some informational sites for further information: