Registered nursing is a position in the health care field, distinguished and separate from licensed practical nursing (LPN) and certified nursing assistants (CNA). A registered nurse must undergo more education and be held to stricter examinations than LPNs and CNAs. In addition to practicing nursing in hospitals and health care facilities, RNs are often responsible for guiding teams of nurses and orderlies, and orchestrating much of a particular health care organization. The job is seldom administrative in nature, but it requires strong leadership.
Significance
What an RN is allowed to do is set forth by a series of regulations and laws, which vary from state to state. The Nurse Practice Act is the governing legislation in each territory. A regulatory commission, typically composed of a specific state board of nursing, is the governing body that make these rules and passes them into state law. This commission is an appointed body, as opposed to an elected one, and is usually made up of individuals steeped in heath care experience. Because of these rules and regulations, a registered nurse is allowed a wider range of practice than a licensed practical nurse or a licensed vocational nurse. All of this is dependent on the level of education.
History
In order to become a registered nurse, the student must choose between three courses of education. The quickest path to become registered is by obtaining an associate in nursing. This is a two-year program, typically offered by most accredited community colleges and universities. An applicant may also choose to obtain a hospital diploma. This course of study lasts about three years and also requires a great deal of course study in a college environment. Students will have to take somewhere between 30 and 60 credit hours in scientific courses before moving on to advanced nursing classes. The third, and most time intensive method of study is the bachelor of nursing degree. This is a four-year program. The benefits of taking this third course of study is the obtainment of a general bachelor's degree, which could be beneficial if a later change of career is in order, and a higher starting salary in the nursing profession.
Types
Though the typical picture of a nurse paints her at the bedside of a hospital patient, today's world provides a myriad of employment opportunities for registered nurses. There are many who have never stepped foot in a hospital outside of their training, instead preferring to work in private practice, either as the employee of a doctor, or within the confines of their own business. Registered nurses may also find plentiful work in the justice field, as civil and criminal attorneys often need licensed health care professionals to examine clients and testify in court. Schools, private businesses, mobile nursing centers, manufacturers and nursing homes are all common employment opportunities. According to the RN employment guide for 2007, the average RN salary was slightly over $60,000.
Potential
After obtaining a degree in registered nursing, there are additional courses of education a student can obtain. This can be done immediately subsequent to obtaining a degree in registered nursing, or after a period of time working in the field (some of this field experience can often be used as credits in many universities). A master's in nursing requires an additional three years of study and allows the student to move into advanced fields of nursing specialization. This can include becoming a clinical nurse leader, a nurse anesthetist, or a clinical nurse specialist. The student may also choose to become a general nurse practitioner, which can open up opportunities in midwifery, pediatrics and more. There are also four-year doctoral programs in nursing, which can prepare the student to move into administration, advanced research fields or nursing education.
Considerations
As of 2008, the United States was suffering from a major shortage in nurses. The problem is expected to worsen, according to many studies showing the demand for registered health care professionals increasing exponentially, while the number of available students decreases or remains the same. Part of the reason behind this shortage is the lack of good programs for potential nurses to find education through. A nursing educator must have the advanced education outlined above, and too few individuals choose to use this education to move into professorship. Completely aside from the lack of new students and graduates is the fact that nursing is a profession with a history of high turnover. One study determined that the average career length for a registered nurse working in a typical health care facility (hospital, emergency room) was less than five years. This phenomenon is at least partly due to poor working conditions and inadequate salaries, according to many inside the health care industry.
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