Nursing & Nursing Assistants
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Types of Degrees Nursing & Nursing Assistants Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many practical nursing and nursing assistants graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Undergraduate Certificate | 43,520 |
Basic Certificate | 38,505 |
Associate Degree | 2,006 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 239 |
Doctor’s Degree | 4 |
What Nursing & Nursing Assistants Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to practical nursing were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Practical Nursing Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Skills for Practical Nursing Majors
practical nursing majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Abilities for Practical Nursing Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a practical nursing student include the following:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
What Can You Do With a Nursing & Nursing Assistants Major?
People with a practical nursing degree often go into the following careers:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 12.3% | $46,240 |
Nursing Assistants | 11.5% | $28,540 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing & Nursing Assistants?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of practical nursing majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1 |
Black or African American | 11 |
Hispanic or Latino | 224 |
White | 0 |
International Students | 1 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 2 |
Geographic Diversity
Practical Nursing appeals to people across the globe. About 0.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- South Korea
- Canada
- China
- Kenya
- Jamaica
How Much Do Nursing & Nursing Assistants Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in practical nursing have a median salary of $14,156 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $14,156 (25th percentile) and $14,156 (75th percentile).
It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to practical nursing.
Salaries According to BLS
Practical Nursing majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $29,580 to $47,050 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Nursing & Nursing Assistants
Some careers associated with practical nursing require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
Find out what the typical degree level is for practical nursing careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Less than a High School Diploma | 2.7% |
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 21.6% |
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 36.6% |
Some College Courses | 25.1% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 13.0% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0.8% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 0.2% |
Online Nursing & Nursing Assistants Programs
In 2020-2021, 1,293 schools offered a practical nursing program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 1,125 | 10 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 57 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 114 | 5 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 2 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 2 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 2 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 1 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 1 | 1 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Nursing & Nursing Assistants Worth It?
The median salary for a practical nursing grad is $29,580 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
Top Ranking Lists for Nursing & Nursing Assistants
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Majors Related to Nursing & Nursing Assistants
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to practical nursing.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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