Nursing: From A-Z, you can find a specialty

Are you caring, sympathetic and love working with people? Are you emotionally stable, able to withstand human trauma, suffering and other medical-related stresses?

NATURE OF THE WORK

From Ambulatory care to Urology, there is something under the umbrella of nursing that could be right for you. Registered nurses (RNs) tasks include everything from recording patients’ medical histories and symptoms, educating patients on various medical conditions, providing support to patients’ family member, operating medical machinery, or administering medications.

RNs can specialize in various areas of patient care, like operating room nurses who assist surgeons, or according to specific health conditions, like diabetes management nurses. Other RNs specialize working with one or more organs or body systems (like dermatology nurses), or with a specific population demographic (like pediatric nurses who work with children).

Some RNs combine specialties. For example, a ‘pediatric oncology‘ nurse deals with children who have cancer.

Most RNs work as staff nurses as members of a team providing critical health care. Some RNs choose to become advanced practice nurses, who work independently or in collaboration with physicians. Examples include nurse anesthetists (who provide anesthesia and related care before and after surgical or other procedures) or nurse practitioners (who serve as primary and specialty care providers to patients).

Some nursing careers are limited in direct patient care yet still require an RN license. Some examples include forensics nurses (who participate in the scientific investigation of treatments), nurse administrators, (who supervise medical staff and maintain inventory), or nurse educators (who develop and deliver educational programs and curricula).

Some nurses move into the business management side of health care. In management, nurses can advance from assistant unit manger or head nurse to more senior-level administrative, which more often require a further graduate or advanced degree in nursing or health services administration.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The three major educational paths to registered nursing are a bachelor’s of science degree (BSN), an associate degree (ADN), and a diploma from an approved nursing program. Nurses most commonly enter the occupation by completing an associate degree or bachelor’s degree program. Prospective nurses 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 improve advancement opportunities.

Advanced practice nursing specialties require at least a master’s degree. Most programs require a BSN for admission and involve 2 years of full-time study. Furthermore, some graduate programs require at least 1 to 2 years of clinical experience as an RN for admission.

All nursing education programs include classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience in hospitals and other health care facilities. Prospective students can expect to take courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology and nursing. Supervised clinical experience is provided in hospital departments such as pediatrics, psychiatry, maternity, and surgery.

Licensure and Certification: Upon graduating from an approved nursing program, students must pass a national licensing examination, known as the NCLEX-RN, in order to obtain a nursing license. Nurses may be licensed in more than one State, either by examination or by the endorsement of a license issued by another State. The Nurse Licensure Compact Agreement allows a nurse who is licensed and permanently resides in one of the member States to practice in the other member States without obtaining additional licensure. In 2006, 20 states were members of the Compact, while 2 more were pending membership.

All States require periodic license renewal. Foreign-educated and foreign-born nurses wishing to work in the United States must obtain a work visa in addition to passing the above stated certifications.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Registered nurses constitute the largest health care occupation, with 2.5 million jobs held in 2006.
• About 59 percent of jobs are in hospitals.

JOB OUTLOOK

Overall job opportunities for registered nurses are expected to be excellent, growing by 23 percent and generating 587,000 new jobs from 2006 to 2016: among the largest number of new jobs for any occupation.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Median annual earnings of registered nurses were $57,280 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $47,710 and $69,850. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,250, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $83,440.

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