Every aspiring nurse faces a pivotal decision at the start of their career: Registered Nurse or Practical Nurse? A registered nurse (RN) requires more extensive education and can perform a wider range of medical tasks. A licensed practical nurse (LPN), on the other hand, has more limited responsibilities and requires less training.
To that end, you have NCLEX PN vs NCLEX RN vs RExPN. All are crucial nursing licensing exams, which dictate career trajectories with nursing. While both paths offer patient care opportunities, significant differences exist in scope, education, and professional responsibilities.
1. As the name implies, the NCLEX-RN is for candidates looking to become licensed as a registered nurse, while the NCLEX-PN is for candidates looking to become licensed as a practical or vocational nurse.
2. NCLEX-RN focuses more on the management of care and supervision of others, on the other hand, assisting Registered Nurses and working under supervision is more central to the NCLEX-PN.
3. The context of examination for the NCLEX-RN is similar to that of the NCLEX-PN; The NCLEX-PN is a variable-length adaptive test that can range between 85 and 205 items and from this range, 25 are pretest items that are not scored. The NCLEX-RN on the other hand is a variable-length adaptive test and can range between 75 and 265 items of which 15 are pretest items that are not scored.
4. The NCLEX-PN tests to ensure that the candidate demonstrates knowledge in Social Sciences including psychology and sociology, and Biological Sciences including anatomy, physiology, biology, and microbiology. Also, the following areas are tested to show clinical problem solving: Communication & Documentation, Teaching & Learning, and Culture & Spirituality. On the flip side, the NCLEX-RN examination candidates must display competency in these bodies of knowledge including Social Sciences including psychology and sociology Biological Sciences including anatomy, physiology, biology, and microbiology, and Physical Sciences including chemistry and physics.
5. In terms of duties, a Registered Nurse (RN) administers medication and treatment to patients, supervises plans for patients’ care, performs diagnostic tests and analyzes the results, gives instructions to patients on how to manage illnesses after treatment, and also, oversees the activities of other workers such as the Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), nursing aides, and home care aides. A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) ensures basic medical and nursing care such as checking blood pressure and inserting catheters, ensures the comfort of patients by helping them bathe or dress, discusses health care with patients and reports the status of patients to registered nurses and doctors.
In order to successfully register for the NCLEX examination, candidates need to first apply for the proper nursing credential from their corresponding state boards of licensure and registration. Since each state board sets its own NCLEX licensure requirements, you should check with your state regulatory board before applying. It is also important to note that candidates need to take the NCLEX Examination within one year after registering for the exam. Test-takers must pay a fee of around $200 to take either the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN. Why go through all these hassle when it is something you can do online or over the phone with NCLEX NSCBN Express License? We provide Nclex certificates for sale at moderate rates and facilitate the process.
The eligibility requirements for writing the NCLEX exam is determined by the Nursing Regulatory Body (NRB) of various states. Some states in the US, such as New Jersey, Virginia and Ohio, require criminal background checks while others such as New York mandate specific educational modules. Once all requirements are met and your state board of nursing notifies PEARSON VUE that you are eligible to take the exam, you will receive an authorization to take the exam.