20 Types of Nurses and Nursing Specialties: Career Paths & Education Requirements

So Many Ways to Be a Nurse

Ask ten nurses what they do all day and you will get ten very different answers. One is calming a frightened child before surgery. Another is monitoring a patient on a ventilator in the ICU at 3 a.m. A third is teaching the next generation of nursing students, and a fourth is analyzing patient data to make an entire hospital safer.

That variety is one of nursing’s greatest strengths as a career. It means you can grow, change direction, and specialize without ever leaving the profession. Below are 20 of the most common and most rewarding entry levels to or types of nursing, what they do, and the education you need to become one. For each, we also show you where the journey can begin at Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology.

Entry Level Nursing Career – #1 to 3

1. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

CNAs are the hands and heart of daily patient care. Working under the supervision of LPNs and RNs, they help patients bathe, dress, eat, and move safely, while monitoring vital signs and reporting changes. For many nurses, the CNA role is the first rung of the career ladder and a powerful way to confirm that healthcare is your calling.

Typical education & licensure: State-approved nursing assistant training program and state certification exam.

Your Cambridge starting point: Cambridge’s five-week Nursing Assistant Diploma program prepares you for state certification with hands-on labs and externship experience which is the fastest way to start working in healthcare.

2. Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

LPNs provide essential bedside nursing care such as administering medications, dressing wounds, monitoring patients, and supporting RNs and physicians in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, and home health settings. It is a respected career in its own right and a common springboard to the RN role.

Typical education & licensure: Practical Nursing diploma and NCLEX-PN exam.

Your Cambridge starting point: Cambridge’s Diploma in Practical Nursing combines simulation-lab training with focused NCLEX-PN preparation.

3. Registered Nurse (RN)

The registered nurse is the backbone of modern healthcare use the nursing process (assess, analyze, plan, implement and evaluate) plans of care and exercise clinical judgment in caring for patients, families, and communities. RNs assess patients, develop and implement care plans, administer treatments, collaborate with physicians and other members of interdisciplinary team, educate patients and families, and evaluate the plan of care. Every specialty on the rest of this list builds on the RN foundation. 

Typical education & licensure: Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), plus the NCLEX-RN exam.

Your Cambridge starting point: Cambridge offers both the two-year Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with Traditional, Bridge, and Accelerated tracks.

Nursing Specialty Careers- #4 to 16

4. Medical-Surgical Nurse

Med-surg is the largest nursing specialty and the classic proving ground for new RNs. Med-surg nurses care for adult patients before and after surgery and those with a wide range of medical conditions, juggling multiple patients and building the clinical judgment that every other specialty relies on.

Typical education & licensure: RN license (ASN or BSN); optional CMSRN certification with experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Begin with Cambridge’s ASN or BSN program, where simulation labs mirror the fast pace of a med-surg floor.

5. Emergency Room (ER) or Trauma Nurse

ER nurses thrive on the unexpected. They triage patients, stabilize trauma cases, and make rapid decisions where minutes matter. If you stay calm under pressure and love variety, the emergency department may be your home.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) credential with experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Start with an ASN or BSN from Cambridge, then build ER experience after passing the NCLEX-RN.

6. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse

Critical care nurses manage the sickest patients in the hospital, often one or two at a time, operating ventilators, titrating powerful medications, and watching for subtle changes that can mean life or death. It is intense, technical, and deeply meaningful work.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional CCRN certification with critical care experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: A BSN is increasingly preferred for ICU roles andCambridge’s BSN tracks can get you there.

7. Operating Room (Perioperative) Nurse

OR nurses are the patient’s advocate when the patient cannot speak for themselves. They prepare patients for surgery, maintain the sterile field, assist the surgical team, and manage recovery with precision and teamwork at the highest level.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional CNOR certification with perioperative experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Launch your RN career through Cambridge’s nursing programs and pursue perioperative training after licensure.

8. Labor & Delivery Nurse

Few jobs let you witness the best moment of a family’s life every single day. L&D nurses coach mothers through labor, monitor both mom and baby, assist with deliveries, and support families through one of life’s most profound experiences.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional RNC-OB certification with experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Your path begins with an ASN or BSN at Cambridge.

9. Neonatal (NICU) Nurse

NICU nurses care for the smallest and most fragile patients who are premature and critically ill newborns by combining highly technical critical-care skills with extraordinary tenderness toward infants and their anxious families.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional RNC-NIC certification with neonatal experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Earn your RN through Cambridge’s ASN or BSN programs, then specialize in neonatal care.

10. Pediatric Nurse

Pediatric nurses care for children from infancy through adolescence, adapting every assessment, medication, and conversation to a growing body and mind and caring for worried parents at the same time.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional CPN (Certified Pediatric Nurse) credential.

Your Cambridge starting point: Start with Cambridge’s nursing programs and pursue pediatric clinical experience after licensure.

11. Oncology Nurse

Oncology nurses walk alongside patients through their cancer journey by administering chemotherapy, managing symptoms, and providing steady emotional support through some of life’s hardest days. Patients often describe their oncology nurse as family.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional OCN (Oncology Certified Nurse) credential.

Your Cambridge starting point: Begin with an ASN or BSN from Cambridge.

12. Geriatric Nurse

As America ages, geriatric nurses have never been more essential. They care for older adults in hospitals, long-term care, and assisted living by managing chronic conditions, preserving dignity and independence, and advocating for a population that deserves expert care.

Typical education & licensure: RN or LPN license; gerontological certifications available with experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Both Cambridge’s Practical Nursing and ASN/BSN programs lead into this high-demand field.

13. Home Health & Hospice Nurse

These nurses bring care to the patient by managing recovery, chronic illness, or end-of-life comfort in the place patients most want to be: home. Hospice nursing in particular is a profound ministry of presence, focused on comfort, dignity, and peace.

Typical education & licensure: RN or LPN license; CHPN certification available for hospice/palliative specialists.

Your Cambridge starting point: Start with Cambridge’s Practical Nursing or RN programs.

14. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse

Mental health is a fundamental component of healthcare, and psychiatric nurses are on its front lines by assessing patients in crisis, administering treatment, de-escalating difficult situations, and helping people reclaim their lives. Demand for mental health professionals continues to climb nationwide.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; optional PMH-BC certification with experience.

Your Cambridge starting point: Earn your RN through Cambridge’s ASN or BSN programs.

15. Travel Nurse

Travel nurses take short-term assignments, typically 8 to 13 weeks at hospitals facing staffing shortages across the country. The reward: adventure, flexibility, and often premium pay, all while building an exceptionally broad clinical résumé.

Typical education & licensure: RN license plus 1–2 years of clinical experience; multistate licensure helps.

Your Cambridge starting point: Every travel career starts with a strong RN foundation — begin with Cambridge’s ASN or BSN.

16. Public Health / Community Health Nurse

Public health nurses care for entire communities rather than one patient at a time by running immunization and screening programs, educating the public, and reaching underserved populations where they live and work.

Typical education & licensure: RN license; BSN typically preferred for public health roles.

Your Cambridge starting point: Cambridge’s BSN and RN to BSN programs build the population-health and leadership skills this field requires.

Advanced and Leadership Nursing Careers – #17 to 20

17. Nurse Informaticist

Where nursing meets technology. Nurse informaticists design, optimize, and safeguard the electronic health records and data systems that modern care runs on by translating between clinicians and IT so that technology actually serves the patient.

Typical education & licensure: RN license plus a BSN; informatics certification or graduate study strengthens candidacy.

Your Cambridge starting point: As a college of healthcare and technology, Cambridge is a natural fit, pair the RN to BSN program with Cambridge’s health information technology offerings.

18. Nurse Educator

Nurse educators multiply their impact by training the next generation, teaching in nursing programs, facilitating simulation in labs, and leading professional development in hospitals. With faculty shortages nationwide, experienced nurses who can teach are in high demand.

Typical education & licensure: RN license and BSN; a master’s degree (MSN) is typically required to teach.

Your Cambridge starting point: Cambridge’s RN to BSN and MSN pathways prepare practicing nurses for the classroom and beyond.

19. Nurse Manager / Nurse Leader

Nurse managers lead units and teams by scheduling, budgeting, mentoring staff, and setting the tone for patient care quality. It is where clinical excellence meets leadership, and it is a critical step toward executive roles such as director of nursing or chief nursing officer.

Typical education & licensure: RN license and BSN; many employers prefer or require an MSN for senior roles.

Your Cambridge starting point: The leadership coursework in Cambridge’s RN to BSN program is designed for exactly this trajectory.

20. Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

At the top of the clinical ladder, family nurse practitioners diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, and manage the primary care of patients across the lifespan often serving as a patient’s principal provider. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nurse practitioner employment to grow far faster than average, making it one of the fastest-growing occupations in America.

Typical education & licensure: RN license, BSN, and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with FNP specialization, plus national board certification.

Your Cambridge starting point: Cambridge’s Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN FNP) program prepares registered nurses for advanced practice in as little as 90 weeks.

Questions & Answers

What type of nurse can I become the fastest?

A Certified Nursing Assistant. Cambridge’s Nursing Assistant Diploma program takes just five weeks, after which you sit for your state certification exam and can begin working in hospitals, long-term care, and home health settings.

What is the difference between an LPN and an RN?

The difference lies in their preparation/training and scope of nursing practice. LPNs complete a diploma program and pass the NCLEX-PN; they provide essential bedside care under RN supervision. RNs complete an ASN or BSN and pass the NCLEX-RN; they carry broader responsibility for assessment, care planning, evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaborationand every specialty from the Med Surg to Critical Care Nursing is open to them. Many nurses begin as LPNs and bridge to the RN role; Cambridge’s ASN or BSN Bridge track was built for exactly that.

Do I need a BSN to become an RN?

No, an Associate of Science in Nursing qualifies you to take the NCLEX-RN and practice as a registered nurse in roughly two years. That said, many hospitals prefer BSN-prepared nurses, and leadership, public health, informatics, and graduate study all build on the bachelor’s degree. Cambridge offers both, plus an RN to BSN completion program for working RNs.

How does Cambridge prepare students to pass the NCLEX?

NCLEX preparation is woven throughout Cambridge’s concept-based nursing curriculum from high-fidelity simulation labs that build clinical judgment to structured review resources and personalized mentorship and coaching designed to help students succeed on the first attempt.

Where does Cambridge offer its nursing programs?

Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology serves students at campuses in the Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, and Palm Beach areas, with online and hybrid options for many programs. Cambridge is accredited by ABHES, and its ASN programs, and BSN programs at the Altamonte Springs (Orlando-area) campus are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).