• Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA): Provides basic care to patients under the supervision of nursing or medical staff in hospitals, assisted living and psychiatric facilities, and home settings.
• Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): Performs basic nursing skills to provide care under the supervision of physicians and nurses and may supervise medical assistants.
• Registered Nurse (RN): Provide extensive care and play a vital role in overall patient care and leadership within the field. RNs have a more specialized skill set in comparison to CNAs, LVNs, and LPNs. Registered nurses can work in a variety of settings and are able to specialize in any area of medicine.
• Advanced Practice Nursing Careers: Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwifes, certified nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists. These positions allow for increased autonomy in patient care, diagnosis, treatment, and education and have various restrictions on authority depending on individual state guidelines.

• Certified Nurse Assistant: 75 hours to complete certification
• Licensed Vocational Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse: 1 year to complete
• Registered Nurse: 1 to 2 years to complete
• Nurse Practitioner: 2 years to complete

Certified nurse assistant certification requires a high school diploma or equivalent is required, in addition to approximately 75 hours of specialized training from a vocational school or community college.

Licensed vocational nurse or licensed practical nurse certification requires completion of a state-approved training program from a vocational school, community college, or a hospital, and a National Council Licensure Examination is required. LPNs can also elect to enroll in an LPN-to-RN program after gaining experience as a LPN.

The requirements of an RN can be completed as a two-year associate degree from a community college or as a four-year bachelor's degree program at a university. Students in a four-year setting will receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Accelerated options are available and only a year of study is required to fulfill requirements before taking the National Council Licensure Examination for licensure. After an RN completes the basic educational requirements through either a one- or two-year program, they are able to pursue various specializations through a master's program or through a certification process.

Advanced practice nurse positions require completion of a master's degree or higher. Advanced practice nursing licensure requires passage of a specific board certification.

Positions in nursing are completely reliant on licensure processes, and certification is obtained upon passage of a national licensure examination, as in CNA, LPN and RN through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Those desiring to become a CNA will complete the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP). LPNs and RNs have similar examinations, the National Council Licensure Examination Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN) or Registered Nursing (NCLEX-RN). Nurse practitioners must pass the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Program.

It all depends on the type of nursing program you choose to pursue. Associate programs in nursing are the shortest degree programs that can prepare graduates for careers as registered nurses. In these programs, students take courses in nursing theory, as well as hands-on, clinical courses in nursing practice. Along with specific nursing courses, students also take general education courses in liberal arts topics like English, math, and natural science, which provide a solid intellectual base for the degree. Natural science and theoretical nursing courses make up the conceptual foundation of these degrees and give students the background to begin their clinical rounds. Courses like anatomy, physiology, and biology teach students the make up of the human body, and how it works on the molecular and musculoskeletal level. Future nurses learn the basics of nursing practice through courses like nursing in health alterations, which discuss the reasoning behind current nursing practices.

Advanced practice degrees train nurses to become nurse practitioners and to perform a wider range of medical duties; these degrees are available in many specialties, such as pediatric, oncologic, and psychiatric nursing. Nursing management degrees, on the other hand, are designed to train registered nurses in the leadership skills to lead teams of nurses and to enter managerial positions. Educational master's programs prepare nurses for teaching at the postsecondary level. In advanced practice master's degrees, the courses revolve around medical science and advanced nursing care topics. For example, in a primary care nurse practitioner program, nurses would take theoretical classes like clinical pharmacology, along with hands-on clinicals such as symptom illness management. A nurse-midwifery master's program, on the other hand, would require classes like women's primary care, as well as midwifery practicums in a birthing clinic.

It depends on the type of nursing program you choose. Most online clinical programs are designed to allow students to take their didactic coursework online while doing clinical rounds in a healthcare organization in their local community. For example, distance learning students might take a maternal nursing course online, while also working in the maternity ward of their local hospital with a qualified nurse practitioner. Distance learning students should be aware that they will need to attend a nursing program approved by the state nursing board where they wish to become licensed. 

Advanced practice master's degrees always require on-site clinicals, although they may allow students to complete their information-based courses online. Education master's programs usually require students to complete teaching practicums and internships, where they gain experience in a real-world instructional environment. Management nursing degrees are the programs most likely to be able to be completed through a 100% online program.

Several other degrees cover healthcare skills that are included in nursing degree programs. A two-year program in clinical medical assisting prepares graduates to assist physicians in a variety of clinical tasks, such as giving injections or informing patients about their treatment plant. Students who would like a shorter degree could look into programs in licensed vocational nursing. These one-year certificates prepare graduates to provide patients with basic care, under the supervision of registered nurses.

Other healthcare degrees, such as associate programs in sonography or radiography, prepare graduates to become diagnostic medical technicians; these professionals aid in the diagnosis of disease, although they do not personally treat patients.