Registered Nurse Job DescriptionRegistered Nurse Job Description: Registered nurses (RNs), regardless of specialty or work setting, treat patients, educate patients and the public about various medical conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients’ family members. RNs record patients’ medical histories and symptoms, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, operate medical machinery, administer treatment and medications, and help with patient follow-up and rehabilitation. RNs teach patients and their families how to manage their illness or injury, explaining post-treatment home care needs; diet, nutrition, and exercise programs; and self-administration of medication and physical therapy. Some RNs work to promote general health by educating the public on warning signs and symptoms of disease. RNs also might run general health screening or immunization clinics, blood drives, and public seminars on various conditions. When caring for patients, RNs establish a plan of care or contribute to an existing plan. Plans may include numerous activities, such as administering medication, including careful checking of dosages and avoiding interactions; starting, maintaining, and discontinuing intravenous (IV) lines for fluid, medication, blood, and blood products; administering therapies and treatments; observing the patient and recording those observations; and consulting with physicians and other health care clinicians. Some RNs provide direction to licensed practical nurses and nursing aids regarding patient care. RNs with advanced educational preparation and training may perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and may have prescriptive authority. RNs can specialize in one or more areas of patient care. There generally are four ways to specialize. RNs can choose a particular work setting or type of treatment, such as perioperative nurses, who work in operating rooms and assist surgeons. RNs also may choose to specialize in specific health conditions, as do diabetes management nurses, who assist patients to manage diabetes. Other RNs specialize in working with one or more organs or body system types, such as dermatology nurses, who work with patients who have skin disorders. RNs also can choose to work with a well-defined population, such as geriatric nurses, who work with the elderly. Some RNs may combine specialties. For example, pediatric oncology nurses deal with children and adolescents who have cancer. Work environment. Most RNs work in well-lighted, comfortable health care facilities. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients’ homes, schools, community centers, and other sites. RNs may spend considerable time walking, bending, stretching, and standing. Patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities require 24-hour care; consequently, nurses in these institutions may work nights, weekends, and holidays. RNs also may be on call—available to work on short notice. Nurses who work in offices, schools, and other settings that do not provide 24-hour care are more likely to work regular business hours. About 21 percent of RNs worked part time in 2006, and 7 percent held more than one job. Nursing has its hazards, especially in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and clinics, where nurses may be in close contact with individuals who have infectious diseases and with toxic, harmful, or potentially hazardous compounds, solutions, and medications. 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 also may suffer emotional strain from caring for patients suffering unrelieved intense pain, close personal contact with patients’ families, the need to make critical decisions, and ethical dilemmas and concerns. Training and Qualifications - what you have to do to be a Registered Nurse The three major educational paths to registered nursing are a bachelor’s degree, an associate degree, and a diploma from an approved nursing program. Nurses most commonly enter the occupation by completing an associate degree or bachelor’s degree program. Individuals then must complete a national licensing examination in order to obtain a nursing license. Further training or education can qualify nurses to work in specialty areas, and may help improve advancement opportunities. Nurses desiring a career in management or advanced nursing practice such as Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist will need to acquire a masters or doctorial degree in nursing. Other qualifications: Nurses should be caring, sympathetic, responsible, and detail oriented. They must be able to direct or supervise others, correctly assess patients’ conditions, and determine when consultation is required. They need emotional stability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stresses. Licensing and Credentialing In all 50 states and the U.S. Territories Registered
Nurses are regulated. The usual method to be a credentialed and licensed RN is:
Significant Points
Advancement - chances for promotion Some RNs start their careers as licensed practical nurses or nursing aides, and then go back to school to receive their RN degree. Most RNs begin as staff nurses in hospitals, and with experience and good performance often move to other settings or are promoted to more responsible positions. In management, nurses can advance from assistant unit manger or head nurse to more senior-level administrative roles of assistant director, director, vice president, or chief nurse. Increasingly, management-level nursing positions require a graduate or an advanced degree in nursing or health services administration. Administrative positions require leadership, communication and negotiation skills, and good judgment. Some nurses move into the business side of health care. Their nursing expertise and experience on a health care team equip them to manage ambulatory, acute, home-based, and chronic care. Employers—including hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and managed care organizations, among others—need RNs for health planning and development, marketing, consulting, policy development, and quality assurance. Other nurses work as college and university faculty or conduct research. An additional avenue for advancement is called Advanced Practice Nurse. Currently there are 4 careers or skill paths that are considered APN roles. These are Nurse Practitioner, Clincial Nurse Specialist, Nurse Anesthetist and Nurse Mid-wife. A masters degree or higher is required in most states and territories to practice in these roles. Anesthesiologist Job Description , Athletic Trainer Job Description , Audiologist Job Description , Cardiologist Job Description , Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians Job Description , Chiropractor Job Description , Dental Hygienist Job Description , Dentist Job Description , Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Job Description , Dietetic Technicians Job Description , Dietitians and Nutritionists Job Description , Esthetician Job Description , Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and Paramedic Job Description , Family and General Practitioners Job Description , Healthcare Administrator Job Description , Internist Job Description , Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurse Job Description , Massage Therapist Job Description , Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician Job Description , Medical Coding Job Description , Medical Records Clerk and Health Information Technician Job Description , Neurologist Job Description , Neurosurgeon Job Description , Nuclear Medicine Technologist Job Description , Nurse Anesthetist or Nurse Anesthesiologist Job Description , Obstetrician and Gynecologist Doctor Job Description , Occupational Health and Safety Specialist and Technician Job Description , Occupational Therapist Job Description , Dispensing Optician Job Description , Optometrist Job Description , Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Job Description , Orthodontist Job Description , Orthotist and Prosthetist Job Description , Pediatrician Job Description , Pharmacist Job Description , Pharmacy Technician Job Description , Phlebotomist Job Description , Physical Therapist Job Description , Physician Assistant Job Description , Podiatrist Job Description , Prosthodontist Job Description , Psychiatric Technician Job Description , Psychiatrist Job Description , Psychologist Job Description , Radiation Therapist Job Description , Recreational Therapist Job Description , Registered Nurse Job Description , Respiratory Therapist Job Description , Speech-Language Pathologist or Speech Therapist Job Description , Surgeon Job Description , Surgical Technologist Job Description , Veterinarian Job Description , Veterinary Technologist and Technician Job Description
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