Registered Nurse (RN) Salary And Job Description

What Is Registered Nurse?

Registered nurses are also known as RN in short. They are the ones who are assigned the task of looking after the patients in healthcare facilities. Registered nurses are also responsible for maintaining a proper communication between the patient, the doctor and the guardians or families of the patients. Sometimes of the registered nurses are also assigned the task of educating the public about various issues concerning health care and medical conditions.

Registered nurses can choose from a large number of specialties such as addiction, oncology, geriatrics, neonatology, critical care, and pediatrics. Some may also look after multiple disciplines at the same time. The job of a registered nurse can vary from midwives to nurse practitioners to clinical specialists.

Usually, registered nurses are required to evaluate the medical needs of the patient and provide the proper health under a close supervision of a doctor or other superior nurses. They can also have collaborations with their nursing team to come upon an efficient care plan for the patients. Since they are required to pay close attention to the medical needs of their patient, they may also interpret and come upon an evaluation of the diagnostics to offer prompt services.

Educational Requirements For Being A Registered Nurse

To be a certified registered nurse, the candidate is first required to earn either of the following

• A bachelor’s degree in the science or nursing
• A diploma in nursing
• An associate degree in nursing

There are many colleges and educational institutes that offer BSN program. The certificates provided by these institutes are valid only as long as they have a proper state registration. Normally, it takes 4 years for a candidate to complete the BSN course. However, nursing programs such as ADN do not take such a long time. These can be taken up at junior colleges or community colleges and take a maximum of three years for completion. Diploma courses, on the other hand, are offered by hospitals and similar healthcare facilities and can take a period of about three years for completion. Diploma courses are also quite rare as most candidates either opt for ADN or BSN programs.

Irrespective of the state in which you want to practice, the health care facilities have a Licence requirement. A candidate is considered to be eligible for the job only as long as the certification has been obtained from a program that has been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). These programs usually provide the required education for a registered nurse to appear in the National Council Licensure Examination-RN, which is a national level exam held for the licensing. This exam is also known as the NCLEX-RN in short and is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. There can also be a few other requirements for licensing which are bound to vary from state to state. In addition to the educational requirements, the registered nurses are also required to have soft skills such as good organization, critical thinking, compassion and the ability to communicate effectively.

Where Do Registered Nurses Work?

Registered nurses find jobs in a large number of healthcare settings. Since they work in both the private as well as the public sectors of health care, the registered nurse work setting can vary considerably depending on their preferred disciplines and experience in the profession. Registered nurses are most commonly employed in areas such as hospitals, emergency rooms, intensive care units, hospices, nursing homes, the armed forces, doctor’s offices, geriatric centers, community centers, school districts, psychiatric care facilities, research centers, and laboratories to name a few.

Registered nurses may look to provide primary health-related services, but they may also specialize in certain disciplines in which case, they work as legal nurses, trauma nurses, transplant nurses, legal nurses, cardiac care nurses, holistic nurses, pediatric nurses, anesthesiologists, emergency room nurses, gastroenterologists, general nurses, case management nurses, forensic nurses, flight nurses, travel nurses, psychiatric nurses, midwifery and nurses associated with various other specialties.

Apart from the medical care, medical nurses are also required to provide the patients and their families with emotional support while educating them about the current medical condition of the patient as well as the best way to provide care and attention to the patient. They are required to provide complete information about the ailment, so that process of recovery is facilitated. They are also the ones who usually interact with the patients, provide an answer to their queries and communicate any of the concerns to the doctor.

Registered nurses are also responsible for tracking the health of the patient, recording the symptoms exhibited during the treatment process, note their state of recovery and tend to immediate and frequent health care needs such as checking the blood pressure, timely administration of medications, dressing wounds, assessing ailments and providing full support and assistance during the rehabilitation programs.

Registered Nurse Job Description

The main task of the registered nurses is to plan and implement the patient care plans in an optimal manner so as to facilitate the best patient care. Registered nurses may also collaborate with the multidisciplinary members of the tea and physicians while abiding by their nursing duties. The RN duties in the hospital can comprise of everything from providing medical aid to psychological support. However, the job duties of an RN may vary slightly depending on the area of expertise. Hence, the rn job descriptions can also vary accordingly. The Role of a registered nurse is crucial in any healthcare facility. Listed below are the typical responsibilities of an RN.

• Identifying the exact requirements of the patients by establishing a good personal rapport so that the patients as well their families find it very convenient to communicate their concerns. The nurses are also required to brief them about the medical condition of the patients and their care requirements
• To establish a comfortable environment during the treatment process by extending psychological and emotional support to the patients as well as their friends and families
• Setting health goals for the patients and giving them vital information about the medications, treatment processes while also helping them with the self care Skills so as to promote their independence. The nurses are also the ones who answer most of the queries put forward by the patients and their guardians
• Nurses should stick to the therapeutic standards that are required to be maintained during the treatment process. They are also required to keep a track of the progress and measure the outcomes that are against the expectation. If required, they may also recommend necessary adjustments along the way and implement them if consented by the main health care provider. Nurses are also required to abide by the philosophies and standards set by the state of board of nursing in the given area. They also cannot violate any of the regulations put forward by the immediate governing agencies if there be any. All of this is mainly done in order to ensure that the patient is receiving quality health care during his treatment
• Come upon a solution for various issues by resorting to effective team strategies
• Comply with the rules, regulations, and procedures maintained by the particular healthcare facility to maintain a very hygienic and safe working environment. They can also point out and call for assistance if there be any problems along the way
• Registered nurses should adhere to the protocols and policies governing the storage of medicines, their administration processes, infection control and regulation of controlled substances
• They are required to maintain up to date documents and charts for the individual patients, various proceedings undertaken during the treatment and record the departmental proceedings
• They are required to maintain a strong working team of nurses so that there are good communication and coordination among the staff members. They should aim at developing highly effective and smooth communication Skills so that there are no irregularities during the treatment
• It is the responsibility of a registered nurse to maintain confidence with the patients and help to keep the various operations confidential by strictly guarding the information
• They are responsible for ensuring the operation of various equipments by constantly checking their working, following the instructions from the manufacturer, checking for malfunctions and calling for immediate repairs if required. They may also evaluate and recommend new techniques and equipment given that they are able to facilitate the delivery of healthcare services to the patients
• Keep a constant check on the nursing supplies by routinely checking the stocks. They should also anticipate and call for the addition of particular inventories and medicines that can help during the treatment process. Along with this, it is the registered nurses who are responsible for placing orders, inspecting the supplies upon arrival and maintaining a clean record of the receipts. They can call for the addition of any supplied and equipments that may help in upgrading the quality of health care provided by the facility.
• They are also required to attend educational workshops on a frequent basis in order to stay updated on the newest technical and professional knowledge. This is also done in order to establish essential personal networks and for their participation in professional societies.
• Registered nurses should aim at maintaining a good cooperation among the various healthcare teams and give prompt responses in case of a request.
• Registered nurses should aim at accomplishing the desired results by contributing wholeheartedly to the team effort

Salary And Career Outlook

According to the statistics collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or the BLS, the jobs for registered nurses are going to increase by tremendous amounts in the upcoming years. It has been estimated that there will be around 19% increase in the employment opportunities for registered nurses between the year 2012 and 2022.

There are quite a lot of career opportunities for registered nurses, and they can take up after any of the following roles.

1. Clinical Nurse Manager

They are the main supervisors looking after the daily proceedings of any nursing unit. They look over the junior nurses, assess their performance and provide feedback and mentoring.

2. Nurse Anesthetist

They are the ones who offer assistance to the anesthesiologists and surgeons and deliver anesthesia to the patients before surgeries

3. Labor And Delivery Nurse

They are the ones who help with the delivery and care of the newborns. They also educate the mothers and their families about the care required for the mother and child during and after pregnancy.

4. Patient Educator

Their main job is to develop educational programs concerning healthcare and providing explanations concerning various surgical treatments and at home procedures for patient care.

5. Chief Nursing Officer

This is the highest position attainable by a registered nurse within the healthcare industry. They are responsible for supervising the subordinate staff and designing and execution of the plans of patient care.

6. Critical Care Nurse

They are the ones working in neonatal and cardiac units, intensive care units and an area where frequent supervision and high-intensity treatments are required.

Registered Nurse Salary

Currently, the healthcare industry is facing a very sharp shortage of qualified workforce, mainly the registered nurses. As a result, they tend to have very high starting wages than in any other industry. The average salary for a registered nurse is $32.66 per hour, which goes up to a yearly salary of $67,930. Currently, California is the RN highest paid state where the average annual salary is $94,120 while the lowest paid state is Iowa with an average annual salary amounting to $52,540. Hence, the amount in which the nurses get paid depends largely on the supply-demand dynamics.

The population boom, increasing number of people reaching old age and easily accessible health care services will be accountable for a large number of job openings in the future. Since the demand for residential care facilities is increasing every day, there are going to be even more job opportunities for registered nurses in the upcoming years.
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