Nurse Post
⚡ ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
Nurse Post
Sign up to receive the latest nursing news and exclusive offers.
Subscribe
By: Sarah Jividen
RN, BSN
Jump to section...
Levels of Nursing Credentials (Ranked From Lowest to Highest) Levels of Nursing Degrees (Ranked from Lowest to Highest) Opportunities for Career Advancement in Nursing Nursing Levels FAQs
Find Nursing Programs
Current Degree
Current Degree
No Degree/License
ADN (RN)
BSN (RN)
MSN (RN)
LPN/LVN
Medical Assistant
CNA
Paramedic
Other
About Nurse.org
Contact Us
Press
Advertise
Join our network
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Cookie Settings
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Get All The Nursing Information You Need In Your Inbox
License/Degree
CNA
LPN
RN (Diploma)
RN (ADN)
RN (BSN)
MSN
DNP
None
Other
Whether you are interested in becoming a nurse, or you're an APRN who already has many years under your belt, it is essential to understand the nurse levels and hierarchy so that you know what options you have in your career. Generally speaking, the higher the degree level a nurse has, the more education and experience they have received.
Between starting as a novice nurse and the highest ranks of nursing, there is a wide range of positions. Read on to understand the ranks and levels of nursing.
A certified nursing assistant, or CNA , helps patients with activities of daily living and other healthcare needs under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
Certified nursing assistants must complete a state-approved training program. These programs are generally found at local community colleges, high school, vocational or technical schools, or local hospitals.
LVNs and LPNs are interchangeable titles depending on where you work in the US. California and Texas use the title LVN, and the rest of the US uses LPN.
LPNs and LVNs work in hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities and are typically responsible for more basic kinds of patient care and comfort measures. Usually, they work under the guidance of an RN or MD.
To become an LVN/LPN, you need a high school diploma or GED and to graduate from an accredited LVN/LPN program and pass the National Council Licensure Exam. LPN programs typically include one year of coursework and training at a hospital, community college, or technical school. There are also LPN to RN programs where LPNs can go back to school to become either an ADN RN or a BSN RN through accelerated programs.
A registered nurse administers hands-on patient care in a variety of settings including hospitals, medical offices, nursing homes, and other facilities.
RNs work with physicians and other members of the health care team to provide the best course of treatment possible. They also help to educate patients and their families about health issues.
To become an RN you'll need to complete either an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, followed by your NCLEX-RN.
An APRN is a master’s degree prepared RN with a post-master's certificate, or a DNP in one of the following four roles:
APRN’s are licensed through the state board of nursing in which they practice. In many states, APRNs can prescribe medication and practice independently, while in other states, they do so under the oversight of a Medical Doctor (MD).
Many nurses who are APRNs also have a DNP, but you can have one without the other. An APRN with a DNP is considered a practicing doctorate.
Nurses can increase their earning potential and advance their careers away from the bedside by pursuing a non-clinical advanced nursing career.
An RN diploma is another route to becoming a registered nurse. Like the ADN, these programs typically take around two years to complete and they both prepare students to take the NCLEX-RN. The main difference is that the ADN is a college degree while the diploma is not. Diploma programs are typically offered at hospitals, but may also be available at technical or vocational schools.
An ADN is a 2-year degree and is the minimum amount of education required to obtain a license to work as an RN, other than an RN diploma (See next section).
Most RN’s begin their careers working at the bedside performing direct patient care. This experience is usually preferred for nurses who wish to advance their careers and eventually earn a BSN, MSN, APRN, or DNP. However, there are also many career paths that an RN can take outside of the hospital setting, including case management, or aesthetic nursing.
A BSN is a 4-year nursing degree for students who want to be a registered nurse (RN), or for RNs who currently only have an associates degree in nursing (ADN). Many nurses who start their careers with an ADN eventually advance their careers by achieving a BSN.
Bachelor’s trained nurses work in nursing specialties throughout the hospital setting. For example, cardiac, neuro, pediatrics, labor & delivery, emergency room, and ICU, to name a few.
Nurses are encouraged to become certified within their chosen specialty after they have gained at least one or more years of direct nursing experience. For example, a nurse on an ICU neuro/trauma can study and sit for the Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurses Certification (CNRN). Achieving certification within your chosen specialty shows that you are an expert nurse in a particular nursing field. In addition, many institutions will pay nurses more when they are certified within their specialty.
Both ADN and BSN graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN examination to become licensed to work as an RN.
There are several types of master's degrees in nursing . Advanced practice registered nurse degrees prepare a registered nurse for an advanced clinical role. Other types of MSN degrees focus on preparing nurses for non-clinical roles such as public health or nursing informatics.
It takes about 2-3 years to earn a master’s in nursing but online options are available.
A Doctorate Of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the highest level of nursing education and expertise within the nursing profession. DNP’s work in nursing administration or direct patient care as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). As thought leaders, DNP’s also implement health policy and influence healthcare outcomes.
In the healthcare setting, DNP’s work in:
Education to obtain a DNP requires three to six years of study, depending on what level of nursing education you currently have. Most DNP programs require that you have a master’s degree in nursing, although some will start at the BSN level and require more years of study.
There will be more opportunities than ever for nursing career advancement in the coming years. Nationwide employment of RNs is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030 . This is partially due to an increased emphasis on preventative care, higher rates of chronic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes, and an aging baby boomer population.
Advancing your education has never been more attainable, especially with the rise of online learning . A few educational opportunities you may want to consider are RN to BSN , BSN to MSN, and MSN to DNP programs.
Subscribe for the latest nursing news, offers, education resources and so much more!
za.indeed.com needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.
Did you know the first botnet in 2003 took over 500-1000 devices? Today, botnets take over millions of devices at once.
Requests from malicious bots can pose as legitimate traffic. Occasionally, you may see this page while the site ensures that the connection is secure.
Performance & security by Cloudflare
By using this site, you consent to our cookie policy .
Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in.
Statistic cookies help website owners to understand how visitors interact with websites by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers.
Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies.
Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. For all other types of cookies we need your permission. This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website. Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy. Please state your consent ID and date when you contact us regarding your consent.
Cookie declaration last updated on 9/27/2022 by Cookiebot
The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled.
Log-in to view
Your Account.
Fulfill your state CE requirements with one click and no test required.
Create a free jobseeker profile and let employers compete for your talent today.
Read about nursing careers and jobs, education, specialties and more to enhance your practice.
Download our exclusive social networking app built by nurses, for nurses.
*Note: As COVID-19 research continues, our understanding of the virus will continue to broaden. This course is based on information available in mid-2020 and focuses on the history of the virus, with some information provided about management of cases. Management recommendations are changing rapidly, so it is important that nurses remain informed of the most recent recommendations from the NIH and CDC. After taking this course, you should be able to:
This CE course provides information about off-label use of products that are used for a purpose other than that for which they were approved by the FDA.
Looks like you’re not logged in! Please create an account or log in to view your dashboard.
The go-to resource built by nurses, for nurses — now with an exclusive social networking app
The go-to resource built by nurses, for nurses — now with an exclusive social networking app
Since 1992, Nurse.com users have completed over 18 million continuing education courses to help them maintain their nursing license and advance in their careers.
Nurse.com is the largest provider of CE with Joint Accreditation status and a recipient of the ANCC Accreditation Premier Program Award for learning excellence.
Our community was built and is led by nurses, and our accredited content is developed by nurse subject matter experts.
Join the largest online community of nurses to connect with your peers, organize your professional life, restore your passion for nursing, and empower you to thrive.
Looking for a simpler way to find your next nursing role? Let us take the hard work out of your job search with the new Nurse.com Jobs. Complete one profile, and start getting recommended for jobs that are a match for your skills. Prefer to browse jobs in your state instead? Visit our job board.
Get the salary you’re worth. Get the salary you deserve. Nurse.com conducted extensive, unbiased research to create this free research report, which can help you understand your salary potential to better assess where you are and where you might want to go.
The passion to care, the courage to serve. In the 2022 National Nurses Week Digital Edition, we share engaging true stories by nurses, about nurses, offer free CE courses, share articles with career tips and education resources, and more.
Pandemic 2020: History, Spread, and Treatment of COVID-19
1.0 Contact
Hours
Advanced Practice Nurse Pharmacology
with Premium Unlimited CE Membership
The goal of this program is to help advanced practice nurses (nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists) fulfill the American Nurses Credentialing Center 25-contact hour pharmacotherapeutics requirement for certification. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to:
Suzanne Albrecht, MS, PharmD; Paul Arnstein, RN, MS, PhD, FAAN; Jane Dimmitt Champion, FNP, MSN, PhD, DNP, AH-PMH-CNS, FAAN; Kim Curry, ARNP, PhD; Heidi M. Dishneau, ARNP, MSN, AOCNP; Regina M. Fink, RN, PhD, AOCN, FAAN; Peggy Hasenauer, RN, MS; Annette Kelly, ARNP, MSN, PhD; Lenore C. Magrum, CRNP, MSN, AOCN; Cynthia H. McGee, ANP-BC, MSN CCRN; Cindy Parsons, ARNP, DNP, FAANP, BC; Susanne J. Pavlovich-Danis, RN, MSN, ARNP-C, CDE, CRRN; Kristine Anne Scordo, ACNP-BC, PhD, FAANP; Kim Strelczyk, RN, MSN, APRN, CIC; Anna Ver Hage, RN, CCRN, CNRN
Paul Arnstein, PhD, RN, FAAN, has disclosed that he receives consulting fees as a member of the clinical advisory board and consultant panels for AstraZeneca, Jannsen, Purdue, Hospira, and Mallinckrodt.
25.0 Contact
Hours
Read about the latest industry trends and tips.
"I knew I wanted to sit for the Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification Exam. I also knew I needed a comprehensive study plan. The Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification Review Focused CE Series helped me study for and pass the certification exam. The weekly reading assignments, webinars, study questions, quizzes and handouts suited my learning style. I highly recommend it!"
"The Adult CCRN/PCCN Certification Review Focused CE Series was exactly what I needed. I wanted something that was flexible but also could provide the content that I needed in order to pass the exam. I enjoyed the entire set up of weekly videos, as well as the self study lectures. After the course was completed I took my exam and passed on the first try."
“I am currently an OB nurse who stumbled upon the online CE direct course when searching for CE’s. Even though I had taken and passed the NCC exam, I signed up and discovered the online learning to be very helpful. It solidified what I had just studied. I found it to be an excellent tool to help me remember explanations of the physiologic process, which was something I struggled to absorb on my own. Thank you for your helpful hints!”
©Relias, Inc. 2022. All rights reserved.
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
Registers which server-cluster is serving the visitor. This is used in context with load balancing, in order to optimize user experience.
Used to check if the user's browser supports cookies.
Registers which server-cluster is serving the visitor. This is used in context with load balancing, in order to optimize user experience.
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. This is beneficial for the website, in order to make valid reports on the use of their website.
This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots.
Preserves users states across page requests.
Preserves users states across page requests.
Stores the user's cookie consent state for the current domain
This cookie is a part of the services provided by Cloudflare - Including load-balancing, deliverance of website content and serving DNS connection for website operators.
This cookie determines whether the browser accepts cookies.
Registers which server-cluster is serving the visitor. This is used in context with load balancing, in order to optimize user experience.
This cookie is necessary for the cache function. A cache is used by the website to optimize the response time between the visitor and the website. The cache is usually stored on the visitor’s browser.
Used to detect if the website is inaccessible, in case of maintenance of content updates - The cookie allows the website to present the visitor with a notice on the issue in question.
com.adobe.reactor.dataElementCookiesMigrated
Used in context with the cache-function on the website, facilitating data transfer between Adobe DTM onto Adobe Launch.
Stores the user's cookie consent state for the current domain
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
Ensures visitor browsing-security by preventing cross-site request forgery. This cookie is essential for the security of the website and visitor.
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
This cookie is used in context with load balancing - This optimizes the response rate between the visitor and the site, by distributing the traffic load on multiple network links or servers.
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
This cookie is used in context with load balancing - This optimizes the response rate between the visitor and the site, by distributing the traffic load on multiple network links or servers.
mage-cache-storage-section-invalidation
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
This cookie is used in context with load balancing - This optimizes the response rate between the visitor and the site, by distributing the traffic load on multiple network links or servers.
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
This cookie is necessary for the cache function. A cache is used by the website to optimize the response time between the visitor and the website. The cache is usually stored on the visitor’s browser.
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
Necessary for the functionality of the website's chat-box function.
Preserves user session state across page requests.
This cookie is necessary for the cache function. A cache is used by the website to optimize the response time between the visitor and the website. The cache is usually stored on the visitor’s browser.
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
Determines which products the user has viewed, allowing the website to promote related products.
okhqy6-qa9n4wisj6mm.cloudmaestro.com
Necessary for the compare-products function on the website.
The cookie is used in context with the local-storage function in the browser. This function allows the website to load faster by pre-loading certain procedures.
Remembers the user's selected language version of a website
Used in context with the shopping cart functionality. Remembers any wish-list products and visitor credentials when checking out.
Collects data on the
Black Lesbo
Korean Piano Teacher Sex
Olp New Animal Sex