ABOUT NURSING AS A CAREER

Career description
Working conditions
Employment outlook
Salaries

Registered nurses (R.N.s) promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities.

Nurses provide direct patient care by:

• observing, assessing, and recording symptoms, reactions, and patient progress
• assist physicians during treatments and examinations
  administer medications
• assist in convalescence and rehabilitation.
  

Nurses may also:

• develop and manage nursing care plans
• instruct patients and their families in proper care
• help people improve or maintain their health

Most nurses work in hospitals as staff nurses who provide bedside nursing care and carry out medical regimens. They may also supervise licensed practical nurses and aides. They are usually are assigned to one area such as surgery, maternity, pediatrics, emergency room, intensive care, or treatment of cancer patients. Some may rotate among departments (float nurses).

Head nurses or nurse supervisors direct nursing activities. They plan work schedules and assign duties to nurses and aides, provide or arrange for training, and visit patients to observe nurses and to ensure proper care. They may also ensure maintenance of records and equipment and order supplies.

Other nurses may be employed as office nurses, providing care for outpatients in physicians’ offices, clinics, surgicenters, and emergency medical centers. They prepare patients for and assist with examinations, administer injections and medications,
dress wounds and incisions, assist with minor surgery, and maintain records. Some also perform routine laboratory and office work.

Nursing home nurses manage nursing care for residents with conditions ranging from a fracture to Alzheimer’s disease. Although they usually spend most of their time on administrative and supervisory tasks, they may also assess residents’ medical condition, develop treatment plans, supervise licensed practical nurses and nursing aides, and perform difficult procedures such as starting intravenous fluids. They also work in
specialty-care departments, such as long-term rehabilitation units for strokes and head-injuries.

Home health nurses provide services prescribed by a physician to patients at home. They assess patients’ home environments, and care for and instruct patients and their families. There is a broad range of patients, such as those recovering from illnesses and accidents, cancer, and child birth. These nurses must be able to work independently and may supervise home health aides.

Public health nurses work in government and private agencies and clinics, schools, retirement communities and other community settings. They focus on populations, working with individuals, groups, and families to improve the overall health of communities. They also work as partners with communities to plan and implement programs. Public health nurses instruct individuals, families, and other groups in health
education, disease prevention, nutrition, and child care. They arrange for immunizations, blood pressure testing, and other health screening. These nurses also work with community leaders, teachers, parents, and physicians in community health education.

Occupational health or industrial nurses provide nursing care at worksites to employees, customers, and others with minor injuries and illnesses. They provide emergency care, prepare accident reports, and arrange for further care if necessary. They also offer health counseling, assist with health examinations and inoculations, and assess work environments to identify potential health or safety problems.

Advanced career opportunities for nurses with additional education include:

• Nurse practitioners
• Clinical nurse specialists
• Certified registered nurse anesthetists
• Certified nurse-midwives

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Most nurses work in well-lighted, comfortable health care facilities. Many employers offer flexible work schedules, child care, educational benefits, and bonuses. Nurses may spend considerable time walking and standing. They need emotional stability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stresses.

Because patients in hospitals and nursing homes require 24-hour care, nurses may work nights, weekends, and holidays. They may also be on-call; available to work on short notice. Office, occupational health, and public health nurses are more likely to work regular business hours.

Nursing has its hazards, especially in hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics where nurses may care for individuals with infectious diseases such as hepatitis. Nurses must observe rigid guidelines to guard against these and other dangers such as radiation, chemicals used for sterilization of instruments, and anesthetics. In addition, they are vulnerable to back injury when moving patients, shocks from electrical equipment, and hazards posed by compressed gases.

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Nursing is the largest health care occupation, holding about 2.1 million jobs in 1998. About 1 out of 4 R.N.s worked part time. About 3 out of 5 jobs were in hospitals, in inpatient and outpatient departments. Others were mostly in offices and clinics of physicians and other health practitioners, home health care agencies, nursing homes, temporary help agencies, schools, and government agencies. The remainder worked in residential care facilities, social service agencies, religious organizations, research facilities, management and public relations firms, insurance agencies, and private households.

Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2008. A large number of new nurses will be employed in home health, long-term, and ambulatory care. Rapid growth is expected in hospitals’ outpatient facilities, such as same-day surgery, rehabilitation, and chemotherapy.

Faster than average growth will be driven by technological advances in patient care, which permit a greater number of medical problems to be treated, and an increasing emphasis on primary care. In addition, the number of older people who need medical care is projected to grow very rapidly. The type of care demanded will require nurses
who are able to perform complex procedures.

Many job openings also will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation, especially as the median age of the registered nurse population continues to rise.

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In 1998, median annual earnings of registered nurses were $40,690, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $69,300 a year.

Reference: US Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook