A Nurses Guide To Nursing

What is a RN and why are there so many RN jobs out there? A RN is one that has a college degree (Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree) from an accredited institution and has passed his or her nursing boards. Required classes to get a degree so that you can qualify for RN jobs include anatomy, physiology, chemistry, nutrition, and behavioral science classes like psychology. Most schools require clinical experience, and this experience will also help you when you are looking for RN jobs.

If you are qualified or looking to be qualified for RN jobs, then you should be pleased that the job outlook for RN jobs is very high. In fact, RN jobs are expected to grow faster than the average growth for all other jobs through the year 2012. RN jobs in hospitals is expected to remain the same, though RN jobs in nursing care facilities is expected to grow exponentially as the baby boomer generation ages.The growth for these RN jobs may be due to technological advances and pressure from insurance companies to avoid in-patient hospitalization. Many advances in medicine have created RN jobs in which RN’s travel to patient homes to provide care or perform procedures in outpatient facilities.

Many organizations now offer major bonuses and high salaries to lure RN’s, as there are more jobs than nurses. Thus, finding RN jobs can be a process of knowing what type of nurse you want to be and seeking out the opportunity to fill that need.

So you’re interested in becoming a nurse. Does the “nursing shortage” make you feel like you need to be a part of the “gold rush,” because you have read and heard about all of the wonderful sign-on bonuses? Sounds great but are you willing to do the work and handle the responsibilities that come along with the job. You need to really fill yourself with information that will help guide your decisions and reasons for you to go into this profession.
The Internet holds a wealth of nursing information and contacts. Many organizations can provide email addresses or other contact information from nurse professionals who are retired or who currently work in a particular field. Go to Google.com (or your favorite search engine) and type in keywords “email” and the nursing specialty that interests you. You’ll see a number of national associations listed, most of which have local affiliates. Find the nearest affiliate and give them a call or send email to see if you can attend their next meeting. Tell them a little about yourself and your interest in the profession, and that you’d like to sit in on a meeting or attend an upcoming event as a guest. If you don’t receive a favorable response, try another organization, even if you aren’t interested in the specialty area. Remember, the idea is to gain some experience and knowledge about the profession of nursing.

The one great thing about nursing is the variety of opportunities. Many prospective students have their specialty title etched in stone. “I want to go into pediatric nursing, because I love children.” “I want to work in trauma.” Moreover, they don’t want to discuss or research anything else. There is nothing wrong with having a vision of which practice area you’d like to specialize in, but it is a good idea to keep the door open to other possibilities. Turnover can be high in some areas, and many nurses change specialties for various reasons, from burnout, boredom, needing a change of pace, advancement reasons, to unforeseen circumstances. The ability to change specialty areas is one of the good things about nursing, made possible because skills are highly transferable.

Another important part of your research is volunteering at a hospital or nursing home; many organizations need volunteers to sit with patients or residents as companions. Working in the mail department won’t help, so concentrate your efforts on volunteering in a patient care setting, where you can have a direct visual of the nurse-patient interaction. This experience will be invaluable for you.

When it comes to nursing it is best to know for sure if this is the type of profession that is fufilling to you and is something you will enjoy doing. You don’t want to see yourself spending valuable time and money just to realize that nursing isn’t right for you.

Independent RN Contractor is a great way to renew your interest and rejuvenate your nursing career. As An Independent Nurse Contractor you will increase your choices as to when, where and how often you work, substantially increase your income and most of all gain professional autonomy.

An Independent Nurse contractor contracts with a healthcare facility to provide nursing services, usually by the hour. An Independent contractor can contract his or her nursing services directly with a healthcare facility or with a patient and continue bedside practice

Nurse Contractors practice in all aspects of the Healthcare Industry; Home Health, Nursing Homes, Hospitals, Rehab Centers and Doctors Offices, all aspects of Nurse Consulting just to name a few. No advance degrees are necessary unless your business includes diagnosing and treating medical problems. State nurse practice acts do no prohibit a nurse from starting up their own business as an Independent Nurse Contractor.

Licensed Practical Nurses provide the most amount of direct patient care within the nursing category of healthcare. If you’re interested in a healthcare career dealing directly with patients, becoming an LPN is a rewarding opportunity.

LPN Job Description

LPNs provide a large portion of direct patient care. LPNs may be assisted, and delegate to  nurses aides ( CNAs ) and other assistants in some of their duties. LPNs are directed by doctors and nurses (RNs & nurse managers). Typically, a LPN’s work duties include:

Taking vital signs
Preparing and administering injections and enemas
Applying dressings and bandages
Watching catheters
Treating bedsores
Monitoring patients and reporting changes
Collecting samples for testing
Monitoring food and liquid input/output

LPNs work in a variety of settings like hospitals, outpatient facilities, long term care facilities, clinics and home care. Tenured LPNs may supervise nursing aides and assistants.

Salary Ranges

While nursing jobs in general are in high demand nationwide, LPN positions in hospitals are declining. However, since this has been caused by an increase in outpatient services, LPN positions in long term care facilities and home health is in as much demand as other nursing categories.

The U.S. Department of Labor has published the median income for LPNs as $31,440 in 2002. The range was $22,860 to $44,040 based on geographic location and work experience. Contract LPNs made the most money, while doctor’s office nurses made the least on average at $28,710.

A nursing career offers other benefits including a flexible schedule, a short work week (three 12 hour shifts with four days off), tuition reimbursement and signing bonuses.

Education / Getting Started

Because of the high level of patient responsibility, nursing is highly regulated, requiring both education and a license. Graduates must complete a state approved practical nursing program and pass a licensing examination. An LPN certificate can be completed in less than a year. Some RN students become LPNs after completing their first year of study. Course work in the LPN program includes anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biology, chemistry, obstetrics, pediatrics, first aid as well as nursing classes.

The definition of entrepreneur is a person who organizes, operates and assumes the risk for a business adventure. Nurses have always considered their services only marketable as an employee of someone else. It is time nurses take charge of their profession and market their own services to health care institutions. Nurses need to be aware that there are other nursing career options. Independent Nurse Contractor is one that more and more nurses are turning to for career fulfillment. Nurses are finding that they can double or even triple their income; increase their choices as to how often when and where to work, gain professional autonomy and increase over all job satisfaction.

In today’s market place nursing has a unique service to offer not only to hospitals but nursing homes, private care and doctor offices. We as nurses have the skill, knowledge and motivation to be successful entrepreneurs. Nurses are tired of being told how much our services are worth. The economy is ripe for the nurse entrepreneur.

Nurses are the perfect business owners. They have the communication skills and the ability as assess, implement and organize a plan. These are the same criteria that any business owner uses. We as nurses use this system everyday of our nursing careers. An Independent Nurse Contractor is one who contracts with a healthcare facility for nursing services. You will be able to negotiate your compensation, hours worked and length of time your services will be needed. This could be the change you have diligently been looking for.

There’s no shortage of nursing schools offering course-work for those who aspire to become a part of the ever-growing healthcare industry. These certified nursing schools will not only train you to become a professional nurse but many offer post graduate courses as well, to better help you develop your nursing career.

Those currently holding nursing degrees have the option to enroll in the various post nursing degree programs that are now available - from Registered Nursing Degrees to Parish Nursing. There’s a wide range of choices for aspiring healthcare professionals. They can choose which type of nursing degree they would like to specialize in and contrary to popular belief, an individual with a nursing degree is no longer limited to working in just a hospital. There are numerous other places wherein people need the care and attention only a qualified nursing professional can provide.

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When most people hear the term “Certified Nursing Assistant” (better known as CNA), the first thing that comes to mind is a career in a nursing home. While it’s true that this is probably the industry’s biggest demand for CNAs, there are other places to use this certification. But what exactly is a CNA, and how can it work for you?The Certified Nursing Assistant is a person who aids in the daily care of those needing nursing care. Think there’s nothing to the job? Think again.

One of the first things many nurses say they learned is that nursing isn’t about dispensing medicines, giving shots or even taking orders from the doctor. It’s all about learning to listen to your patients. The CNA training takes that to a very basic level and the job of the CNA is often vital to the effective medical treatment of other health care professionals. For example, the CNA who spends the most time with a nursing home patient may be the first to notice a change in that person’s attitude that reflects a serious medical condition or a reaction to a change in their drug regimen. And while some people are simply observant enough to notice those kinds of things, learning what to do with the information is a vital part of the training for the Certified Nursing Assistant.

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We need more people to choose nursing as a career. There is a national shortage, so the career choice would guarantee future employment fresh out of school.

Just last week, as I was taking care of a patient of mine, a doctor asked, “Kim, how did you decide to become a nurse?” That question caused me to reflect over nearly 25 years, and it still causes me to wonder sometimes. You see, I was not one of those little girls that wished to be a nurse, although I really liked the head nurse on Emergency. I told her, “You know, I think nursing chose me.”
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Nurses perhaps the best friend of a patient. Though they get paid for their job, yet the care and concern they exhibit for the patient is unparalleled and remarkable. The nursing territory generally belongs to females. But even men like women can take up this profession after adequate training. However, since past few years a decline is seen in the number of people taking up nursing as a career. There can be many reasons behind it. So, the primary task of this article will be to enumerate these various causes along with the consequences of shrinking number of registered nurses day by day.

Exploring the different causes:
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Licensed Vocational Nurses

LVNs care for the sick, injured, convalescent, and disabled under the direction of physicians and registered nurses. Most provide basic bedside care, taking vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. They also prepare and give injections, monitor catheters, apply dressings, treat bedsores, and give alcohol rubs and massages. To help keep patients comfortable, LVNs assist with bathing, dressing and personal hygiene. Experienced LVNs may supervise nursing assistants and aides.
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