---

Nursing & Nursing Assistants

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.3901 - 51.3999.

Types of Degrees Nursing & Nursing Assistants Majors Are Earning

Those studying Nursing & Nursing Assistants have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	45,653
Associate’s Degree	2,752
Bachelor’s Degree	14
Master’s Degree	10,849
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Nursing & Nursing Assistants Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Nursing & Nursing Assistants develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Nursing & Nursing Assistants emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Nursing & Nursing Assistants program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Service Orientation — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Nursing & Nursing Assistants careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Nursing & Nursing Assistants professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Epic Systems	Medical software	—
FaceTime	Video conferencing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
PointClickCare healthcare software	Medical software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates include:

• Clinic Nurse
• Long Term Care LPN (Long Term Care Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Charge Nurse
• Medical LPN (Medical Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
• Private Duty Licensed Practical Nurse (Private Duty LPN)
• Radiation Oncology Nurse
• Pediatric LPN (Pediatric Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
• Office Nurse
• Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse (Clinic LPN)
• Private Duty Nurse
• Triage LPN (Triage Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Nursing Home LPN (Nursing Home Licensed Practical Nurse)
• Licensed Care Coordinator (LCC)

What Can You Do With a Nursing & Nursing Assistants Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Nursing & Nursing Assistants commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	14.4%	$118,810	$94,824–$142,796

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Some college courses	37.4%
Postsecondary certificate	34.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	15.7%
Bachelor’s degree	10.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
First professional degree	0.1%
Master’s degree	0.1%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Nursing & Nursing Assistants?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.9% of Nursing & Nursing Assistants degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	88,929	88.9%
Men	11,058	11.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	43,036	43.0%
Asian	5,070	5.1%
Hispanic or Latino	20,460	20.5%
Black or African American	22,051	22.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1,113	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	341	0.3%
Two or More Races	3,702	3.7%
Race Unknown	3,493	3.5%
International Students	721	0.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Nursing & Nursing Assistants Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$45,399
4 years	$42,279
5 years	$47,962

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,962 — roughly 6% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Nursing & Nursing Assistants Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Nursing & Nursing Assistants. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	5
Bachelor’s	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Nursing & Nursing Assistants Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Nursing & Nursing Assistants graduates earn a median of $42,279 four years after completion — roughly 11% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.