LVN vs. BSN: Which Career Path Is Right for You?

Nursing students evaluate nursing programs that allow them to achieve their career objectives. Many students enter into two- or four-year programs according to their current career goals. Many nursing students choose a program with a shorter duration to get into entry-level positions. This helps them get started in health care and gain experience. When making a career choice, the students must compare the pros and cons of each selection. 

What Is LVN? 

A licensed vocational nurse will provide healthcare services in a hospital or clinical setting, and the programs take around two years to complete. These LVN positions are great options for nursing professionals seeking entry-level positions and want to get experience in health care. However, the positions do not present the workes with top-earning levels or opportunities for management positions.

Statistics show that many new nurses may enter health care at this level, but they are less likely to settle for the lower levels throughout their careers. Studies show a projected growth of about 12% as new graduates replace advancing nurses who are taking on larger roles in their medical facilities. 

In the field, the LVN will manage duties such as triage where they check vitals, read blood pressures, and get details such as weight or height from the patient. In a clinical setting, the nurses will not interact with patients in the same way as registered nurses. After the student has completed at least two years as an LVN, they may choose to enter an rn to bsn program to take the next career step. 

What is a BSN?

A bachelor’s of science degree in nursing is required for all nursing professionals who want to become registered nurses, advance in their current career, or take on management roles in the future. The bachelor’s program takes four years to complete, and the student will complete coursework and clinical tasks to pass and complete the program. 

What Careers are Possible With a BSN?

In addition to becoming a registered nurse, the nursing professional could enter a variety of nursing positions with their new degree. They could become a health educator who teaches the public about health to improve the population’s health and decrease disease development. They could work within a field where a health educator shows patients how to improve their diets, lifestyles, or avoid sexually transmitted diseases.  

In many medical facilities, patients require caseworkers that manage specific aspects of their health and well-being. Caseworkers may monitor patients who are elderly and have been admitted to nursing care or patients who have mental conditions that required hospitalization. 

Specializations With A Nursing Degree

Nursing professionals choose specializations that increase their earning potential and allow them to work in specific departments in a hospital. This could include critical care, cardiology, pediatrics, geriatric care, or oncology. Nurses may choose a specialization at any time and complete coursework and clinical tasks to gain a certification in their chosen specialty. A specialty could maximize their earning potential and give them more opportunities in private practice. 

Nursing students choose two- or four-year degree programs based on their career goals. Higher degrees give them access to more earning potential and allow them to expand their knowledge of nursing. By weighing the pros and cons of each program, the students decide what option is best for them in the long run. 

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