What Does Registered Nurse Level 2 Mean

illustration of doctors office with framed credentials on the wall

The nursing field tin be tough and not for the faint of heart, but the idea of supporting your family while helping others really appeals to you. From what you can tell, the nursing vocation seems like an splendid selection.

But every bit you're starting to dig into potential nursing roles and what it takes to go there, you're starting to become a little overwhelmed past the huge diverseness of nursing credentials and acronyms. In your research y'all've probably seen everything from CNA to LPN and RN to DNP—and that's just a few! With so many nursing options to cull from, information technology can be a picayune confusing to figure out where to showtime and what the right option is for you.

Before choosing the plan that best fits with your career aspirations, y'all'll want to have a better handle on this alphabet soup of nursing abbreviations. We created this guide to assistance you lot wade through the sea of abbreviations as y'all start down the path of identifying which 1 might appear subsequently your proper noun one mean solar day.

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Nursing credential: CNA

What does CNA stand for? CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant.
Teaching or preparation need: High school diploma plus nursing assistant training.
2018 Median almanac salary: $28,530.^one

As the proper name suggests, CNAs assist nurses with patient admittance and vitals. Information technology is the lowest-level credential related to the nursing field and the quickest point of entry. That said, information technology's important to recall that CNAs are not technically nurses.

CNAs are required to laissez passer a specialized exam that is tied to a single course in order to work in the field. A CNA provides basic care duties under the direction of the nursing staff, including feeding, dressing, bathing and transporting patients.

TIP: Condign a nursing banana is a dandy option for individuals who are considering a career in nursing, only aren't quite convinced it's the correct path for them. Nursing assistant training tin can typically exist completed in a thing of weeks, meaning yous can get a gustatory modality of the healthcare field with minimal time investment.

Nursing Credential: LPN

What does LPN correspond? LPN stands for Licensed Practical Nurse.
Education or training demand: Post-secondary document or diploma programme.
2018 Median annual salary: $46,240.¹

Becoming an LPN requires a diploma in practical nursing and tin be completed in equally few every bit 12 months.² Subsequently completing a programme from an accredited schoolhouse, LPNs sit for the National Quango Licensure Exam (NCLEX-PN) to become certified.

Many LPNs work in clinics or individual domicile settings and are responsible for registering patient vital signs such equally centre rate and blood pressure, collecting blood samples and administering medications.

TIP: LPN tracks are oft the first option for those who want to begin a career as a nurse but exercise not have time to commit to a longer program correct away. LPNs looking to accelerate from this point can proceed their education and earn an RN credential through an LPN-to-RN bridge program .

Nursing credential: LVN

What does LVN stand up for? LVN stands for Licensed Vocational Nurse.
Education or training needed: Postal service-secondary certificate or diploma.
2018 Median annual bacon: $46,240.¹

LVNs accept identical positions to LPNs. The only difference is that the term "vocational nurse" is the title used in California and Texas. Like LPNs, they complete a diploma program and must pass the NCLEX-PN for certification.

Nursing credential: RN (ADN and BSN)

What does it correspond? RN stands for Registered Nurse. ADN stands for Associate'south Degree in Nursing. BSN stands for Available of Scientific discipline in Nursing.
Education or training needed: Undergraduate caste (Acquaintance'southward or Bachelor'due south).
2018 Median almanac salary: $71,730.¹

Registered nursing is where things can start to get disruptive. Basically in that location's two degree paths to the task title of registered nurse. You can get a registered nurse by earning either an Associate'southward Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). No matter the path taken, registered nurses take a broader scope of responsibilities than LPNs. RNs with ADNs often appraise patient needs, monitor patient symptoms, recommend intendance plans and educate patients on affliction prevention and maintenance.

In about roles, registered nurses with a BSN credential largely perform similar duties to their ADN counterparts. Notwithstanding, nurses with the BSN credential may be eligible for more employment opportunities, and some employers may require their ADN nurses to eventually obtain a BSN. The BSN can also exist valuable for nurses hoping to accelerate to leadership positions and pursue certain specialized roles.

RNs are certified through the NCLEX-RN exam which contains higher level nursing topics than the LPN version, the NCLEX-PN.

TIP: Want to acquire more about the differences between ADN and BSN nurses? Our article " ADN vs. BSN: Your Guide to Aid You lot Decide on a Nursing Degree " can aid.

Nursing credential: APRN

What does APRN stand up for? APRN stands for Avant-garde Do Registered Nurse.
Education or training needed: Master'southward degree or more than.
Median annual bacon: Dependent on the championship.

Advanced exercise registered nurses are a type of nurse who have obtained an advanced graduate-level nursing degree. One common graduate-level caste in nursing is the Chief of Science in Nursing (MSN), but there are several variations including Main of Nursing (MN) and Master of Science (MS) or Master of Arts (MA) with a major in nursing. The APRN category covers quite a few nursing roles, including nurse practitioner (NP), clinical nurse specialists (CNS), nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives.

Nursing credential: DNP

What does DNP stand for? DNP stands for Doctorate of Nursing Do.
Didactics or training needed: Doctorate degree.
Median annual salary: Dependent on championship.

There are several options for doctorate level degrees for nurses, including the Medico of Nursing Exercise (DNP) and Doctor of Nursing Scientific discipline (DNS) or Doc of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD). The DNP is more than focused on patient outcomes and the nursing practise, while the DNS and PhD are paths that are typically more focused on enquiry.

Find the correct nursing credential for y'all

While this is but a fraction of the acronyms, abbreviations and jargon yous're going to encounter in the nursing field, yous should now have a better agreement of some of the most common credentials y'all'll meet in this field. Accept the next footstep past learning more than about your options in our article, "Navigating Nursing Career Paths: ten Popular Specialties to Pursue."

^oneBureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [accessed September, 2019] www.bls.gov/ooh/. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. Employment conditions in your expanse may vary.
^twoCompletion fourth dimension is dependent on transfer credits accustomed and the number of courses completed each term.

EDITOR'Due south Note: This article was originally published in 2013. It has since been updated to include data relevant to 2019.