RN = registered nurse. To be an RN you have to pass nursing boards, and then you are registered to practice nursing in the state(s) you work in.
There are two year and four year programs to get your RN - the two year programs are an associates degree, 4 years are a bachelor's (BSN - bachelor's of science in nursing).
Most hospitals are trying or would like to try to phase out hiring nurses who only have associate's degrees, but supply and demand (and maybe unions in some states) have prevented that from getting too far.
Of course, on top of this, some areas also have LPNs (licensed practical nurses). These people usually also have an associates degree, but they haven't taken the RN boards. They are closer to RNs than aides or CNAs, but don't have quite the same scope of practice as an RN.
And then you have DNPs (doctors of nursing practice) who are similar but not equivalent to PAs :)
The set of regulations around different healthcare professions is really quite interesting. You have some relatively standard set of professions, but each state does licensure and scope of practice a little differently, so you end up with a huge matrix of what you can and can't do depending on your title and location. Unions will sometimes add their own restrictions on top of this.
Pretty different from the world of software engineering, where there's no real licensure or certification and anything goes.
RN = registered nurse. To be an RN you have to pass nursing boards, and then you are registered to practice nursing in the state(s) you work in.
There are two year and four year programs to get your RN - the two year programs are an associates degree, 4 years are a bachelor's (BSN - bachelor's of science in nursing).
Most hospitals are trying or would like to try to phase out hiring nurses who only have associate's degrees, but supply and demand (and maybe unions in some states) have prevented that from getting too far.
Of course, on top of this, some areas also have LPNs (licensed practical nurses). These people usually also have an associates degree, but they haven't taken the RN boards. They are closer to RNs than aides or CNAs, but don't have quite the same scope of practice as an RN.
And then you have DNPs (doctors of nursing practice) who are similar but not equivalent to PAs :)
The set of regulations around different healthcare professions is really quite interesting. You have some relatively standard set of professions, but each state does licensure and scope of practice a little differently, so you end up with a huge matrix of what you can and can't do depending on your title and location. Unions will sometimes add their own restrictions on top of this.
Pretty different from the world of software engineering, where there's no real licensure or certification and anything goes.