Specialized Nursing Degrees

Many people who are interested in the medical field go to college to become a nurse. A four-year nursing degree is known as a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BS/BSN). Through this degree, students can take an exam to become a registered nurse (RN), or can continue on into a Masters program or other form of higher education. For those interested in specialized nursing degrees, there are several higher education programs that can prepare you to work in more specialized medical fields.

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

• Nurse Practitioners are RNs who have completed higher education, commonly a master's degree. These nurses are trained to diagnose and treat common medical conditions and chronic illnesses. NPs provide care similar to that of a physician and can act as a regular heath care provider for patients. Generally, the focus of NPs is individualized care and patient education on health and disease prevention. Rather than writing prescriptions, nurse practitioners focus on assisting patients make better life and health choices; choices that can treat and prevent their illness at lower costs.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

• Clinical Nurse Specialists focus on specific health conditions or patient populations. CNS's are registered nurses with a masters or doctorate degree in a specialized area. Their area of focus can range from patient population (i.e. pediatrics or women's health), specific diseases (i.e. diabetes or oncology), type of care (psychiatric or rehabilitation), or setting (i.e. critical care or emergency room). CNS's have a variety of occupational options and can often provide direct patient care or act as expert consultants.

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

• Certified Nurse-Midwives are registered nurses who have received extra training in the area of infant delivery, prenatal and postpartum care. This alternative nursing degree allows nurses to work within this very specialized field and can train them to assist in natural childbirths. CNMs can also offer female patients birth control and family planning advice, gynecological services and certain medication prescriptions.

Doctor of Nursing

• Nurses with doctoral degrees are in high demand in the medical field. These nurses can work within departments of health administration, research and clinical practice. Degrees generally take four to six years to complete and are designed for the serious nurse who would like to advance herself within the nursing world. Doctor of nursing students are educated in research methods, history of nursing science and various leadership skills.