Nursing Career Ladder in the United States (Part Three): the Registered Nurse (RN)

This post is intended to be the third in a four-part installment series that aims to illuminate the dynamic, ever-evolving nursing career ladder in the United States.

The first post in this particular series discussed certified nursing assistants, known as CNAs for short. The second post in this series elaborated on the unique importance of licensed practical nurses (LPNs), also known as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) in the states of California and Texas. This post will shed some light on registered nurses.

A professional registered nurse, known as an RN for short, is a multi-faceted healthcare professional who is entrusted with the delivery of both direct and indirect nursing care duties and responsibilities. During the course of providing nursing care, the RN observes, assesses and records objective signs and subjective symptoms that patients experience.

RNs document additional findings such as reactions to treatments, progress and patient outcomes. The RN’s keen observations and clear documentation serve as the the hardcore foundation for the planning of patient care, initiation of interventions, and overall evaluation of the patient care that is being provided.

RNs routinely report changes in patients’ conditions to the physician and carry out physicians’ orders as indicated. Moreover, RNs promptly respond to subtle and overt changes in condition to prevent further deterioration of patients’ health statuses. RNs work work in bedside or clinical settings may perform a wide repertoire of procedural skills such as medication administration, complex wound care, respiratory ventilator management, and so forth.

RNs plan all aspects of the care of their patients. In fact, RNs continually formulate and revise nursing plans of care. RNs also teach and educate patients and families on the provision of appropriate care techniques. They also help different individuals, groups and populations to sustain and/or improve their various health statuses.

Professional registered nursing practice regularly draws upon an amazingly large fund of knowledge in order for the nurse to deliver appropriate assessment, planning, nursing diagnoses, intervention and evaluation. These actions, collectively referred to as the nursing process, are executed in a timely fashion to promote patients’ health statuses, prevent devastating illnesses and help clients manage their varied disease processes.

RNs can be found working in varied healthcare settings such as hospitals, extended care facilities, hospices, clinics, doctors offices, home health companies, colleges, universities, occupational health centers, private duty cases, and psychiatric facilities. RNs also work for insurance companies, research firms, governmental agencies, jails, prisons, public health centers, parishes, pharmaceutical corporations, and an array of other workplace settings.

While state laws tend to dictate nursing’s breadth and scope of practice, it is often the specific needs of the patient load on a particular day that determine the RN’s duties for that day. To become an RN, a prospective candidate must graduate from a state-approved nursing program at a community college, diploma school of nursing, trade school, technical college, or university. The graduate must also pass a national exam to secure state licensure as a registered nurse.

Many certified nursing assistants (CNAs) continue their education to become LPNs and/or RNs, thereby ascending the nursing career ladder. Legacy Healthcare Careers offers four-week CNA classes in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that are affordable and will fit in with prospective pupils’ budgets and lifestyles. Call (682)626-5266 or the 24-hour hotline at (682)313-6404 to enroll at our Mid-Cities / HEB area location.

Be sure to look for the fourth and final post in this information-packed four-part series on the dynamic nursing career ladder in the United States. Also, do not forget to place a quick telephone call to Legacy Healthcare Careers at (682)626-5266 or the 24-hour hotline at (682)313-6404 to enroll in fast-track certified nursing assistant (CNA) training coursework.