What is the order of the nursing career ladder?

[miachris2]

I'm just starting an LVN program to get my foot in the door. I was just wondering in what order is the "nursing career lader" go. Starting from a CNA the top.

Take care everyone

[TazziRN, RN]

CNA/Tech

MA

LVN

RN

NP/CRNA/CNMW

[TigerGalLE, BSN, RN]

What is an MA?

[angelladyclaire]

Medical Assistant

[S.N. Visit, BSN, RN]

Medical Assistant

Medical Assistant is not in the nursing spectrum (governed under a physician's license)

......but a Medication Aide is directed under a board of nursing.

[jackson145]

How does QMA rank compared to CNA?

[S.N. Visit, BSN, RN]

How does QMA rank compared to CNA?

Back in the day when I was a CNA, only CNA's that had so many yrs experience could qualify to become a Med aide. So, if it's still true today the QMA would rank higher due to the added responsibility and education. At my current work, we only have CNA's and RN's, so I'm a bit out of the loop about other UAP's.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

1. CNA/aide

2. LPN/LVN

3. RN-ADN

4. RN-diploma

5. RN-BSN

6. RN-MSN

7. APNs (nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, registered nurse anesthetists, etc)

8. RN-Ph.d

Note: Medical assistants (MAs) are healthcare workers, but are not part of the nursing model.

[jackson145]

Back in the day when I was a CNA, only CNA's that had so many yrs experience could qualify to become a Med aide. So, if it's still true today the QMA would rank higher due to the added responsibility and education. At my current work, we only have CNA's and RN's, so I'm a bit out of the loop about other UAP's.

I know a young QMA who was never a CNA, so I'm still not sure about the rank.

[SharonH, RN]

This is the first I'm hearing of a nursing career ladder. If you want to be an RN, why not just go for it? What is all this business about getting your foot in the door by becoming a CNA first, then an LVN, then an RN and so on and so on? ( I'm referring to other posts which mention starting at CNA now). It's not a tiered process and you don't have to do it that way....if you want to be an RN, then go right ahead. Why add all the layers that take up time and money?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

This is the first I'm hearing of a nursing career ladder. If you want to be an RN, why not just go for it? What is all this business about getting your foot in the door by becoming a CNA first, then an LVN, then an RN and so on and so on? ( I'm referring to other posts which mention starting at CNA now). It's not a tiered process and you don't have to do it that way....if you want to be an RN, then go right ahead. Why add all the layers that take up time and money?

Sharon's post is 100 percent correct. If someone would like to be an RN, they have the ability to pursue this specific educational pathway without ever having been a CNA or LPN/LVN. Many, if not the majority, of current RNs have bypassed the CNA and LPN/LVN career tracks with success to achieve their licensure.

However, many of us needed to 'stair-step' up the career ladder due to financial reasons and other unavoidable circumstances within our lives. It's "different strokes for different folks."

[SharonH, RN]

However, many of us needed to 'stair-step' up the career ladder due to financial reasons and other unavoidable circumstances within our lives. It's "different strokes for different folks."

I totally understand that. It just seems like a lot of people are confused about entering the field and believe that it is best to "work their way up" or something like that and don't understand that they don't necessarily HAVE to do it that way. I read a lot of posts like that. But yes, I realize that people start at different points due to different life circumstances.