Our Guide to Entry-Level Nursing

What is Entry-Level Nursing?

NCSBN, which develops the national nursing licensure exams, builds its 2026 NCLEX-RN test plan around the competencies of a newly licensed, entry-level registered nurse, and its 2024 RN practice analysis (PDF) studied the work of nurses in their first 12 months of practice. Based on that usage, an entry-level nurse can be a nurse with any type of educational background who has limited nursing experience.

Entry-level nurses work in all types of settings, including emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and nursing homes. There are also mobile entry-level nurses, who go where patients need help. Entry-level nurses may also work on disaster relief teams and for nonprofits.

Some people enter the field through nurse aide training, which does not require a college nursing program (42 CFR 483.152). Others already have a college degree in a field other than nursing and enroll in an accelerated nursing program so they can get licensed and begin a new career path as a nurse (AACN accelerated programs fact sheet, May 2026).

What is Direct-Entry Nursing?

Direct-entry nursing refers to those who enter master’s of nursing programs with no prior college nursing education. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), these entry-level master’s programs are designed for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, which is why they often appeal to career changers (AACN accelerated programs fact sheet, May 2026). Registered nurses who earned a nursing diploma or associate degree and want a graduate degree typically enroll in RN-to-MSN programs instead (AACN degree completion fact sheet, May 2026).

If you are comparing direct-entry programs, ask each school how it sequences its prelicensure nursing courses and its graduate coursework.

What Does an Entry-Level Nurse Do?

Entry-level nursing may look different depending on the environment the nurse is working in and the nurse’s license. Based on the federal O*NET task lists for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses, an entry-level nurse in a medical office or hospital may:

• Obtain patient medical history
• Monitor and record vital signs
• Administer prescribed medication
• Collect blood and other samples
• Insert catheters
• Change dressings
• Educate patients and their families

While doctors and nurse practitioners diagnose patients, lower-level or entry-level nurses may gather information that helps with the diagnosis.

Entry-level nurses in a home healthcare setting may do all of the above and may spend more one-on-one time with patients. They may also provide case management and education to patients and families, tasks included in the O*NET profile for registered nurses.

Routes to Becoming an Entry-Level Nurse

Licensed entry-level nursing positions require a state license, and each state board of nursing sets its own eligibility requirements for the licensing exam. Newly licensed RNs most often complete an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and a smaller share complete a nursing diploma, according to NCSBN’s 2024 RN practice analysis (PDF). If you start with a diploma or associate degree and later want a bachelor’s degree, articulation agreements between schools affect which credits transfer, so check with the schools involved (AACN degree completion fact sheet, May 2026).

Some nurses choose to work an entry-level nursing job while they pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing or begin a direct-entry nursing program to get their master’s in nursing. The table below compares the three entry-level roles covered in this guide.

The following are pathways to consider to become an entry-level nurse.

Nursing Certificates and Nursing Licenses

Nursing certification and licensing requirements will vary by state. To become a nursing assistant, you’ll typically complete a state-approved nurse aide training program and then pass a competency evaluation that includes a written or oral exam and a skills demonstration. Nursing assistants do not take the NCLEX.

To become an entry-level nurse with a more advanced title, you’ll have to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX): the NCLEX-PN to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN), or the NCLEX-RN to become a registered nurse. The exams are developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and state boards of nursing use the results to make licensure decisions. Each board sets its own requirements for who may take the exam (NCLEX FAQs).

LPNs and LVNs have different titles but perform similar duties, which include basic patient care such as patient intake, taking and recording vital signs, inserting catheters and assisting with documentation, according to the O*NET profile for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.

To take the NCLEX-RN, you need to meet the eligibility requirements of the board of nursing where you apply for a license, and that board makes you eligible to test (NCLEX FAQs; 2026 NCLEX Candidate Bulletin). Completing a nursing program does not by itself make you eligible; the board makes that decision. Common educational routes include a nursing diploma, an associate degree and a bachelor’s in nursing. For help with gaining additional skills that nurses may use at any level, a healthcare certificate may be useful.

Entry-Level Registered Nurse (RN)

Registered nurses (RNs) administer medications and monitor patients for reactions, record changes in patients’ conditions, conduct specified laboratory tests, educate patients and their families, and coordinate care plans with other members of the healthcare team, according to the O*NET profile for registered nurses. That profile describes tasks across the whole occupation, not what every newly licensed RN does.

Most newly licensed RNs hold an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing, according to NCSBN’s 2024 RN practice analysis (PDF). Each state will have its own RN requirements, but candidates must pass the NCLEX-RN, which state boards use to make licensure decisions, to get licensed as an RN (2026 NCLEX-RN test plan).

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs), also called nursing assistants or nurse aides, assist RNs and LPNs with patient care. They help patients with everyday activities, like dressing, bathing and eating, and they measure and record vital signs, according to the O*NET profile for nursing assistants. They may work in nursing care facilities or in hospitals.

Each state will have its own nurse aide requirements. For nurse aides in nursing facilities that take part in Medicare or Medicaid, federal rules require a state-approved training program of at least 75 clock hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training (42 CFR 483.152), followed by a competency evaluation with a written or oral exam and a skills demonstration (42 CFR 483.154). Each state must keep a registry of nurse aides (42 CFR 483.156).

Direct-Entry Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who assess, diagnose and manage patient problems, order tests and prescribe medications, according to the NCSBN APRN Consensus Model. Nurse practitioners are educated and certified in a specific population focus, such as pediatrics, adult-gerontology or family/individual across the life span.

A direct-entry nurse practitioner (NP) is a professional who had no prior nursing experience but who entered a nurse practitioner master’s program to become an advanced nurse. Entry-level master’s programs in general take about two to three years to complete, according to the AACN accelerated programs fact sheet (May 2026). That figure describes entry-level master’s programs as a group; it is not a timeline for completing NP preparation and certification.

Direct-entry programs are designed for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing (AACN accelerated programs fact sheet, May 2026).

NCSBN’s Consensus Model for APRN Regulation calls for nurse practitioners and other APRNs to hold a current RN license, complete graduate education in their APRN role and population focus, and pass a national certification exam in that role and population (NCSBN Consensus Model for APRN Regulation, 2008 (PDF)). An entry-level master’s degree does not, on its own, make a graduate eligible for NP licensure: the graduate education must prepare the student for the NP role and a population focus, and the certification and state board requirements still apply. Check the current requirements of the board of nursing in the state where you plan to practice.

Direct-Entry Master’s in Nursing (MSN)

Similar to a direct-entry NP, a direct-entry master’s in nursing (MSN) student enters the program without prior nursing education, with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing (AACN accelerated programs fact sheet, May 2026). Registered nurses with an associate degree who want an MSN can enroll in RN-to-MSN programs designed for them instead (AACN degree completion fact sheet, May 2026).

Entry-level master’s programs generally take about two to three years to complete (AACN accelerated programs fact sheet, May 2026).

Entry-Level Nurse Salary

The entry-level nurse salary you can expect will depend on your role as a nurse and where you work. Across the roles below, the median annual wage rises with the education and licensure each role requires.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, these were the national median annual wages in May 2025. The figures cover all workers in each occupation, not only those who are new to the field.

• Nursing assistants: $42,260 per year
• Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses: $64,400 per year
• Registered nurses: $97,550 per year
• Nurse practitioners: $132,300 per year

Entry-level nurses who get the proper certification or licensure can start working in the nursing field and pursue higher education while they work, if they choose.

Should You Become an Entry-Level Nurse?

If you enjoy helping people, nursing offers several ways to get started.

Nurse aide training is one way into nursing work; federal rules set a minimum of 75 clock hours for nurse aides in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facilities (42 CFR 483.152). Becoming a licensed nurse requires completing nursing education that meets your state board’s requirements and passing the NCLEX (NCLEX FAQs). Nurses have many career advancement opportunities, from nursing assistant, to LPN or LVN, to RN, to NP.

There are also doctor of nursing practice degree (DNP) programs for nurses who want a practice-focused doctorate. AACN says DNP programs prepare nurses for advanced clinical practice and leadership (AACN, About the DNP, updated July 2026).

Wherever you want to go with your nursing career and nursing education, there are diverse nursing degree programs and specialized nursing certifications you can pursue.