Being a Registered Nurse

The top of the nursing pyramid

All nurses provide a wonderful service to the community – and they need caring people like you to take over jobs as they open in the near future. What's the difference between a registered nurse and a nursing assistant or practical nurse? A registered nurse is a person who has a bachelor's or associate degree in nursing. They also have passed a national test in order to be certified to practice. Registered nurses have the best career path – many jobs are opened to them and they are able to differentiate their skills in many ways.

Duties of Registered Nurses
Like a nursing assistant or practical nurse, a registered nurse first and foremost looks after patients. These can be patients at home, patients in a community care facility, patients in a physician's office or patients in a hospital or hospice. Registered nurses have the opportunity to specialize – for example, they can work strictly in maternity, or in surgery. They treat and educate patients and their families, record medical histories and symptoms, help perform tests and analyze results, give injections and take blood, operate medical machinery, and administer treatments and medications.

RNs don't just stop at a few patients – they also educate the public on many different medical and health issues. For example, an RN can help to implement a vaccination program or a children's health program. Many RNs will also run blood drives or general health clinics. Some even implement programs where a registered nurse will visit a new mother to help her with any problems or questions she may have with breastfeeding or looking after her baby.

There are four specializations, generally speaking, for RNs. They can choose a particular work setting or type of treatment; they can choose specialization in specific health conditions, or with organs or specific body types, or they can choose to work with a certain part of the population, such as the elderly or children. RNs have the most flexibility with jobs because of their training and their education.

Here are some nursing specialties that RNs are eligible to do:
• Ambulatory nurses
• Emergency nurses
• Critical care or ICU nurses
• Surgical nurses
• Long-term care nurses
• Occupational health nurses
• And many more