If you’re a LPN thinking about becoming a nurse (RN), it’s important to know the benefits of making the career shift. Becoming a registered nurse will bring your more opportunities in the nursing field.

1. Job Demand – As with many jobs in the medical field, jobs for RNs are in high demand. As the population grows and the Baby Boomer population gets older, demand isn’t going to go down anytime soon for qualified RNs.
2. Salary – When you become an RN, you’ll earn a higher salary than you did as an LPN due to your higher level of expertise. Due to the high demand for RNs, salaries are also expected to increase in the coming years. As you gain more experience, your salary will increase over the years as well.
3. Variety – Registered nurses can work in a number of different settings, such as hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, public health departments, and outpatient facilities. Depending on the type of facility, they may work with patients of all ages, or they may work with a specific group such as children, the elderly, women, or patients with a certain disease.
4. Reward – Like other types of nurses, RNs will tell you that their jobs are rewarding. In spite of working long hours on your feet, you will get to care for patients and improve their lives. You will definitely be making a difference in the world.
5. Advancement – As an RN, you will have many opportunities for advancement within the nursing field. With experience, you could advance to a position in organization or management with additional responsibilities. You can also go on to receive an advanced degree in nursing, which may even be funded by your employer.
6. Responsibilities – Compared to Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) and LPNs, RNs have many more opportunities and responsibilities with their job. In addition to managing CNAs and LPNs, they provide treatment, education, and advice to patients.
7. Career Outlook – RNs make up the largest occupation in the field of healthcare, which means that the demand for RNs won’t go away anytime soon. As healthcare providers focus more on prevention and look to save money, RNs are being given more responsibilities as well, which makes them highly desired in the medical field.
8. Education – Unlike other medical professionals, RNs don’t have to spend half of their lives in school, yet they gain enough expertise to find a stable career with lots of opportunities. To become an RN, you need either an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree, which take 2 to 4 years. If you have previous experience as an LPN, you may be able to earn a degree in less time.
9. Daily Tasks – The variety of daily responsibilities that an RN has makes the work more interesting than that of less-qualified nurses and assistants. They work directly with patients providing care and advice, but they may also be responsible for diagnostics and testing, as well as organizational tasks.
10. Always New – As an RN, you will experience new things every day. You will work with all kinds of patients in different situations and learn about new techniques and illnesses. As medical technology and research advances, there will always be new things to learn, which makes nursing an exciting career.

This article was written by Erin McKinney, who is a licensed nurse practitioner. Erin also owns the site Masters of Nursing for students interested in getting an advanced degree in the nursing field.