help with degrees

[kjorris]

Hello everyone. I am pretty new to the forum so I hope I am in the right place! My question is can someone explain (in simple terms) to me the difference between the degrees that are available in nursing? (ADRN, BSRN, MSRN etc). I am trying to do a paper for my nursing leadership class and the more I read, the more I get confused! Just when I think I have the degrees straight, I read something else and become confused all over again. Are there only a few things that we can get a masters degree in for nursing?, Are all masters degrees considered AP nursing? Help please!!!

[Adria, RN]

There are different degrees that make up the same designation of R.N. A Diploma R.N. which studied and trained in a hospital-based environment working as staff in the hospital for hands-on experience in the off shifts of class time. This takes about 3 years. The Associate Degree nurse (ADRN) has a 2-year college degree. The Bachelors in Science in Nursing (BSRN) has a 4-year college degree. These degrees mean college courses first, then hands-on experience -- clinical time.

Nurse Practitioner (N.P.) or Advanced Nurse Practitioner: R.N. with a Masters degree who practices under the license of a physician to do almost everything a physician does, such as diagnose, write prescriptions, give orders for tests and referrals, etc. Nurse Midwives fall under this category as well.

P.A. or Physician's Assistant is usually a non-nursing person who has 2 additional years of college on top of their 4-year Bachelor's degree and has similar capabilities as the Nurse Practioner.

MSN (masters degree in nursing) or PhD in nursing typically are educators in nursing schools.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

brian posted a thread with a long list of different degrees and certifications in nursing on the general nursing discussion forum. here is a link to it. i hope you can find most of your degrees on the list.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/glossary-nursing-medical-degrees-certifications-113134.html

here are some nursing sites where you can also explore for more information about advanced practice nursing:

http://www.discovernursing.com/

http://www.nursingsociety.org/career/cmap.html

http://www.nurse.com/nursecontent/ - this is a very nice site that has a career showcase that explains what some of the various specialties in nursing are as well as having information about the various licensing levels in nursing and how to prepare and get your education to become a nurse.

http://www.wetfeet.com/content/careers/nursing.aspx - about nursing from webfeet.com