Respiratory therapists focus on a patient’s breathing and specialize in respiratory/pulmonary procedures, while RNs provide a broader range of care with greater emphasis on holistic care of the whole person.

RTs can have a more clearly defined set of hands-on tasks they regularly perform, specializing in respiratory diagnosis, testing, and treatment.

RNs must be familiar with a wide scope of knowledge and procedures. While RNs can specialize in respiratory/pulmonary care, they can also specialize in many other areas and discover opportunities to advance their practice in the future.

While cardiovascular technicians and technologists assist physicians in diagnosing and training heart disease and heart-related conditions, RNs provide a broader range of care with greater emphasis on holistic care of the whole person.

CVTs can have a more distinct set of hands-on tasks they regularly perform, trained for certain invasive or noninvasive cardiovascular procedures.

RNs must be familiar with a wide scope of knowledge and procedures. While RNs can specialize in cardiology, they can also specialize in many other areas and discover opportunities to advance their practice in the future.

The primary difference is paramedics act as first responders, providing emergency preliminary care and transportation to the hospital—where RNs assist in administering follow-up care to help patients heal and return to their lives.

Paramedics must be able to provide the basic care needed to get patients to the hospital in the best state possible to ensure they can successfully recover. RNs typically need more education and training to practice, as their scope of practice in administering healthcare is wider than a paramedic’s.

The cost varies based on several factors, including credits you’re able to transfer, campus location, and financial aid for which you are eligible.

You can use our Tuition Wizard to estimate tuition, discover scholarship and grant possibilities, and find out how much transfer credit can lower the cost.

The length of the degree program roughly estimates a baseline for how long it would take for you to go from LPN to RN.

Earning a degree does not by itself make you eligible to practice. You’ll need to pass the NCLEX-RN and meet the Board of Nursing requirements in your state. These additional steps don’t take too much extra time after graduation. How long you have to wait after graduation to take the NCLEX depends on state requirements, but you can generally expect to take the exam within 1-2 months.

You can potentially get an education and become an RN faster on the associate degree path. With prior LPN education and experience, you can earn an ASN in as few as 16 months through our program.

The LPN to BSN pathway takes longer (28 months through our program), but there are many benefits to taking the extra time to earn a bachelor’s degree.