Living The Life Of An RN
Registered nurses are truly the face of the health care industry. They are usually the first person a patient sees when taken to the ER or admitted to the hospital, and they are the last ones seen when discharged and sent home. Performing in a variety of specialized fields, RNs are the lifeline of the health community. And they are currently the most needed in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and doctor’s offices across not only the United States, but also the world.
RNs duties range from the most basic to complex determined by their particular job setting. From treating patients to providing emotional support to general health screening, registered nurses are the one responsible for the bulk of patient care, keeping their chart’s up to date, and analyzing test results for consultation with the doctor’s. They are the ones that run the many wards and units in a hospital, and are sometimes in charge of entire health-care facilities. Nurse practitioners, which are registered nurses who have completed advance training and can diagnose, treat, and write prescriptions, are the newest member to the nursing field.
Registered nurses can specialize in certain areas of patient care or can be a generalized as they wish. Many of them are trained in care based on the setting they work in. For example, critical care nurses work in the intensive and critical care units of hospitals, neonatal nurses in the obstetrics wing, and trauma nurses in the emergency room. If the nurse specializes their training to a disease or ailment, then they have the knowledge to treat and aid these patients. One example would be an oncology nurse who works with cancer patients. Some nurses choose body systems, such as cardiac nurses who work with heart patients, and others choose a generalized field that caters to population, such as pediatrics.
Not all registered nurses are directly involved with patients. Some of them run the units by reviewing patient’s charts and making sure that every need is met by a subordinate; some of them work with law enforcement on various cases that usually have to do with assault or abuse. Legal nurses assist lawyers and there are even nurses who simply teach others who to become nurses.
To become a registered nurse requires training and licensing program that can take from two to four years depending on if the student wishes to have an associates degree or bachelor’s degree. Junior colleges will offer the associates. A good four-year college will offer the bachelors. Upon successful completion of the class and clinical work and receipt of the diploma, the nurse must take the licensing examination issues by the state they live in before they can practice. Students show look at the options carefully because a bachelor’s degree will offer them more advancement opportunity in the future.
Salaries for registered nurses begin at $37,000.00 a year and can go as high as $74,000.00 depending on the individual’s experience, training and specialization. Anyone interested in becoming a registered nurse should be kind, patient, caring, and above all else, be willing to ease the pain and suffering of another individual with no regard to themselves.
By entering into this field, nurses of all types are making health care a much more comfortable and enjoyable career, and they are all making a difference in someone’s life.
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