Jungle of Degrees !

It is confusing to us too! I'll try to explain...hopefully it will help.

In the U.S., there are two entry levels for licensed nurses. They are separate programs.

One is the LPN (or LVN--licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse, different name for the same thing). An LPN receives training for, I believe, 18 months then can take a licensing exam. LPNs work most often in doctors' offices, nursing homes and hospital med-surg floors. Their scope of practice can vary from state to state. They can assess pts, give PO and IM meds and chart. They are supervised by RNs.

Registered Nurses are also licensed by their state after graduating from either a diploma program (not many of these left, but they do exist; usually a 3 year program), an associate degree program (2-2.5 years of college level training) or a bachelor program (BSN- bachelor of science in nursing, 4 year college program.) RNs do all aspects of patient care; administer all forms of medication; initiate and maintain a patient careplan; do all discharge teaching, etc. RNs work in all areas of nursing. Those who work in critical care areas-ICU, ER, Trauma, burn, receive additional training given by their workplace and often taught by RNs. To be in a supervising role such as nurse manager, a BSN is usually required.

If an RN wants to increase his/her scope of practice, then it is necessary to continue in graduate school and receive a MSN-masters of science in nursing. This degree can be in numerous specialties, usually falling under one of four catagories: med-surg, psych, pediatrics and maternal/child. An MSN degree can be in education which leads to teaching in an undergraduate program or hospital based training, or it can be geared toward becoming a nurse practitioner. A nurse practitioner, once he/she graduates from their grad program, then sits for a national licensing exam that allows them to work in conjunction with or under the direction of an MD--depends upon where you are and what you do. A nurse practitioner is also referred to as an APN=advanced practice nurse. There is also NNP=neonatal nurse practitioner, PNP=pediatric NP, etc.

There are also doctorate programs. With a doctorate in nursing practice-DNP, there are opportunities to teach at the graduate level. Some programs require an MS first, others accept students with their BSN. Nearly all degrees after the BSN require a minimum of 2 years of full time work experience before entering grad school.

There are also certification programs that RNs with experience can take. The initials after a person's name will indicate if they have this specialization. One you mentioned, CLNC is certified legal nurse consultant. The other ones I do not know.

Hope this helped.

Sparky