The Nursing Career - Research Paper Example

The Nursing Career The Nursing Career Nursing is considered as the protection, prevention of diseases and injuries, promotion, and optimization of abilities and health, as well as easing suffering through diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. Therefore, a nurse has several responsibilities such as providing health promotion, education and counseling, performing physical exams on patients, administering mediations, and other personalized interventions. Also, a nurse coordinates care along with other healthcare professionals, and conducts research in order to improve the nursing practices and care of patients.

In modern medicine, there are many nursing professions, which include Nurse practitioners, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Licensed Vocational Nurses, Nursing aides, Head Nurses and Home Health Nurses (Vallano, 2008). These professions require different, exceptional skills along with different levels of interacting with the patients. The educational requirements of nursing differ depending on the nursing profession. For instance, for an individual to become an LVN or LPN, he or she is expected to have a minimum of formal education, which is attained through a one year training program.

These programs are mostly offered at vocational schools, technical schools and community colleges, and involve lecture classes as well as clinical practical done in clinical or hospitals (Chitty and Black, 2010). The courses offered mainly include first aid, physiology, nutrition, and anatomy, among others. People who are interested in becoming Registered nurses should complete at least an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). However, after completing it, graduates are required to take the licensing examination in order to become RNs.

The main courses include nutrition, anatomy, and medicine practices among others. Also, individuals interested in learning about health care, as well as gaining medical work experience can take up a four-year degree program in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which is mainly offered at colleges and universities. However, advanced practice nurses such as nurse-midwives, anesthetics, and nurse practitioners, are required to have a master’s degree in Nursing. These individuals are expected to undertake a Master of Science degree, in Nursing (MSN) program.

According to Vallano (2008), an ADN program costs between six thousand to ten thousand U.S dollars while BSN program costs between twenty five thousand to thirty thousand U.S dollars. The MSN is more expensive than ADN and BSN and costs approximately fifty thousand and above depending on the nursing profession. Registered nurses have many responsibilities within a medical facility; thus, their jobs vary from general nursing duties to other nursing specialties which do not require any patient care.

Thus, according to Chitty and Black (2010), registered nurses jobs form the largest occupation in healthcare. There are nursing job opportunities in healthcare facilities, physician offices, nursing care facilities, midwifery, as well as nursing homes among others. For example, in 2008, approximately 2.6 million jobs were held by registered nurses. Also, in the same year, about 60% of jobs were taken by RNs in hospitals, where 8% were in physician offices, 5% in nursing care facilities, 5 % in home healthcare services, and 3% in employment facilities (Sacks, 2003).

However, there has been a significant need for nurses due to rise in the number of patients, and only few nurses are applying for jobs. Nevertheless, the employment of RNs is predicted to increase by about 22% by 2018 due to the advancement in technology in patient care; thus, creating more jobs. A registered nurse earns an average of $ 62,450, but according to Salary.com all nurses salary ranges between $55,834 and $67,766. Nursing salaries are influenced by a number of factors such as location, school and experience (Frederickson, 2003).

In the United States, the school that a nursing graduate attended determines the amount of salary they will get. For instance, a nursing graduate from Louisiana State University is likely to earn less than a nursing graduate from University of Phoenix. Also, a nurse who has worked for several years is likely to earn more than a fresh nursing graduate. There are many local, state, or national professional organizations that student nurses, as well as nurses, can join. They include International Council of Nurses (ICN), Minority Nurse, Muslim Nurses Association, Association of pre-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN), American Nurses Association, and National League for Nursing, among others (Frederickson, 2003).

The cost of joining these organizations varies from one organization to another. Also, the cost of joining a certain organization depends on the level of membership, as well as where an individual lives. For instance, to join ANA, E-membership is $45 while joining ANA for membership is $185. In addition, professional journals that are available for student nurses, as well as nurses include the American Journal of Nursing, which can be found at www.nursing center.com, and the Nursing Standard Journal available at nursingstandard.

rcnpublishing.co.uk. It is highly recommended that nurses continue with education programs in order to boost their knowledge in nursing (Turner, 2007). For example, a nurse with a BSN degree would gain more knowledge if they were to take up the MSN degree program so as to further their studies. In conclusion, I have learnt that there are various nursing programs offered today; thus, before taking up a program, it is essential for a person to do a research on the every program in order to choose the one they want.

Also, I have realized that the nursing career requires continuation of education, as well as joining a professional organization so as to increase the knowledge, as well as proficiency as a nurse (Newell and Pinardo, 1998). References Chitty, K. and Black, B. (2010). Professional Nursing: Concepts and Challenges. Philadelphia: Saunders Frederickson, K. (2003). Opportunities in Nursing Careers. London: McGraw-Hill Professional. Newell, M. and Pinardo, M. (1998). Reinventing your nursing career: a handbook for success in the age of managed care.

New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Sacks, T. J. (2003). Careers in Nursing. London: Mc Graw-Hill Professional. Turner, S. O. (2007). The nursing career planning guide. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning Vallano, A. (2008). Your Career in Nursing: Manage Your Future in the Changing World of Healthcare. California: Kaplan Publishing