Nursing Degrees Available
The field of nursing is vast and diverse covering many areas and specialties. Even though nurses do not spend as much time as doctors do going to school and studying medical books, they are often expected to be very much the next best thing in giving advice and providing medical assistance when called upon. Since the medical field is so large, nurses often have the opportunity to specialize just like doctors do in order to work best in a particular field or area while still providing a large reservoir of medical knowledge and support for other areas of medicine as well.
With so many choices available to nursing professionals, choosing to get your nursing degree online means you have options as well. There are several different types of nursing classes and degrees you can aim for, depending on how far you want to go in the profession. Here are some of the nursing degrees that are available through online study and a brief description of each:
- LPN: An LPN is a Licensed Practical Nurse and the degree is the entry-level requirement for any nursing position. LPNs often manage the simplest parts of patient care in hospitals and may be employed as front office staff or receptionists to use their medical knowledge in assisting with patient questions. Not actually a degree, studying for an LPN grants a certificate of accomplishment.
- RN: The registered nurse is the most common type of nurse in the industry today, but it is a somewhat shrinking field as the medical field continues to advance at a tremendous rate, requiring more knowledge and skill of all those who work in the medical field. Some hospitals are now requiring a BSN as a minimum for employment as a nurse. The RN is the equivalent of an Associate's Degree from a 2 year school such as a community college.
- BSN: The BSN program is for nurses who want to advance their knowledge beyond the RN level and is quickly becoming a minimum degree requirement for many positions in offices and hospitals around the country. A BSN program typically takes four years, with the first two years being spent in fulfilling your general education requirements while the last two years are focused on specific clinical and nursing skills and education.
- MSN: A master's in nursing is the pinnacle of the nursing career. Often placed in a position over several other nurses in a ward or a floor, the MSN is a highly coveted and respected position and demand is high for placing these skilled nurses into positions. In order to get an MSN, you should have good organizational and excellent people skills.
- Bridge Programs: If you already have a nursing degree at the LPN, RN, or BSN level and wish to increase your education by achieving the next level, bridge programs are available to assist with this. You can take the LPN to RN courses, or RN to BSN or even BSN to MSN and get your new degree in a much shorter period of time than those who are entering the nursing field for the first time. Taking a bridge program is often a fast way to advance your career further than certain limitations in your workplace may allow for right now. If you have a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field, you can also join a bridge BSN program in order to get your nursing degree in about 2 years or less.
