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Nurse, Licensed Practical - Bridge To Associates

Synopsis

Nursing is an art and science directed at the promotion of health, prevention of disease and care of the sick. Nurses are called upon to perform a wide range of services requiring a high level of knowledge and judgment. The profession provides an array of intellectual challenges and a host of career opportunities. Today's nurse operates and interprets intricate life-saving equipment and understands, administers and evaluates the effects of a wide range of medications. Nurses also participate in patient care evaluation, discharge planning and patient education. The nurse is responsible for assisting the patient in lifestyle changes and promoting self care for patients with chronic self-limiting health concerns. A few of today's nursing specialties are: Critical Care, caring for the critically ill and injured with highly sophisticated monitoring equipment; Pediatric, caring for babies and children and providing for their special needs; Surgical, working as either circulating or scrub nurses to manage the activities of the operating room or assist in surgical procedures; Gerontology, caring for the growing numbers of the elderly, often helping them to maintain healthy, productive lives; Administration, planning and providing for patient and staff needs as a head nurse, supervisor or nurse executive; Education, teaching nursing and health care in nursing schools or in staff continuing education programs; Entrepreneurs, owning your own business to provide health care services needed in the community. Advanced educational degrees are not required for all areas of specialization. Masters and doctoral programs are available for those who wish to become certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical specialists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, nurse administrators and nursing educators. One who enters nursing must have a sincere interest in people and a desire to practice professional nursing in a manner that best promotes the patient's well being. Good judgment is essential, as is the ability to maintain good interpersonal relationships. Academic ability and good study habits are a necessity. Tact, adaptability and a sense of humor are important characteristics.

Training Requirements

Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Programs are located in community and private colleges and universities and are under the direction of a nursing faculty. Study combines nursing theory and clinical practice with general education courses in liberal arts and sciences. This type of program allows the student the opportunity to participate in campus life while completing the program. Non-traditional students who return to school for their Associate Degree can also continue meeting outside commitments. Additionally, Licensed Practical Nurses may continue their education by enrolling in an ADN completion program to receive an Associates Degree. Upon graduation with an Associate Degree in nursing, individuals may apply to take the National Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses. While graduates from Associate Degree Programs and Baccalaureate Degree (BSN) Programs take the same exam for licensure, the ADN program is not designed as the first half of a baccalaureate degree. However, RN's with an ADN may continue their education by enrolling in a BSN completion program, which results in a Bachelor's Degree.

Degree Requirements

Less than 2 years

Employment Opportunities

Nurses are practicing in a wide variety of settings such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities, industry, schools, physician's offices and home health agencies. Research and education are two additional career tracks for Registered Nurses that may require additional education. Part-time work and flexible scheduling are available in most settings. Job prospects in nursing are excellent due to the nursing shortage across the country. However, R.N. recruitment has long been a problem in rural areas, in some big city hospitals, and in specialty areas including intensive care, rehabilitation, and long-term care. Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Driving this growth will be technological advances in patient care, which permit a greater number of medical problems to be treated, and increasing emphasis on primary care. The number of older people, who are much more likely than younger people to need medical care, is projected to grow very rapidly. Many job openings also will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation, especially as the average age of the registered nurse population continues to rise. Employment in hospitals is expected to grow more slowly than in all other health-care sectors. Early patient release, an overall increase in outpatient procedures, and team delivery of care has impacted the number of nurses required in a hospital setting. However, the skill mix required for nurses in this setting has changed. Patients who require inpatient treatment are generally sicker or have sustained substantial injuries. Clinical nursing specialties such as critical care and surgical nursing are in high demand as a result. The clinical nurse specialist is also in great demand. Health care teams are now delivering direct patient care and the RN with administrative experience or training typically heads these teams of professionals. Nurse Administrators are in high demand in a hospital setting. Rapid growth is expected in outpatient clinics and freestanding facilities such as surgicenters. Many such clinics are affiliated with particular hospitals, so successful employment there could open the door for future employment in the hospital itself. Employment in physicians' offices and clinics, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), ambulatory surgicenters, and emergency medical centers is expected to grow very rapidly as health care in general expands. In addition, an increasing proportion of sophisticated procedures, which once were performed only in hospitals, are being performed here, thanks largely to advances in technology. Employment in home health care is also expected to grow very rapidly. This is in response to a growing number of older persons with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances which make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home. Flexibility in work schedules, increased individual responsibility, and the satisfaction associated with caring for patients over an extended period make this employment option very attractive. Employment in nursing homes is expected to grow very fast due to increases in the number of people in their eighties and nineties, many of whom will require long-term care. In addition, the financial pressure on hospitals to release patients as soon as possible should produce more nursing home admissions. Growth in units to provide specialized long-term rehabilitation for stroke and head injury patients or to treat Alzheimer's victims will also increase employment.

Related Occupations

National Median Salary*

$24,336

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Professional Associations:

*NATIONAL MEDIAN SALARIES CITED COURTESY OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SOURCES:

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
2003 ASHA Omnibus Survey