Registered Nurse
Registered Nurse
Registered nurses (RNs) form the backbone of healthcare industry and constitute the largest healthcare occupation, with about 2.4 million jobs in US. 3 out 0f 5 RNs work in hospitals.
Irrespective of job posting or specialty, registered nurses perform basic duties that include treating patients, educating patients and the public about various medical conditions, and providing advice and emotional support to patients’ family members. RNs also record patients’ medical histories and symptoms, help to perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, operate medical machinery, administer treatment and medications, and help with patient follow-up and rehabilitation.
Nature of Work
Registered nurses work as patient advocates for care and recovery of the sick and maintenance of the healthy. In their work as advocates for the patient, RNs ensure that the patient receives appropriate and professional care. RNs use the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care of the sick and injured.
Usually, an RN is the contact person between doctor and patient. RNs’ responsibility on one hand, encompasses teaching patients and their families how to cope with their illness or injury, including post-treatment home care needs, diet and exercise programs, and self-administration of medication and physical therapy. On the other, RNs comply doctor’s instructions to effectively manage patient’s illness and keep the doctor updated about the progress of treatment of patient. RNs are also required to provide grief counseling to family members of critically ill patients.
RNs, who work in public health system, are called upon to promote and improve the overall health of communities. They provide health care and first aid. They give shots and screenings such as blood pressure tests. Public health nurses develop health education programs. They educate the public on various warning signs and symptoms of disease and where to go for help. Thus, they teach the public about topics such as nutrition and childcare. In addition, they refer patients to community agencies. RNs also might run general health screening or immunization clinics, blood drives, and public seminars on various conditions.
Working Conditions
In most healthcare facilities, RNs work in well-lighted and comfortable environment. Home health and public health nurses however need to travel on call to patients’ homes, schools, community centers, and other sites. In most work setting, RNs are required to spend considerable time walking and standing. Since patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities need 24-hour care, RNs posted there will consequently have to work in the nights, as well as on weekends and holidays, apart from being available on call on short notice. RNs, who work in office settings, are more likely to work regular business hours.
Nursing has its hazards, especially in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and clinics, where nurses may care for individuals with infectious diseases. RNs must observe rigid, standardized guidelines to guard against disease and other dangers, such as those posed by radiation, accidental needle sticks, chemicals used to sterilize instruments, and anesthetics. In addition, they are vulnerable to back injury when moving patients, shocks from electrical equipment, and hazards posed by compressed gases. RNs who work with critically ill patients also may suffer emotional strain from observing patient suffering and from close personal contact with patients’ families.
Employment
As the largest health care occupation, registered nurses number about 2.4 million jobs in the year 2004. 60%, or 3 out of 5 jobs are in hospitals in inpatient and outpatient departments, the remaining being in offices of physicians, nursing care facilities, home health care services, employment services, government agencies, and outpatient care centers. A good number of RNs also works in social assistance agencies and educational services, both public and private. About 1 in 4 RNs worked part time.
Training, Other Qualifications and Advancement
There are three major educational paths to registered nursing: A bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in nursing (ADN), and a diploma. Briefly, they are as under:
Diploma in Nursing or Nursing Diploma
It is an entry-level tertiary education nursing degree. Usually, this degree is awarded by hospital-based nursing schools. Students with a Diploma in Nursing can appear for the NCLEX-RN and also apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse.
Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN)
ASN nursing degree is similar to Diploma in Nursing except that an ASN degree is given by community colleges or similar nursing schools. Students awarded an Associate of Science in Nursing are qualified to sit for the NCLEX-RN and apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse.
Practicing nurses having ASN degree can avail of fast-track programs offered by many nursing schools to earn bachelor's degree in approximately two years.
Nursing degrees similar to ASN:
Associate of Nursing (AN)
Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AASN)
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN, BScN) or Bachelor of Nursing (BN)
This is a 4-year academic nursing degree in the science and principles of nursing. The degree is awarded by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school. In many countries, bachelor-level nursing degrees have become the norm adhered to as the entry-level for becoming a Registered Nurse.
Enrolling in BSN program is helpful, because it opens more career advancement opportunities. For example, a BSN degree is often necessary for administrative positions and it is also a prerequisite for admission to graduate nursing programs in research, consulting, and teaching, and all four advanced nursing specialties — clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners.
A BSN degree holder also benefits by receiving more training in areas such as communication, leadership, and critical thinking, in addition to more clinical experience in non-hospital settings.
Job Outlook
Job consultants have for long noted an increasing uptrend for nursing careers. By all accounts, employment opportunity for registered nurses is expected to grow at a much faster pace through 2014 compared to all other occupations. Since the occupation is very large and in view of rising median age of registered nurse population, the requirement of registered nurses is likely to create the second largest of new jobs among all occupations.
A couple of good reasons for a spurt in requirement of RNs are enumerated below:
- Because of increase in the number of elderly people, many of whom require long-term care, employment in nursing is expected to grow faster than average. Further, since hospitals will tend to discharge patients as soon as possible in order to shore up their finances, more admissions can be expected in nursing care facilities.
- With advancement in medical technology, an increasing number of sophisticated procedures, once performed only in hospitals, are being catered to in physicians’ offices and in outpatient care centers. This has correspondingly boosted employment opportunity for registered nurses, which is expected to grow at a much faster pace.
In general, RNs with at least a bachelor’s degree will have better job prospects than those without the degree. Further, all four advanced practice specialties—clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, midwives, and anesthetists—will be in high demand, particularly in medically underserved areas such as inner cities and rural areas. Compared to physicians, RNs serving here are increasingly seen as lower-cost primary care providers.
Earnings
Median annual earnings of registered nurses are $52,330 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent have earned between $43,370 and $63,360. The lowest 10 percent have earned less than $37,300, and the highest 10 percent have earned more than $74,760. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of registered nurses in May 2004 are as under:
Employment services : $ 63,170
General medical and surgical hospitals : $ 53,450
Home health care services : $ 48,990
Offices of physicians : $ 48,250
Nursing care facilities : $ 48,220
Many employers offer flexible work schedules, child-care facility, educational benefits, and bonuses.
