Want to Become a Nurse? Careers In Nursing(

Being a nurse is not only a rewarding experience but it’s also a great career. The average salary for a nurse is between $43,000 and $63,000 with the top ten percent making over $75,000. Despite nearly 2.5 million nurses working in the United States—the largest workforce in the clinical healthcare industry—their skills are in high demand. Basically, if you’re a nurse you’ll be able to get a job just about anywhere.

There are three educational paths to become a nurse. The first way, although it’s becoming less and less popular nowadays, is getting a diploma from an accredited nursing program or hospital. The other two ways are achieving an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Whether you’ve acquired a diploma or a degree you still must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

Before becoming a nurse, you should know some of the negative aspects of the career. For instance, nursing is very stressful work and burn-out is quite common. You won’t have a nine-to-five day, expect to work a lot of nights and weekends. Finally, nurses work with very sick people, including patients that are dying. You must have the personality and the emotional stability to deal with death and suffering on a daily basis.

If you’re seriously interested in a career as a nurse keep reading this article. DoctorNetwork411 examines the different kinds of nurses and diagnoses several popular nurse specialties. Hopefully, the information contained below will help you decide if a career in nursing is for you.

THE THREE KINDS OF NURSES

Licensed Practical Nurses

A licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) must complete eighteen to two years of training and then must pass the appropriate boards to get their license. While a LPN performs several advanced medical procedures they must do so under the supervision of a registered nurse or physician.

Registered Nurses

An RN provides direct care and can make medical decisions. They usually supervise LPNs, orderlies, and
nursing assistants. A registered nurse has an associated degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree in nursing. They also have several hours of on-the-job experience.

Advanced Practice Nurses

An advanced practice nurse (APN) is a registered nurse with additional education and training. They’ve also achieved a master or doctoral degree in nursing and have passed additional certification boards. An APN can provide primary health care, mental health services, diagnose, prescribe medication, conduct research, and educate.

There are several functions an APN can serve as: a clinical nurse specialist (CNS), a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), a certified nurse midwife (CNM), and a nurse practitioner (NP). As you might imagine with the additional schooling and training comes a higher salary.

We’ll now take a closer look at the different types of career paths available to APNs.

CAREER PATHS IN NURSING

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

Clinical nurse specialists are experts in a specialized area of health care. There are three broad categories of clinical nurse specialists. The three categories are population, setting, and disease or medical subspecialty.

* Population: This nursing specialty includes pediatrics, geriatrics, and women’s health.
* Setting: This nursing specialty includes critical care, emergency room, operating room, NICU, hospice, and hospital-based.
* Disease or Medical Subspecialty: These nurses specialize in the fields of cardiovascular, diabetes, oncology, gastroenterology, OB/GYN, and infectious diseases.

Each of the above categories challenge nurses in different ways. You should be keenly aware of those challenges so you can select a specialty that fits your strengths.

For instance, if you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment you might want to try your hand at being an emergency room nurse. If you don’t like children, you obviously want to stay clear of pediatrics and neonatal care. If working with your community sounds rewarding than a career as a public health nurse might be for you.

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

A certified registered nurse anesthetist is a registered nurse that specializes in anesthetics. In other words, a CRNA can anesthetize patients for surgery. CRNAs work with many other health care professionals including surgeons, dentists, and podiatrists. Apart from achieving a degree in nursing, CRNAs must also receive two to three years of additional training.

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)

A certified nurse midwife (CNM) has received additional training and education in the obstetrical and gynecological care of pregnant women. A CNM provides prenatal, delivery, and infant care. Most CNMs receive their certification through the American College of Nurse Midwives.

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

A nurse practitioner is a health care professional that has received the necessary training to function as a doctor. They can write prescriptions (in most states), diagnose, and treat illness and injury. Some NPs can work independently while others need the supervision of a physician.

SPECIFIC TYPES OF NURSES

Here are a few more types of nurses (all from the category of clinical nurse specialists). The definitions below are intended to give you a survey of some of the specific career paths available to nurses.

Acute Care Nurse: This type of nurse provides care to patients suffering severe illnesses in short-term facilities (like an emergency room). These nurses work in fast-paced, challenging environments.

Cardiovascular Nurse: A nurse specializing in cardiovascular helps patients monitor their heart disease. They also provide postoperative care and educate patients on how to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Home Health Nurse: A home health nurse cares for patients at their home. To excel in this specialty you must do a lot of traveling, be able to deal with a variety of health problems, and possess the ability to work independently.

Infectious Disease Nurse: This kind of nurse cares for patients suffering from infectious diseases like Hepatitis C, HIV-AIDS, and tuberculosis.

Legal Nurse Consulting: A legal nurse consultant helps legal professionals understand complicated medical issues. Most likely they would work for a law firm or an insurance company.

Occupational Health Nurse: Nurses that specialize in occupational health promote wellness and safety in the workplace. They work with everyone from rank-and-file employees to CEOs.

Public Health Nurse: This type of nurse specializes in educating the public on major health issues. This specialty is perfect for those who enjoy working within their community and are good at public speaking.

Psychiatric Nurse: A psychiatric nurse provides care to those suffering from mental illness. In this field you’ll be working with patients suffering from a myriad of psychosis including depression, dementia, and schizophrenia.

Rehabilitation Nurse: Rehabilitation nurses help patients of all ages recover from surgery, disease, and injury.

Travel Nurse: A travel nurse works at different hospitals, in particular those experiencing a shortage of nurses, for brief periods of time—generally no more than two to three months. This type of nurse travels extensively, works in a variety of medical fields, and is highly paid.

Brynn Alexander writes for DoctorNetwork411.com, a comprehensive directory of medical professionals. Visit the DoctorNetwork411.com blog where you can read useful articles such a 'Want to Become a Nurse? Careers In Nursing'.