Download Nurses in USA

Nurses in USA
Types of nurses in the US
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
Registered Nurses (RNs)
Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs)
Education
LPN
12 months of training at a state
approved vocational/technical school
or community college.
The practical nursing programmes
include both classroom study and
supervised clinical practice (usually in
hospital).
Education
Bachelor of
science degree in
nursing
BSN (4 year)
Hospital training
diploma
(2-3 years)
Associates degree
in nursing
ADN (2 years)
RN
Associate's Degree
Courses last approximately two years.
combine nursing courses and
supportive college courses
available at community and junior
colleges, also offered at some
universities and technical institutes.
Graduates receive an Associate of
Arts or Associate of Science degree.
Diploma Programmes
These are often run by hospitals or
community health care centres and
take two to three years.
Associate's degree and diploma
holders can begin practice as an RN,
but they are limited to staff positions
as health care generalists and not
qualified for certain positions outside
the hospital.
Although all three educational paths meet
entry requirements for nurse registration
and licensure, the primary path to
professional nursing is the BSN.
The American Association of Colleges of
Nursing (AACN) recognises the BSN as
the minimum educational requirement for
professional nursing practice.
Bachelor's Degree in
Nursing (BSN)
four-year programmes
to obtain a bachelor's degree after
receiving an associate's degree, a
student will have to spend at least
two additional years at a university or
college that offers bachelor's or
combined bachelor's/master's
degrees.
The final two years concentrate on
nursing courses and on-site clinical
training in hospitals, clinics and
outpatient centres.
Education
APN
The master's degree is the standard
educational qualification for Advanced
Practical Nurses. The most common APN
is the Nurse Practitioner (NP).
Master's degrees in nursing last 18-24
months and involve classroom and clinical
work. The curriculum generally includes
nursing science theory and application,
health care management, research and
courses in the student's specialization.
Licensed Practical Nurses
provide nursing care usually under the
direction of medical practitioners,
registered nurses, or other health team
members.
are employed in hospitals, nursing homes,
extended care facilities, rehabilitation
centres, doctors' offices, clinics,
companies, private homes and community
health centres. Operating room technicians
are included in this unit group.
Licensed Practical Nurses
Example Titles
certified nursing assistant (CNA)
licensed nursing assistant
licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.)
licensed vocational nurse (L.V.N.)
operating room technician
registered nursing assistant (R.N.A.)
registered practical nurse (R.P.N.)
Licensed Practical Nurses
LPNs provide a large portion of direct patient
care. LPNs are directed by doctors and
nurses (RNs & nurse managers). Typically, a
LPNЅs work duties include:
Taking vital signs
Preparing and administering injections and enemas
Applying dressings and bandages
Watching catheters
Treating bedsores
Providing alcohol massages or rubs
Monitoring patients and reporting changes
Collecting samples for testing
Provide patient hygiene
Feeding patients
Monitoring food and liquid input/output
Licensed Practical Nurses
Operating room technicians perform some or
all of the following duties:
Prepare patients for surgery by washing,
shaving and sterilizing the patients'
operative areas
Assist in surgery by laying out instruments,
setting up equipment, assisting surgical
teams with gowns and gloves and passing
instruments to surgeons
Clean and sterilize the operating room and
instruments.
Licensed Practical Nurses
Essential functions (requierements)
1. Able to walk/stand on feet for 95% of 12-hour
day.
2. Able to push or pull 30 pounds.
3. Able to bend, stretch, work overhead, twist, and
extend arms to bedside equipment.
4. Able to see and read small blocks of EKG strips
or small markings of syringes.
5. Able to hear and distinguish call bells and other
tones and alarms.
6. Math computational skills of dosage calculations.
7. Communication skills both written and verbal
suitable to express the physical, mental and
emotional status of patient.
Registered nurses
Registered nurses constitute the largest
healthcare occupation, with 2.3 million jobs.
Work duties
providing direct patient care (observe,
assess, and record symptoms, reactions,
and progress in patients)
assisting physicians during surgeries,
treatments, and examinations
administering medications
assisting patients and families during
recuperation and convalescence
Hospital Nurses
This is the largest group of nurses.
They typically work in one area of the
hospital, such as maternity, the
emergency room, surgery, or
intensive care, and provide bedside
assistance for patients. They may
also have supervisory responsibility
for nursing aides and practical nurses.
Office nurses
care for outpatients in physicians’ offices,
clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, 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 care facility nurses
manage care for residents with conditions
ranging from a fracture to Alzheimer’s
disease.
They assess residents’ health, develop
treatment plans, supervise licensed practical
nurses and nursing aides, and perform
invasive procedures, such as starting
intravenous fluids.
They also work in specialty-care
departments, such as long-term
rehabilitation units for patients with strokes
and head injuries.
Home health nurses
provide nursing services to patients at
home.
RNs assess patients’ home environments
and instruct patients and their families.
Home health nurses care for a broad range
of patients, such as those recovering from
illnesses and accidents, cancer, and
childbirth. They must be able to work
independently and may supervise home
health aides.
Public health nurses
work in government and private agencies,
including clinics, schools, retirement
communities, and other community
settings.
Public health nurses instruct individuals,
families, and other groups regarding health
issues such as preventive care, nutrition,
and childcare.
They arrange for immunizations, blood
pressure testing, and other health
screening.
Occupational health nurses
(industrial nurses)
provide nursing care at worksites to
employees, customers, and others with
injuries and illnesses.
They give emergency care, prepare
accident reports, and arrange for further
care if necessary.
They also offer health counseling, conduct
health examinations and inoculations, and
assess work environments to identify
potential or actual health problems.
Head nurses or
nurse supervisors
direct nursing activities, primarily in
hospitals.
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 that the
patients receive proper care.
They also may ensure that records are
maintained and equipment and supplies
are ordered.
Advanced Practice Nurses
nurse practitioners provide basic, primary
healthcare.
They diagnose and treat common acute
illnesses and injuries. Nurse practitioners
also can prescribe medications—but
certification and licensing requirements
vary by state.
Other advanced practice nurses include
clinical nurse specialists, certified
registered nurse anesthetists, and certified
nurse midwives.
18 of the US states allow NPs to practice
independently of physicians.