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A registered nurse ("RN"), is a health care professional responsible for implementing the practice of nursing through the use of the nursing process (in concert with other health care professionals). Registered nurses work as patient advocates for the care and recovery of the sick and maintenance of the healthy. In their work as advocates for the patient, RNs ensure that the patient receives appropriate and professional care. RNs use the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care of the sick and injured. This article or section may contain external links added only to promote a website, product, or service – otherwise known as spam. ...
Nursing is a profession focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining optimal health and functioning. ...
// The nursing process is a process by which nurses deliver care to patients. ...
A patient having his blood pressure taken by a doctor. ...
// The nursing process is a process by which nurses deliver care to patients. ...
United States
Scope of practice The scope of practice of registered nurses is the extent to which an RN can practice and the limits of that practice. In the United States, these limits are determined by a set of laws known as the Nurse Practice Act of the state or territory in which an RN is licensed. Each state has its own laws, rules, and regulations governing nursing care. Usually the making of the rules and regulations is delegated to a state board of nursing, which performs the day-to-day administration of these rules, qualifies candidates for licensure, licenses nurses and nursing assistants, and makes decisions on nursing issues. It should be noted that in some states the terms "nurse" or "nursing" may only be used in conjunction with the practice of a Registered Nurse or licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN). This article is about law in society. ...
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The scope of practice for a registered nurse is wider than for a LPN/LVN because of the level and content of education as well as what the Nurse Practice Act says about the respective roles of each.
In the hospital setting, registered nurses are often assigned a supervisory role to oversee tasks performed by LPNs and unlicensed assistive personnel such as nursing assistants. However, the RN remains responsible for the safety and care of the patient. In the United States, Certified Nursing Assistants or Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) assist residents or patients with activities of daily living (ADLs) and provide bedside care--including basic nursing procedures--all under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) (Meyer, 2001:1-33,1-36). ...
RNs are not limited to employment as bedside nurses. Registered nurses are employed by physicians, attorneys, insurance companies, private industry, school districts, ambulatory surgery centers and fire departments, among others. Some registered nurses are independent consultants who work for themselves, while others work for large manufacturers or chemical companies. Research Nurses conduct or assist in the conduct of research or evaluation (outcome and process) in many areas such as biology, psychology, human development, and health care systems. The word physician should not be confused with physicist, which means a scientist in the area of physics. ...
An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ...
Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. ...
A self-employed person works for himself/herself instead of as an employee of another person or organization, drawing income from a trade or business. ...
Educational and licensure requirements
Two-year college degree In the United States, there are three routes to initial licensure as a registered nurse. The shortest path (and the most widely utilized) is a two-year Associate of Science in Nursing, a two-year college degree referred to as an ADN; this is the most common initial preparation for licensure in the U.S. Often in competitive metropolitan areas within the US, two-year programs can require several prerequisite courses which ultimately stretch out the degree acquiring process to about 3 or sometimes even 4 years. An Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) is an entry-level tertiary education nursing degree. ...
In Canada and the United States, a community college, sometimes called a county college, junior college or a city college, is an educational institution providing higher education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas, and Associates degrees. ...
Hospital diploma program Another method is to attend a diploma program, which lasts approximately three years. Students take between 30 and 60 credit hours in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, chemistry, and other subjects at a college or university, then move on to intensive nursing classes. Until 1996, most RNs in the US were initially educated in nursing by diploma programs.[1] Human heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
An agar plate streaked with microorganisms Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. ...
The Nutrition Facts table indicates the amounts of nutrients which experts recommend you limit or consume in adequate amounts. ...
For other uses, see Chemistry (disambiguation). ...
Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing The third method is to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a four-year degree that also prepares nurses for graduate-level education. For the first two years in a BSN program, students usually obtain general education requirements in the same manner as ADN and diploma graduates, they spend the remaining time in nursing courses. Advocates for the ADN and diploma programs state that such programs have a more "hands-on" approach to educating students, while the BSN is an academic degree that emphasizes research and nursing theory. Nursing schools must be accredited by either the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission(NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a four year academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school. ...
A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ...
Nursing models are conceptual models, constructed of theories and concepts. ...
// The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a U.S. organization that provides leadership in nursing education and related activities such as nursing research and influencing public policy. ...
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Licensure examination Completion of any one of these three educational routes allows a graduate nurse to take the NCLEX-RN, the test for licensure as a registered nurse, and is accepted by every state as adequate preparation so long as the graduate attended an NLNAC-accredited school. However, controversy exists over the appropriate entry-level preparation of RNs. Some professional organizations believe the BSN should be the sole method of RN preparation and ADN graduates should be licensed as "technical nurses" to work under the supervision of BSN graduates. Others feel the hands-on skill of diploma and ADN graduates makes up for any deficiency in theoretical preparation. Regardless of this debate, it is highly unlikely that the BSN will become the standard for initial preparation any time soon, because of the nursing shortage and the lack of faculty to teach BSN students. The NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure EXamination-Registered Nurse) is a computer-adaptive test of entry-level nursing competence. ...
Graduate nursing opportunities Advanced education in nursing is done at the masters and doctoral levels. A Master of Science in Nursing or a Master of Nursing takes about three years of full-time study to complete and prepares the graduate for specialization as a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse leader (CNL), a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), or a clinical nurse specialist (CNS). Nurse practitioners work in fields as diverse as midwifery, family practice, psychiatry, gerentology, or pediatrics, while a CNS usually works for a facility to improve patient care, do research, or as a staff educator. Doctoral programs in nursing prepare the student for work in nursing education, health care administration, clinical research, or advanced clinical practice. Most programs confer the Ph.D in nursing, but some confer the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS or DNSc), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN), or the Doctor of Education (Ed. D.). Doctoral programs take from three to five years of full-time study to complete. A Masters of Science in Nursing is an advanced degree a Registered Nurse may obtain to become an advanced practice nurse, such as a Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist. ...
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has completed advanced nursing education (generally a masters degree) and training in the diagnosis and management of common medical conditions, including chronic illnesses. ...
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is a generalist who focuses on the improvement of outcomes for patients. ...
A nurse anesthetist (AE) is a registered nurse and advanced practice nurse who has acquired additional education and training to administer anesthesia. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
In the United States, a nurse midwife is an advanced practice nurse who has specialized in the practice of obstetrical and gynecological care of relatively healthy women. ...
A general practitioner (GP) or family physician (FP) is a physician who provides primary care. ...
Psychiatry is a branch of medicine dealing with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of the mind and mental illness. ...
It has been suggested that aging research be merged into this article or section. ...
This article is about the branch of medicine. ...
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ...
A Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN) is an advanced-level quaternary education degree for Registered Nurses. ...
The Doctor of Education degree (Ed. ...
Nursing board certification Professional nursing organizations, through their certification boards, have voluntary certification exams to demonstrate clinical competency in their particular specialty. Completion of the prerequisite work experience allows an RN to register for an examination, and passage gives an RN permission to use a professional designation after their name. For example, passage of the American Association of Critical-care Nurses specialty exam allows a nurse to use the initials 'CCRN' after his or her name. Other organizations and societies have similar procedures.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center, the credentialing arm of the American Nurses Association, is the largest nursing credentialing organization and administers more than 30 specialty examinations.[2] The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. ...
The nursing shortage in the United States RNs are the largest group of health care workers in the United States, numbering over 2.6 million. It has been reported that the number of new graduates and foreign-trained nurses is insufficient to meet the market-place demand for registered nurses; this is often referred to as the nursing shortage and is expected to increase for the foreseeable future. The supply and demand model describes how prices vary as a result of a balance between product availability at each price (supply) and the desires of those with purchasing power at each price (demand). ...
// Nursing shortage refers to a situation where the demand for nurses is greater than the supply. ...
Causes of the nursing shortage in the United States Among the many cited causes for the nursing shortage is the lack of qualified doctoral or master degree prepared faculty for college RN programs. Students cannot be admitted to school if there are no faculty to teach them.[3] Furthermore, there is evidence that faculty positions for RN programs do not command equivalent salaries to those of their peers in other fields.
Another factor affecting the nursing shortage is that after education, Registered Nurses typically do not remain long in the profession, especially those working in more traditional hospital health care roles.[citation needed] The two primary reasons given for leaving the profession are poor working conditions (e.g. long and irregular hours and an absence of sufficient numbers of health care providers, such as aides); and salaries which are not commensurate with the responsibilities of the profession.
Hospital corporations and other health care organizations actively recruit Registered Nurses from other countries. These recruits are routinely and quickly granted a "V" visa for professional work in the United States. This practice has accelerated in the last 10 years, and there are mounting concerns that this solution is not in the best interest of patients or nursing professionals. The primary concerns are:
(1) the level of professional training and preparation in some countries have been reported to be inadequate;
(2) this practice may be interfering with changes which would otherwise occur to keep Registered Nurses in the work force, that is, improvements in working conditions and more appropriate salaries; and
(3) cultural and language proficiency has been reported to be lacking for some immigrant nurses, and immigrant nurses do not always share the same goals related to nursing interventions and/or outcomes.
Solutions to the nursing shortage The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is concerned about the labor shortage in the field of nursing and has been working to enact legislation, identify strategies, and form cooperative efforts with all interested persons and groups to address this problem. The AACN has also published a fact sheet containing current statistics related to the shortage (found here [1]).
A Labor shortage is an economic condition in which there are insufficient qualified candidates (employees) to fill the market-place demands for employment at any price. ...
United Kingdom See Nursing in the United Kingdom for more information. Nursing in the United Kingdom has a long history, but in its current form probably dates back to the era of Florence Nightingale, who initiated schools of nursing and registration in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century. ...
To practice lawfully as a registered nurse in the United Kingdom, the practitioner must hold a current and valid registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The title "registered nurse" can only be granted to those holding such registration, this protected title is laid down in the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act, 1997.[4] The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UKs regulatory body for the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Professions. ...
First level nurses First level nurses make up the bulk of the registered nurses in the UK. They were previously known by titles such as RGN (registered general nurse), RSCN (registered sick children's nurse), RMN (registered mental nurse) and SRN (state registered nurse) etc.
The majority of first level nurses are employed as staff nurses with the minority in management and specialised roles.
Second level nurses See state enrolled nurse for more information. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) are also known as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) in California and Texas and as Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) in Ontario. ...
Second level nurse training is no longer provided, however they are still legally able to practice in the United Kingdom as a nurse. Many have now either retired or undertaken conversion courses to become first level nurses.
Specialist nurses The NHS employs a huge variety of specialist nurses. These nurses have many years of experience in their field, in addition to extra education and training (see below).
They split into several major groups:
- Nurse practitioners - these nurses carry out care at an advanced practice level. They often perform roles similar to those of doctors. They commonly work in primary care (e.g. GP surgeries) or A&E departments, although they are increasingly being seen in other areas of practice.
- Specialist community public health nurses - traditionally district nurses and health visitors, this group of practitioners now includes many school nurses and occupational health nurses.
- Clinical nurse specialists - nurses undertaking these roles commonly provide clinical leadership and education for the staff nurses working in their department, and may also have special skills or knowledge which ward nurses can draw upon.
- Nurse consultants - these nurses are similar in many ways to the clinical nurse specialist, but at a higher level. These practitioners are responsible for clinical education and training of those in their department, and many also have active research and publication activities.
- Lecturer-practitioners - these nurses work both in the NHS, and in universities. They typically work for 2-3 days per week in each setting. In university, they train pre-registration student nurses (see below), and often teach on specialist courses for post-registration nurses (e.g. a Lecturer-practitioner in critical care may teach on a Masters degree in critical care nursing).
- Lecturers - these nurses are not employed by the NHS. Instead they work full time in universities, both teaching and performing research.
Primary care may be provided in community health centres. ...
The emergency department (ED), sometimes termed the emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW), accident & emergency (A&E) department or casualty department is a hospital or primary care department that provides initial treatment to patients with a broad spectrum of illnesses and injuries, some of which may be life-threatening and...
District Nurses are fully qualified nurses who in the UK provide care within the community. ...
Health Visitors are UK registered nurses or midwives who have undertaken further training to work as part of the primary health care team. ...
School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well being, academic success, and life-long achievement of students. ...
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For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ...
Managers There are many nurses who have worked in clinical settings for a long time choose to leave clinical nursing and join the ranks of the NHS management. This used to be seen as a natural career progression for those who had reached ward management positions, however with the advent of specialist nursing roles (see above), this has become a less attractive option.
Nonetheless, many nurses fill positions in the senior management structure of NHS organisations, some even as board members. Others choose to stay a little closer to their clinical roots by becoming clinical nurse managers or modern matrons Matron is the job title of a very senior nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom. ...
Nurse education
Pre-registration In order to become a registered nurse, and work as such in the NHS, one must complete a programme recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Currently, this involves completing a degree or diploma, available from a range of universities offering these courses, in the chosen branch speciality (see below), leading to both an academic award and professional registration as a 1st level registered nurse. Such a course is a 50/50 split of learning in university (i.e. through lectures, essays and examinations) and in practice (i.e. supervised patient care within a hospital or community setting). The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UKs regulatory body for the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Professions. ...
A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ...
Diploma from Mexico City College, 1948 (in Latin) A diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma) is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree. ...
For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ...
These courses are three (occasionally four) years' long. The first year is known as the common foundation programme (CFP), and teaches the basic knowledge and skills required of all nurses. The remainder of the programme consists of training specific to the student's chosen branch of nursing. These are:
- Adult nursing.
- Child nursing.
- Mental health nursing.
- Learning disabilities nursing.
Midwifery training is similar in length and structure, but is sufficiently different that it is not considered a branch of nursing. There are shortened (18 month) programmes to allow nurses already qualified in the adult branch to hold dual registration as a nurse and a midwife. Shortened courses lasting 2 years also exist for graduates of other disciplines to train as nurses. This is achieved by more intense study and a shortening of the common foundation programme.[5] // Midwifery is the term traditionally used to describe the art of assisting a woman through childbirth. ...
Student nurses currently receive a bursary from the government to support them during their nurse training. Diploma students in England receive a non-means-tested bursary of around £6000 per year (with additional allowances for mature students or those with dependent children), whereas degree students have their bursary means tested (and so often receive less). Degree students are, however, eligible for a proportion of the government's student loan, unlike diploma students. In Scotland, however, all student nurses regardless of which course they are undertaking, receive the same bursary in line with the English diploma amount. In Wales only the Degree level course is offered and all nursing students therefore receive a non-means-tested bursary. The New Zealand University Bursary or Bursary was New Zealands standard secondary school leaving qualification gained at the end of NZ Form VII (= UK Upper Sixth Form). ...
Student loans are loans offered to students to assist in payment of the costs of professional education. ...
This article is about the country. ...
This article is about the country. ...
Before Project 2000, nurse education was the responsibility of hospitals and was not based in universities; hence many nurses who qualified prior to these reforms do not hold an academic award. Project 2000 was a planned 1968 foot building in Chicago, Illinois. ...
Post-registration After the point of initial registration, there is an expectation that all qualified nurses will continue to update their skills and knowledge. The Nursing and Midwifery Council insists on a minimum of 35 hours of education every three years, as part of its post registration education and practice (PREP) requirements. The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UKs regulatory body for the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Professions. ...
There are also opportunities for many nurses to gain additional clinical skills after qualification. Cannulation, venepuncture, intravenous drug therapy and male catheterisation are the most common, although there are many others (such as advanced life support) which some nurses will undertake. A cannula (plural cannulae) is a flexible tube which when inserted into the body is used either to withdraw fluid or insert medication. ...
Venipuncture using a vacutainer. ...
Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the giving of liquid substances directly into a vein. ...
In urinary catheterization, a urinary catheter, like foley catheter, a slender plastic tube, is pushed up a patients urinary tract into their bladder. ...
Advanced Life Support (ALS) is a treatment consensus for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in cardiac arrest and related medical problems, as agreed in Europe by the European Resuscitation Council, most recently in 2005. ...
Many nurses who qualified with a diploma choose to upgrade their qualification to a degree by studying part time. Many nurses prefer this option to gaining a degree initially, as there is often an opportunity to study in a specialist field as a part of this upgrading. Financially, in England, it is also much more lucrative, as diploma students get the full bursary during their initial training, and employers often pay for the degree course as well as the nurse's salary.
In order to become specialist nurses (such as nurse consultants, nurse practitioners etc.) or nurse educators, some nurses undertake further training above bachelors degree level. Masters degrees exist in various healthcare related topics, and some nurses choose to study for PhDs or other higher academic awards. District nurses and health visitors are also considered specialist nurses, and in order to become such they must undertake specialist training (often in the form of a top up degree (see above) or post graduate diploma). A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate course of one or two years in duration. ...
PhD usually refers to the academic title Doctor of Philosophy PhD can also refer to the manga Phantasy Degree This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...
District Nurses are fully qualified nurses who in the UK provide care within the community. ...
Health Visitors are UK registered nurses or midwives who have undertaken further training to work as part of the primary health care team. ...
All newly qualifying district nurses and health visitors are trained to prescribe from the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary, a list of medications and dressings typically useful to those carrying out these roles. Many of these (and other) nurses will also undertake training in independent and supplementary prescribing, which allows them (as of May 1st 2006) to prescribe almost any drug in the British National Formulary. This has been the cause of a great deal of debate in both medical and nursing circles. [citation needed] District Nurses are fully qualified nurses who in the UK provide care within the community. ...
Otherwise known as the doctors prescribing Bible the British National Formulary (BNF) contains a wide spectrum of information on prescribing and pharmacology, among others indications, side effects and costs of the prescription of all medication drugs available on the National Health Service. ...
Further reading
References - ^ American Nurses Association. "Nursing Facts: Today's Registered Nurse - Numbers and Demographics" Washington, D.C., American Nurses Association, 2006.
- ^ American Nurses Credentialing Center. "ANCC Certification" Washington, D.C., American Nurses Association, 2006.
- ^ Anderson, Carole A. httpalkjdlkajsd//www.petersons.com/common/article.asp?id=1449&path=gr.fas.advice&sponsor=1 "The Nurse Ph.D.: A Vital Profession Needs Leaders"] Thomson-Peterson's,2006.
- ^ United Kingdom Government Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act, 1997. London: HMSO, 1997.
- ^ Nursing and Midwifery Council Pre-registration training. London: NMC, 2003.
See also Nursing models are conceptual models, constructed of theories and concepts. ...
// The nursing process is a process by which nurses deliver care to patients. ...
Advanced Practice Nurses (APN), also known as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), are Registered Nurses with advanced education, knowledge, skills, and scope of practice. ...
This article is about the occupation. ...
In the United States, a Nurse Registry is a staffing agency which may provide nursing personnel to hospitals, medical offices and individuals. ...
Nursing is a profession focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining optimal health and functioning. ...
In the US and Canada, many nurses who choose a specialty become certified in that area, signifying that they possess expert knowledge. ...
Nurse education is how nurses are prepared to engage in the delivery of nursing care. ...
// Nursing shortage refers to a situation where the demand for nurses is greater than the supply. ...
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