Are you interested in entering the health care field? Do you want to help people but are unsure what options you have as a nurse? If so, this article may be able to help you learn about some different nursing school programs available.

If you’thought about becoming a nurse assistant, you might want to consider the Red Cross CNA class (Certified Nursing Assistant). The Red Cross class gives you a nationally recognized certification.

Many people enter the nursing world as a Certified Nursing Assistant, commonly called nurse’s aides. A CNA’s education is limited, which means it is easy to become one, but your responsibilities will be few and general in nature. You would perform tasks like making beds, feeding and bathing patients, and checking vital signs. You will not be doing any invasive procedures. For a Certified Nursing Assistant, there is no college required. There are vocational training programs you can participate in. Once your studies and practicum are complete, usually within a few weeks, you can get certified and start working.

The next step up from a CNA is the Licensed Practical Nurse. The LPN are the foot soldiers of the nursing world. They supervise CNA’s and take their instructions from an RN. You would be responsible for patient charts, medicating patients, assisting other nurses, injections, and more. To be an LPN, you must obtain an associate’s degree in nursing, but this can be completed in one to two years. At the end of your courses, you will have to pass the NCLEX-PN exam. Only then can you become licensed and being work.

A Registered Nurse or RN can provide all the care of the CNA, LPN, plus have added responsibilities in patient care and surgery and take their orders directly from physicians. This type of nurse will oversee the LPNs and CNAs. To be an RN, the minimum requirement is an associate’s degree in nursing. A four-year bachelor’s degree, though, is more widely preferred. No matter which educational approach you take to becoming an RN, you will still have to take and pass the NCLEX-RN before licensed and able to work.

If you are already an LPN or RN, universities offer you options to continue your education. There is a program called RN to BSN, which provides a registered nurse with only an associate’s degree to achieve a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The same exists for an LPN but is slightly different. If you still want to take your education farther, you can climb all the way up to a PhD with hard work and ambition.

Hopefully, you are now not as confused as you were about the types of nursing school programs and nurse classifications. They all take work, even the Red Cross CNA class, but give you a great career helping people in need. Health care systems grow exponentially each year, so there is always a high demand for nurses. Talk about job security!