New to Medical

Saysfaa · Dec 10, 2010

Welcome,

Here is the short version...

CNA is Certified Nursing Assistant. This is not a nurse. For many, it is the first step toward being a nurse because their school requires or prefers it or because they want to check out nursing from the inside or because they need a job while they go to school or because it makes nursing school easier (application or observation instead of just memorizing from a book or lecture). It is also a career for some people. CNA requires passing a state test, the requirements vary a little from state to state. The feds require certain things and let the states add to that. Some states require a class before the test, others offer a class but don't require it. If there is a class it is usually between 90 and 120 hours and includes some hands on learning of skills, some state require more hours than that. CNA's do mostly personal care types of things (baths, feeding, dressing) with a little sorta medical stuff like taking vital signs and watching for things indicative of problems then reporting to the nurse. Nurses do some personal care things also, how much depends on what flavor of nursing they are doing.

CMA is Certified Medical Assistant or Certified Medication Assistant. This is also not a nurse. It is basically a CNA that can do a some more medical type things like EKGs and giving medication. Education for it is similar to CNA, I don't know how many hours. In my state one must be a CNA to take the training to be a CMA. Some nursing students do this, some people do it as their career.

LPN is Licensed Registered Nurse.

LVN is Licensed Vocational Nurse. These two are the same thing, some states call them one, some the other.

These are nurses. Googling the difference between LPN and RN will get a better answer than I can give. Schooling takes between 10 and 18 months. They generally make about twice as much as a CNA and about half as much as an RN (very, very roughly).

RN is Registered Nurse. This (or LPN) is the nurse John Q. Public usually thinks of when he thinks "nurse".

RN is not a degree, it is a registration with the state that involves passing the national competency test (called NCLEX). One must have a degree from a state approved nursing program in order to take the NCLEX. There are basically two kinds of nursing degrees: ADN which is Associates Degree, Nursing and BSN which is Bachelor of Science, Nursing.

ADN (Associates Degree, Nursing) is a two year degree, although most people take longer in order to do the prereqs like chemistry, anatomy, human development, psychology, English, Math... they vary from school to school. They also vary in how many are allowed to be taking while taking the nursing classes. The nursing classes are tightly tracked and usually designed to be full time.

BSN (Bachelor of Science, Nursing). I assume you know what a Bachelor's degree is.

The difference between ADN and BSN in the real world gets a lot of discussion. Most people agree that they usually do the same things (They are RNs rather than ADNs or BSNs). If a person wants to go into hospital administration, they usually get the BSN. In some regions of the country, employers prefer BSN, in other parts it doesn't matter.

MSN is a Master's in Nursing. I assume you know what a master's is.

NP is Nurse Practitioner. This is the doctorate (sometimes masters) level degree (hm, maybe certification?). It is for Nurses who want to branch into areas that used to be reserved for doctors only... like Nurse Anesthetist or Clinical Specialist in a certain specialty.

That should be enough to get you started. :)

What school you choose matters. If the school is not approved by the state, you won't be allowed to take the NCLEX even with a nursing degree from the school. If you choose a school that is not accredited by one of the respected organizations that does that, you won't be able to transfer your credits or use them toward a higher degree. Nursing schools also vary a lot in quality.

iPink, BSN, RN · Dec 11, 2010

Saysfaa did a great job breaking down all what each nursing title means. I will help you in deciding which path to take.

Since you have your degree already, I would suggest you looking at two types of programs:

1) An accelerated BSN program, which is offered to students who hold at least a 4-year degree in a non-nursing field. These programs are very intense, because its 3 years of schooling condensed into 12-16 months (depending of program). These programs are also more expensive and suggest one doesn't work due to its intensity. Accelerated BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) Programs

2) A direct entry MSN program, this is also offered to students who hold at least a 4-year degree in a non-nursing field. Again, length varies by school. Direct Entry MSN (Masters in Nursing) Programs

However, if those two options don't work for you, you can opt for an ADN program (described by Saysfaa). This route is cheaper, but very competitive.

Look into any potential schools of interests and find out prerequisite requirements. You may have to retake your sciences if you've taken them more than 5 years ago.

bgara · Dec 14, 2010

Welcome,
Here is the short version...
CNA is Certified Nursing Assistant. This is not a nurse. For many, it is the first step toward being a nurse because their school requires or prefers it or because they want to check out nursing from the inside or because they need a job while they go to school or because it makes nursing school easier (application or observation instead of just memorizing from a book or lecture). It is also a career for some people. CNA requires passing a state test, the requirements vary a little from state to state. The feds require certain things and let the states add to that. Some states require a class before the test, others offer a class but don't require it. If there is a class it is usually between 90 and 120 hours and includes some hands on learning of skills, some state require more hours than that. CNA's do mostly personal care types of things (baths, feeding, dressing) with a little sorta medical stuff like taking vital signs and watching for things indicative of problems then reporting to the nurse. Nurses do some personal care things also, how much depends on what flavor of nursing they are doing.
CMA is Certified Medical Assistant or Certified Medication Assistant. This is also not a nurse. It is basically a CNA that can do a some more medical type things like EKGs and giving medication. Education for it is similar to CNA, I don't know how many hours. In my state one must be a CNA to take the training to be a CMA. Some nursing students do this, some people do it as their career.
LPN is Licensed Registered Nurse.
LVN is Licensed Vocational Nurse. These two are the same thing, some states call them one, some the other.
These are nurses. Googling the difference between LPN and RN will get a better answer than I can give. Schooling takes between 10 and 18 months. They generally make about twice as much as a CNA and about half as much as an RN (very, very roughly).
RN is Registered Nurse. This (or LPN) is the nurse John Q. Public usually thinks of when he thinks "nurse".
RN is not a degree, it is a registration with the state that involves passing the national competency test (called NCLEX). One must have a degree from a state approved nursing program in order to take the NCLEX. There are basically two kinds of nursing degrees: ADN which is Associates Degree, Nursing and BSN which is Bachelor of Science, Nursing.
ADN (Associates Degree, Nursing) is a two year degree, although most people take longer in order to do the prereqs like chemistry, anatomy, human development, psychology, English, Math... they vary from school to school. They also vary in how many are allowed to be taking while taking the nursing classes. The nursing classes are tightly tracked and usually designed to be full time.
BSN (Bachelor of Science, Nursing). I assume you know what a Bachelor's degree is.
The difference between ADN and BSN in the real world gets a lot of discussion. Most people agree that they usually do the same things (They are RNs rather than ADNs or BSNs). If a person wants to go into hospital administration, they usually get the BSN. In some regions of the country, employers prefer BSN, in other parts it doesn't matter.
MSN is a Master's in Nursing. I assume you know what a master's is.
NP is Nurse Practitioner. This is the doctorate (sometimes masters) level degree (hm, maybe certification?). It is for Nurses who want to branch into areas that used to be reserved for doctors only... like Nurse Anesthetist or Clinical Specialist in a certain specialty.
That should be enough to get you started. :)
What school you choose matters. If the school is not approved by the state, you won't be allowed to take the NCLEX even with a nursing degree from the school. If you choose a school that is not accredited by one of the respected organizations that does that, you won't be able to transfer your credits or use them toward a higher degree. Nursing schools also vary a lot in quality.

Thank you Saysfaa for taking time and give me a good overview which I am looking.