RN – Registered nurse

The educational requirements for RNs include a two-year Associate of Science Nursing degree (ASN) from an accredited school of nursing. A state board exam must be taken and a professional nursing license must be maintained. ASN-degree registered nurses are primarily found in hospitals but also may work for HMOs, insurance companies and in home care. They generally perform all of the essential duties of an LPN and also may take verbal and phone orders from a physician, complete full admission assessments, be responsible for starting or maintaining the patient-care plan, start peripheral IV lines, maintain other central lines, hang blood and blood products, administer IV push medications and ensure that treatments are rendered.

RNs are part of the care-plan team and meet regularly with doctors, social workers, physical therapists and dietary nutritionists, as well as family members and patients, to ensure that each patient is receiving a full range of patient care. They are typically responsible for creating the patient medical history and updating medical charts and information. At this level, a registered nurse can be a charge nurse.

RN, BSN – Bachelors-level registered nurse

The educational requirements for RN, BSNs include a four-year Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited school of nursing. A state board exam must be taken and a professional nursing license must be maintained. RN, BSN nurses occupy many middle management positions, such as those in home care case management, hospital administration and in the capacity of LPN/vocational nursing educators. They fulfill the role of creating and managing patient outcomes in the form of insurance billing, nursing diagnoses, nursing care plans and strategizing for discharge. RN, BSN nurses also can become clinical nurse specialists or directors of nursing for long-term-care, sub acute and rehabilitation facilities.

RN, MSN – Masters-level registered nurse

The educational requirements for a RN, MSN include an additional two-year degree above the RN, BSN from an accredited Masters of Science nursing program. Masters-level nurses fill higher administration positions in hospitals, insurance companies, home-care case management, academia and community public-health offices.

RN, APN – Advanced-practice nurse

The educational requirements for RN, APNs include a Masters level from an accredited school of medicine/nursing. A state board exam must be taken and a professional nursing license must be maintained. There are four specific areas of specialization within APNs:

• Nurse practitioners (NPs) provide basic care focused on a specific population or health need, including writing prescriptions. Many NPs have a Drug Enforcement Agency registration number that allows them to write for "controlled" medications in most states. NPs also may bill Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance for services performed
• Certified nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) administer anesthesia for all types of surgery
• Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) provide specialist care in a number of areas: cardiology, oncology, neonatology, OB/GYN, pediatrics, neurology and mental health
• Certified nurse midwives (CNMs) provide prenatal care, deliver babies and provide postpartum care to normal healthy women

Increasingly, APNs are found in specialty-care settings, such as psychiatry, cardiology, pediatrics, orthopedics, neurology and interventional radiology. Advanced-practice nurses can do many of the same procedures and diagnostic testing as physicians.

PA – Physicians assistant

The educational requirements for PAs include additional schooling after attaining a bachelor's degree. Trained, certified and licensed PAs take medical histories, conduct physical examinations, and diagnose and treat medical problems under the supervision of physicians. PAs see patients with routine and minor complaints, freeing physicians to see more serious cases.

CNA – Certified nursing assistant

CNAs are nurse's aides who have attended a certification program. They typically assist residents or patients with activities of daily living (ADLs) and provide bedside care and basic nursing procedures, all under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse. CNAs primarily work in nursing homes and provide home healthcare.

Depending on the healthcare environment, the nursing degrees stated above can be given various positional titles.