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Where to Begin Your Journey to Becoming a Nurse
Helpful information from nurses to future ones
Whether you have decided to attend nursing school or you are simply trying to discover what a career in the nursing profession entails, this two-part guided series is designed to help you along no matter where you are in your quest for knowledge.
Have you ever gone on a trip to the doctor's office and noticed that the nurse's titles vary? What's the difference between your NP and the RN? This blog will outline what a nurse is and where they work, but you can also discover more information about the different levels of nursing.
Nurses are certified and licensed healthcare professionals with a wide range of responsibilities. Nurses may be responsible for simple tasks such as obtaining basic information about a patient and being the direct line of communication to a doctor. Within the field, nurses provide hands-on treatment while they administer medications and monitor a patient’s conditions in effect with other forms of healing, such as diet, rest, mental and/or physical therapy. Clerically, nurses are responsible for maintaining healthcare records to improve the quality of care and treatment for patients.
Nurses may provide care in public and private facilities such as hospitals and clinics. The demand for nurses in such places may be determined by the level of education obtained by a nurse.
The chart below provides a breakdown of nursing titles, increasing from smallest to largest in educational requirements. As within any professional setting, the increase in educational requirements directly influences the average salary increase. However, the average salary correlated to nursing titles is a national average as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2017. The average salaries may fluctuate greatly depending on state, as per the demand for nurses and their individual job requirements.
|
Title Abbreviation |
Title |
Approximate Program Duration |
Average Salary (Bureau of Labor Statistics- May 2017) |
|
CNA |
Certified Nursing Assistant |
12 weeks |
$27,510 ($13.23/hour) |
|
LPN LNA (LVN) |
Licensed Practical Nurse Licensed Nursing Assistant TX & CA: Licensed Vocational Nurse |
12 months |
$45,030 ($21.65/hour) |
|
RN, ADN |
Registered Nurse, Associate’s Degree in Nursing |
18-24 months |
$70,000* |
|
RN, BSN |
Registered Nurse, Bachelor’s in Science: Nursing |
4 years; 12-33 months programs if already holding a degree |
$70,000 ($33.65/hour) |
|
NP/APRN, MSN |
Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Master’s in Science: Nursing |
18-24 months following BSN |
$110,930 ($53.33/hour) |
*According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for registered nurses is approximately $70,000 annually. Although ADNs are considered registered nurses by title, the bureau only identifies the salary for RNs who have attained a Bachelor’s degree. The Bureau does not specify the wages of RNs with an Associate’s level degree. It can be expected that the median salary for ADNs is approximately $57,515- the average between the salaries of a LPN and RN, BSN. The average salary for an RN, BSN should not be influenced by salaries reported by ADNs due to the Bachelor’s degree specificity with the information.
"Each state has different laws for their nurses. Find out what your states requires for licensure: https://www.nursinglicensure.org"
Melissa Scott
15 MAR 2019
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Smart Edition Media / Nursing / Published: July-01-2018