When choosing a career, it is always important to consider all of its aspects and details in order to be knowledgeable about one’s occupational opportunities. Registered nurses are among the main healthcare workers who provide vital services to patients in various environments. The carer of a registered nurse implies having a thorough academic background and a proper professional commitment to the provision of services which are evidence-based.
In order to successfully pursue the career of a registered nurse, one needs to possess medical knowledge and gain appropriate skills. The main mission of every nurse is the delivery of healthcare services to their patients. Such services often involve conducting an assessment of patients’ health conditions and ensuring that they have positive well-being (“Registered Nurses”). Additionally, nurses need to know how to make records of patients’ medical histories and their symptoms, as well as analyze such information. Another important skill which nurses need to have is the ability to professionally administer medicines and provide different types of treatment and therapy. Nurses must be able to create personalized plans for patients and adjust the existing ones contributing information to them. Nurses have to work as members of multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with other professionals to solve the issues at hand. Being able to operate and monitor medical equipment is another skill which is obligatory for registered nurses. Finally, nurses should be able to assist doctors in performing diagnostic tests and analyzing the results and providing patients with information about the management of their conditions.
In order to acquire relevant knowledge, registered nurses need to have appropriate post-secondary education. Currently, to become a registered nurse, a person can take one of the three existing paths. For instance, a future nurse can earn a bachelor of science in nursing degree, which will take them four years to complete (Darvill et al. 27). Additionally, they can earn an associate’s degree in nursing, which also require four years to complete. At the same time, there are diploma programs provided by hospitals or medical centers which last only two or three years. All of the existing educational programs imply receiving supervised clinical experience. Nevertheless, to start working as a nurse, a person will need additional certification in the form of a license which they can receive by passing the National Council Licensure Examination. In the state of New York, the expected salary for a registered nurse is $93,320 (“May 2021 State Occupational Employment”). On average, registered nurses work in shifts, which last 12 hours and occur three times a week.
Registered nurses in their careers engage in different types of work requiring both their hands and mind. For instance, nurses interact with medical equipment and adjust it to fit the needs of the patient. Additionally, nurses care for their patients by assisting them in their daily activities, which some people may not be able to perform due to their physical limitations. At the same time, nurses deliver psychological and spiritual support to their patients, especially those who do not have any other person to talk to. Registered nurses have significant opportunities for career advancement, and multiple options are available to them. For instance, a registered nurse can become a nurse practitioner, anesthetist, midwife, nurse manager, or even educator.
The profession of a registered nurse requires a bachelor’s degree and considerable professional expertise. The registered nurse must possess different skills and should be able to perform a variety of tasks, including creating personalized plans for patients and administering medication. Registered nurses work 12-hour shifts and have numerous career opportunities for advancement (Darvill et al. 63). Nurses offer a diverse set of services to patients, ranging from helping clients with physical activities to providing them with psychological support.
Works Cited
“May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates: New York.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022.
“Registered Nurses.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022.
Darvill, Angela, et al. Transition to Nursing Practice: From Student to Registered Nurse. Learning Matters, 2018.