RN
Registered Nurse Career Overview
Nursing is a demanding profession that can be both physically and emotionally exhausting, but it can also be tremendously rewarding when you know that you've helped someone. Nurses are not just responsible for making their patients healthy, but for making them comfortable (especially in the case of hospice nurses), and teaching patients and families how to manage and prevent injuries though diet and exercise programs.
Three out of every five nursing jobs are in hospitals. Most nurses begin as aides or staff nurses, and with advanced training, nurses may take management positions or enter a specialty field. Nurses with a knack for the business world can find jobs working for insurance or pharmaceutical companies.
While nursing is a female-dominated profession (94.6% of all nurses are female), the number of men becoming nurses has risen substantially in recent years.
Registered Nurse Training & Education
In order to become a nurse, you must complete an approved nursing program and pass a national licensing test, the NCLEX-RN, in order to obtain a nursing license. Many colleges and universities offer a B.S. in nursing, typically consisting of a four year program.
Community and junior colleges offer two to three year programs for which they award an associate degree in nursing. Some hospitals also offer diploma programs, which are similar in scope to associates degree programs. Nursing school provides both classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience in health care facilities, In addition to nursing, coursework includes anatomy, psychology, chemistry, and nutrition.
Many nurses who earn an associates degree later go back and earn their B.S. because many nursing specialties and administrative positions are only open to nurses who hold a B.S. A master's degree in nursing can usually be completed in two years, and is required to become a clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, or nurse practitioner. A handful of schools offer doctoral degrees in nursing, which are usually used to gain higher administrative positions.
Registered Nurse Career & Salary Outlook
The number of nursing jobs is expected to rise over the next 10 years due to future demographic changes and an increased emphasis on preventative care. In fact, the registered nursing profession is projected to offer the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations.
Depending on level of education and work environment, nurse salaries vary tremendously. The median salary for registered nurses (RNs) is $52,330 per year. The median wage for nurse aids is $10.09 per hour. Mental health nurse practitioners, a specialized type of psychiatric nurse, make an average of about $75,000 a year and even more if they work on the West coast.
Career Fields/Specializations
Registered Nurse Career
RNs are incredibly adaptable and can work in a number of places, including hospitals, schools, clinics, and homes. Specific RN duties are even more varied. But no matter where RNs work or what they do, all share in the duty of providing patients with quality care, information, and advice. Typical RN tasks include:
- Recoding patients' medical histories and symptoms
- Performing tests
- Operating medical equipment
- Administering medication
Many RNs choose to specialize in one or more area. Some RNs specialize in emergency room or long-term care. RNs can specialize in diabetes, HIV/Aids, and genetic screening, while others concentrate on particular organs, body systems or a specific segment of the population. Nursing school will provide the foundation for any of these specialties, which are usually chosen when the RN enters the workplace.
Certified Nurse Aide/Technician Career
The entry level position of the nursing world, the nurse technician performs simple tasks that often require a kind heart more than any sort of technical skill. In addition to hospitals, nurse technicians help out in nursing homes and clinics, often acting as the nurses' eyes and ears.
One of the nurse technician's primary jobs is to assist patients with day to day tasks:
- walking
- bathing
- eating
- getting in and out of bed
- wheelchairs or stretchers
Nurse technicians are also sometimes responsible for monitoring vital signs, an important task when the nurse is busy taking care of other patients. In the United States, certification is required for this job.
Psychiatric Nurse Career
Instead of physical ailments, psychiatric nurses specialize in nursing for those with a mental illness. While psychiatric nurses may be found in hospitals and clinics, many also work in locked psychiatric institutions where they care for high-risk individuals who are often a danger to themselves and others. Because a psychiatric nurse must sometimes help a patient by tying him or her down, psychiatric nursing requires a certain level of mental toughness.
Many psychiatric nurses who earn a Master's degree become psychiatric nurse practitioners. Psychiatric nurse practitioners put a greater focus on psychiatric diagnosis and medication treatment than do other psychiatric nurses.
Trauma Nurse Career
Trauma nurses, who usually work in emergency rooms or on medical transport units, must respond quickly and decisively to a wide variety of trauma cases. They work with patients of all ages, and must often deal with language barriers and other factors that limit available information.
Despite often having limited information, trauma nurses are responsible for assessing and stabilizing patients. This leads to a high-stress, high-pressure work environment. Trauma nurses should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to communicate with other medical staff effectively, as well as deal with often distraught family members.
Hospice Nurse Career
Hospice nurses work with a team of physicians, social workers, chaplains, therapists, and family members to optimize the comfort of terminally ill patients outside of hospitals. Because the hospice nurse works with people who can see the end of their life approaching, he or she must not be shy about comforting patients emotionally as well as physically. Some hospice nurses find the fact that they cannot save their patients emotionally taxing. Because of these pressures, states require hospice nurses to receive additional certification.
Nurse Educator Career
Nurse educators work at colleges, universities, and teaching hospitals to train the next generation of nursing professionals. Many nurse educators conduct research in addition to teaching. All nurse educators must hold at least a master's degree in nursing and it is preferred that they hold a doctoral degree. In addition, nurse educators should have clinical experience in their area of expertise.
As the need for registered nurses rises, so is the need for nurse educators. Currently, many institutions are hiring foreign-educated nurses to fill positions.
