Although there are many different types of nursing degrees, all of them can be classified as either professional certifications or academic degrees. Aside from the amount of schooling required, these two categories also differ greatly in several other important ways. This article takes a look at the various certifications and academic nursing degrees that can be acquired at nursing schools in California, as well as several of the more popular sub-categories of each.
The Main Types of Nursing Degrees
Certifications
A nursing certification is a degree awarded to a person who has completed a very specific type of training. In essence, it signifies that the nurse is a specialist in a certain field, but is also limited in the range of tasks he or she can perform. The types of nursing degrees under this umbrella that are awarded from nursing programs in California are summarized below.
LVN Degrees
Licensed Vocational Nursing Degrees (called Licensed Practical Nursing, or LPN, degrees everywhere other than California and Texas) are generally geared toward entry-level nursing candidates who do not want to attend a formal college. Degrees can be earned in as little as a year, and qualify the LVN to sit for the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN licensure examination (depending, on the state). Upon becoming licensed, an LVN will perform a variety of general patient-care tasks.
Registered Nursing Degrees
Probably the most popular nursing degree, a Registered Nursing Degree qualifies its recipient to begin his or her career with the title of RN. Admission to RN programs in California requires students to already hold either an associates degree in nursing, an advanced nursing degree like a BSN, or to have previously earned an LVN degree. Taking the final step to become an RN requires, of course, successfully passing the NCLEX-RN.
Advanced Certifications
Assuming that the nurse has already successfully earned an RN degree, it is possible to take a variety of specialized training courses in order to gain even more advanced certifications. Examples of these types of nursing degrees are NP (Nurse Practitioner), APN (Advanced Practice Nurse), CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist) and CRNA (Certified Nurse Anesthesiologist) degrees – each of which qualifies the nurse to advance into higher-paying, specialist roles in the health care industry.
Academic Degrees
As opposed to certifications, which focus the nurse’s training on very specific, practical skills, academic degrees are intended to provide a much broader style of education. They are the equivalent of traditional university degrees, and reflect the amount of education the recipient has completed, rather than any specific type of training received.
Associates Degrees in Nursing
Known as either ADN or ASN degrees (depending on the school that awards them), these associate-level, two-year degrees are offered by a number of community colleges for nursing in California. They allow the recipient to immediately take either the NCLEX-RN to become a Registered Nurse, or to continue on into a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program if they so choose.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The BSN degree is, for all intents and purposes, the equivalent of any other four-year college degree. Graduates must pass a well-rounded curriculum that includes a number of general education courses (with particular emphasis on the sciences), as well as the prerequisite nursing material. Upon earning a BSN, the recipient may choose to begin a career in health care management role, or continue on into a MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) program.
Master of Science in Nursing
Earning an MSN degree often means that the nurse will have been in school for as long as six years (including undergraduate studies) before entering the workplace. The upside is that the MSN is able to immediately work in extremely advanced, technical roles, and earns a significantly higher salary than nurses with less education.
Ph.D. in Nursing
The highest of all types of nursing degrees awarded is the Ph.D. in Nursing. Earning a doctoral degree in nursing allows the nurse to work at the highest levels of the health care administration or in any other type of research field. With that said, very few nurses choose to pursue these types of nursing degrees due to the fact that they require such extensive schooling, and lead to a career that is far more administrative than patient care-based in nature.
A Final Word on Nursing Degrees
Choosing which degree to pursue can be difficult for many prospective nurses. Some important questions to ask yourself during this process are “how soon do I want to start work?” and “what type of nursing work am I interested in?” By honestly answering these two questions, you can make a well-grounded decision on which types of nursing degrees to consider, and which are not applicable to your career goals.
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