How to Understand the Different Types of Registered Nursing Degrees?

A person who wants to become a registered nurse has a number of degrees that they can earn to qualify for this career. Associates, Bachelors, and Masters Degrees can all qualify person to become a registered nurse, if they so choose. While the nursing degrees listed above do not make a difference in terms of a person’s initial salary, they do come into consideration when a facility makes a decision about whether or not to promote an employee.

An associate degree, as the name applies is a two-year program that is more focussed than a four-year degree. A student must attend a qualified nursing school, but will probably have to take fewer classes. It is a good option for someone with limited funds who plans to continue their education later, or who simply wants to get into the field as quickly as possible. Associate Degrees do not require less work than Bachelor’s degrees for nurses, they simply feature a more tightly focused curriculum.

Bachelor’s nursing degrees require the nurse go to school for four years before they can take the test that allows them to practice nursing in the state. They will have to take classes not related to their career focus that, ostensibly, makes them a better rounded person. Earning a bachelor’s degree does have its advantages, especially when applying for a position with the government. Even if they do not get hired as a nurse, having a four year college degree means that people start out as supervisors where they work in many states.

Masters nursing degrees are usually earned when an RN wants to focus on a specific field or as a step to becoming an APRN. Many nurses with bachelor’s degrees work in a hospital or a nursing home for a few years before getting a more advanced nursing degree.

Regardless of what type of degree a person has, a registered nurse must pass an exam given by a national licensing board. It is the national exam that makes it easy for an RN to become certified in multiple states, and a nurse may find a better position by moving or get a job as a traveling nurse, especially if he or she lives on the border of her state.