Upholders and health educators for patients, families, and communities, I did my report on Registered Nurses. There are all sorts of fields one could go into. For example, you have hospital, office, home health, nursing home, public health, occupational health nurses, supervisors, nurse practitioners and other advanced practice nurses such as clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives. Among the list of things to go through to be a nurse, a nurse should also be caring and sympathetic.
They must be able to accept responsibility, direct or supervise others, follow orders precisely, and determine when consultation is required. They must also be able to spend a considerable amount of time walking and standing. They need emotional stability to cope with patient suffering, emergencies and other stresses. Other working conditions are you must be able to give up your time for being a specific nurse. Many nurses work nights, weekends and holidays. They may also be on-call.
In addition, they face back injury when moving patients, shocks from electrical equipment, and hazards from compressed gases. Nursing education includes classroom instruction and supervised experience in hospitals and other health facilities. Students take courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology and other behavioral sciences and nursing. They also must take liberal arts classes. In all states, students must graduate from a nursing program and pass a national licensing examination to obtain a nursing license.
Licenses must be renewed periodically; some states require continuing education for license renewal. There are three major education paths to nursing: Associate degree (A. D. N. ), diploma, and Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (B. S. N. ). A. D. N. programs are offered by community and junior colleges and take about two years. Possible places for employment are everywhere. Just to name a few: hospitals, nursing homes and offices.
Employment of RNs is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2006 and because the occupation is large, many new jobs will result. There will always be a need for traditional nurses but a large number of new nurses will be employed in home health, long term and ambulatory care. Many job openings will also result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation, especially as the average age of the registered nurse population continues to rise.
Employment in hospitals is expected to grow more slowly than in other health-care sectors. While the intensity of nursing care is likely to increase, requiring more nurses per patient, the number of inpatients is not likely to increase much. Employment in home health care is expected to grow the fastest. This is in response to a growing number of older persons. The type of care demanded will require nurses who are able to perform complex procedures. Employment in nursing homes is expected to grow much faster than average due to increases in the number of people in their 80s and 90s.
Of course, opportunities will be best for nurses with advanced education and training. According to a Hay Group survey of HMOs, group practices, and hospital-based clinics, the median annual base salary of full time nurse practitioners was $66,800 in May 1996. The middle 50 percent earned between $59,300 – $75,700. The group surveyed again in January1997, and a full-time nurse anesthetists earned $82,000, the middle 50 percent $74,700-$90,300. In addition to this, many employers offer flexible work schedules, childcare, educational benefits, and bonuses.
