Registered Nurses

• Registered nurses (RNs) treat and educate patients. They maintain patient records, help physicians perform and analyze tests, administer medications or treatments and assist with patient follow-ups. The settings in which RNs work often determine the duties they'll perform, as do their personal specialties and training. Advanced practice nurses -- RNs who have earned a master's degree in nursing -- may work as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists or nurse-midwives.
  
  

Education and Degrees

• Many colleges and universities offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN), which takes about 4 years to complete and emphasizes research and theory over practical application. Community colleges and junior colleges offer an associate's degree in nursing (ADN), and these programs take between 2 to 3 years to complete. Hospitals offer diploma programs, which also last about 3 years. Advancement opportunities are typically best for those RNs who've earned a BSN, because they can then go on to earn their master's degree in nursing (MSN) and become an advanced practice nurse. Programs that are often called an RN-to-BSN path train nurses who've earned a diploma or ADN, preparing them for a wider range of opportunities.
  
  

Continuing Education

• To stay up to date on the technology and medicine involved in their fields, continuing education is a must for registered nurses, not only through advancement in their nursing degree, but also through earning credentials in their personal specialties. Registered nurses may specialize in areas such as ambulatory care, pediatrics, informatics and gerontology among many others. Credentialing is obtained through organizations such as the American Nursing Credentialing Center or National League for Nursing, among others.
  
  

Other Types of Nursing

• Licensed practical nurses (LPNs), or licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), take care of people who are sick, disabled, convalescent or injured, and they work under the direction of doctors or RNs. They may provide bedside care, record a patient's vital statistics, prepare and administer injections, monitor catheters or dress wounds. They may provide assistance to patients who need help moving around. Training programs must be state-approved, but are offered by a variety of schools including vocational schools, junior colleges, hospitals and universities.