Are you planning to take a nursing degree? As you know, there are different types of nursing degrees. Choosing the right program that best suits your career goals is very important. Choosing the right course on your nursing education will help your professional growth and set your career up for success.
To help you choose what nursing field, you need to know the different educational options for you and what best options fit your goals. There’s a wide array of education paths you can choose from, whether you want to become an RN, LPN, or another advanced practice nurse degree. Your career choice all depends on your goals, want you want to do, and how much money you want to make.
Here are the various types of nursing degrees available:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
This is the most basic type of nursing degree. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing is typically a four-year course in a college or university. This nursing degree can be obtained from an accredited university or school that offers specific nursing programs.
The BSN degree prepares future nurses for a wide choice of nursing roles and graduate study. This degree includes course topics such as leadership, research, nursing science, and other related nursing topics. The BSN is often required as a prerequisite for administrative, research, teaching, and consulting roles.
- Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN)
A Licensed Practical Nursing or simply LPN, takes the duties of long-term care facilities, basic duties in hospital settings and the nursing home. This type of nursing degree is also known as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN). Overall, the role of LPN is to take the overall well-being of the patient and provide them the quality of care they need.
If you love to work hands-on with the patient each day and passionate about healthcare, this career path might be the right choice for you. This nursing path can often be finished in a year or less. Since an LPN can be obtained fast, students usually learn the basic skills first to prepare them for their first actual hospital-setting job. Obtaining this degree makes you qualified and eligible for licensure after you pass the NCLEX exam.
- Associate of Science in Nursing
Associate of Science in nursing program is a step between a bachelor’s degree and a high school diploma. Students who wish to take up an Associate of Science in Nursing need to take subjects like nursing, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, chemistry, microbiology, and other relevant science courses.
An ADN course can be completed over a two to three year program. The curriculum for an Associate of Science in nursing not only includes nursing subjects but also liberal arts courses. If you want to have a solid foundation on the health care field, this is the type of nursing course you should choose. Popular among nursing professionals, ADN gives you more opportunities to get into the field of nursing.
- Masters of Science in Nursing
You must first finish a nursing degree or other related field to get this degree. If you are aiming to become an advanced practice nurse, this type of nursing degree is best for you. Registered nurses who finish this degree are likely to earn more than an RN or LPN. Finishing Masters of Science in nursing means more authority and autonomy in a hospital-setting since you are trained with advanced nursing skills. When you take this nursing path, you can expect a specialized track for certain medical types of nursing care, such as a clinical nurse or a forensic nurse specialist track.
Typically, Master’s degree in nursing can be earned over one to two years. When getting this course, you don’t have to resign from your work since you can take this one while working. In other cases, other employers help some of their employed nurses to pay for their master’s degree.
- Doctorate Degrees in Nursing
This is the highest degree you can obtain as a nurse. In order to get a doctorate level degree, you must have first earned a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Nursing. When you finish this degree, you will then be referred to as Doctor Nurse.
There are actually two types of Doctorate Degrees in Nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
- Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc)
This type of doctorate degree focuses on the clinical aspects of nursing. DNSc is actually a research-based focus degree.
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
This is the type of doctorate degree that is practice-based. This focuses more on the system leadership, quality improvement, organizational management, and other related areas. Nurses who finish this degree develop skills in decision-making, enhanced leadership, and analytical methods. Graduates are trained to improve clinical patient care in the hospital setting.
There are a wide array of degrees available to those interested in nursing. The key is to evaluate the type of day-to-day responsibilities you want to undertake and the focus your degree that bet fits your interest.