The nursing profession has changed considerably since the days of white shoes, stethoscopes and a good bedside manner. Where once there was only one kind of nurse, the profession has become an alphabet soup of abbreviations such as LPN’s, RN’s and many others. Deciding what kind of nurse you’ll be even effects your decision when attending an online university or going for financial aid.

　

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 about university degrees, it is available 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. For varied information on accredited degree online, go to the web.

　

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.

　

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. For an abumdance of information about distance learning degree, check out the web.

　

Another important factor is a nurse can jump from one category to another, depending on their personal desires. Many health institutes encourage their nurses to attend online schools, rewarding them by paying their tuitions or salary increases upon graduation. No matter what, nursing has become a broad field for anyone willing to put in the effort.