How long do most nurses go to school?

Most nurses go to school for one to six years. The amount of time it takes to become a nurse varies greatly by what type of nurse you want to become. Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), for instance, usually can complete their training programs in a few weeks to a few months. However, people who earn their P.h.D.s in Nursing can spend ten years going to school before they graduate with their doctoral degrees. The average RN, however, attends school for two to four years. These nurses either complete their Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN), which takes two to three years to finish, or their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which takes about four years. Depending on the person and the program, however, these programs may take longer to complete (they rarely can be completed in a shorter time due to clinical hour requirements). After ADN and BSN students graduate, they also both have to take the NCLEX-RN exam, which, upon passing it, will grant them their national RN license. This usually only takes a few months to study for and take.