What Are the Different Types of Nursing?

Nursing is a vast field with plenty of opportunities for those who want to seize them. There are many types of nursing you can enter into depending on your education and the area you choose to specialize in. In addition, there is always room for promotion from one type of nursing to another, making this a field that is far from being obsolete.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

• This is the most basic type of nursing and requires the least amount of training; a high school diploma and a 6-week training course is all that is required in most cases. Certified nursing assistants are responsible for the personal care needs of the patient.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

• This type of nursing requires 1 year of schooling at either a vocational or community college; the student must pass state boards to receive his license before he can practice. A licensed practical nurse's responsibilities include administering medication, dressing wounds, taking vital signs and noting any physical or behavioral changes in the patient.

Registered Nurse (RN)

• To become an RN, you need to complete 4 years of college and receive a Bachelor's degree in nursing. An RN's duties include supervising the LPNs and CNAs, administering medications, starting IVs and conferring with physicians about a patient's condition.

Hospice Nursing

• Hospice nurses provide comfort care for terminally ill patients in their homes when treatment as a cure is no longer an option. They administer pain medication and provide emotional support for both the patient and the family.

Neo-Natal Nursing

• These nurses provide care for babies in the neo-natal intensive care who were either born premature or with a serious health condition. One nurse is assigned to one baby to ensure that the baby receives the best, most attentive care possible.

Surgical Nursing

• Surgical nurses provide care for the patients before, during and after surgical procedures. During the procedure, they will also assist the surgical team by helping dress wounds, taking and labeling specimens and alerting the surgeon if there is a change in the patient's vital signs.