A career as a certified nursing assistant starts out with a CNA certification course, which runs anywhere from six weeks to six months. At the end of the course and required clinical hours, you are eligible to take the certification exam to be a certified nursing assistant. How does this certification and a CNA job become a springboard for other careers?

The LPN/LVN degree can be earned with about one year of schooling in a practical nursing program. There are currently about 1,200 accredited LVN/LPN programs in practical nursing in the U.S., including community colleges, vocational colleges, and online colleges.