Ask a Nurse

Type your question here:

Medi-Smart Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the latest on advancing your career and enhancing your education.

Medi-Smart > Nursing Schools > Registered Nurse (RN)

Registered Nurse (RN)

A Registered Nurse (RN) is someone who is officially certified, licensed and registered in the nursing world. There are actually more RNs in the United States than any other type of nurse, and it is the most in-demand profession in the healthcare field. This high demand is very likely to stay high--if not grow over the years to come. As long as there are people on this planet, there will be a demand for qualified nurses to provide basic care for patients.

As an RN, you may have LVN/LPNs working under you, as well as CNAs who can help you with basic nursing tasks while they learn from your nursing expertise on-the-job. Becoming an RN is an extremely rewarding job, but is not for the faint of heart. You form close relationships with doctors, patients and patients' families, as you often see a patient through their entire length of treatment on a daily basis.

To become a registered nurse, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination, also known as the NCLEX. This test is taken following the completion of a degree program through a nursing school, as some RNs earn 2-year Associates degrees, while others choose to complete a 4-year Bachelor degree program before taking the NCLEX. The specific path to becoming an RN depends on a lot of personal and professional factors that you choose. Use Medi-Smart's access to various nursing degree programs to request more information about RN programs today.

Click here for more information on Registered Nurse Salary levels.