Understanding the Medical Profession - Nursing (Part 1)

Level 4 - Highly Selective

Welcome! Previously, we discussed the overview of the various medical professions in the free post. If you have not had a chance to read it, see below:

Understanding the Medical Profession - An Overview

With the basics out of the way, we can dive into each of the roles.

This is the first in a series of deep-dives into the medical profession. The goals of these posts are:

1. Understand the education requirements for each medical role

2. Document common role variations (e.g., RN vs. CNA)

3. Provide High School, College, and Grad School considerations where applicable

4. Salary expectations for each of the roles

5. Projected job growth/loss for the medical role

6. Additional financial/academic considerations (e.g., scholarships, loan forgiveness)

7. Any required licensing or testing considerations

Part 1: Key Questions For The Prospective Nurse

If you or someone you know has expressed interest in nursing, the process of determining what kind of nurse you want to be can be overwhelming. To assist, we put together a list of questions that any prospective nurse should know the answer to if they want to determine the appropriate pathway:

1. What do you want to be able to do as a nurse (e.g., prescribe)?

2. What environment do you want to work in (e.g., hospital, primary care)?

3. How quickly do you want to become a nurse?

4. What amount of time can you afford to be in school?

5. What population do you want to work with (e.g., children, the elderly)?

If you are a parent or educator, these questions can help drive a conversation with a student that expresses interest in a nursing program. They do not need to have all the answers, but the questions can help them figure out what questions are outstanding.

Part 2: Education Requirements

To be candid, the education requirements for nursing vary. You could become a nurse in as few as 6 weeks (a CNA) or as long as several years if you pursue a graduate degree.

The general rule of thumb for is that the more education you receive, the more options that are available to you. The more options, the greater the potential for pay, but we will get to that later.

Although there are a variety of nursing roles, nursing roles can be generally understood in the table below: