Nursing

Education

Registered nurses have the distinction of being the very best qualified in their field. There is more than one classification of nursing personnel. The registered nurse is able to take on more responsibility than a Licensed Practical Nurse and a Certified Nurses Assistant. A person who has completed one year of college or its equivalent is known as an LPN. Typically the LPN will work for an RN and sometimes directly for a doctor. From there the LPN can move up to an Associates Degree Nurse. In order to become an ADN the person is required to have a two year degree in nursing from an accredited school for nursing. After that the nurse can continue their education and get a four year degree known as a Bachelor of Science Nurse. After getting the BSN the nurse has to take a test known as a Board Exam. Then the nurse is known as a Registered Nurse and is also known as a Professional Nurse. The Registered Nurse is then qualified to go into any field of medicine that they choose. Some Registered Nurses go on to get an Advanced degree also known as Masters (MSN) or Doctoral degrees. Many Registered Nurses choose to go on to become doctors after some years in their chosen profession.

Earnings

Registered nurses are well paid for what they do. Registered nurses typically start at around $35,000 to $38,000 a year. From there they move on up to the median income range for nurses which is between $43,370 and $63,360 per year based on May 2004 figures. The highest paid 10% of registered nurses make up to $75,000 per year. The nurses in the median income range make up the largest number of nurses in employment. According to figures from the same May 2004 study, nurses at employment agencies made about $63,170 while Home Health nurses, Nursing Care facility nurses and nurses in Doctor's Offices made about $48,000 per year. Those Registered Nurses that worked