Nursing degrees in the United States

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Nursing is the largest healthcare profession in the United States, with more than 3.1 million registered nurses.^[1] Between 2012 and 2022, employment for nurses is projected to grow by 19 percent, which is more than any other profession.^[2] Nurses make up the largest component of staff in hospitals but are also able to provide care in clinic settings, patient's homes, schools, nursing homes, public health agencies, and mental health centers. In addition, nurses can be found in the military, in industry, nursing education, and do health care research.^[3] Nurses in these various roles and settings can provide direct patient care and case management, but also develop and establish nursing practice and quality standards within complex healthcare systems. As each degree can provide a different level of care for patients and function in vastly different roles, it is important to differentiate between them. The levels of nursing degrees have different educational requirements, licensure, and credentialing that can vary state to state.