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Nurses help patients get the most out of their health and abilities by preventing and alleviating health conditions, and advocating for their optimum health. Most work directly with patients and their loved ones to provide treatment, coordinate care, educate and inform. They typically work with doctors and healthcare teams, but may work in places that doctors typically don't. They may specialize in the type of care they offer, the kinds of patients they care for, and the setting in which they work.
There is a serious shortage of qualified nurses nationally, which means that a career in nursing offers very high job availability and stability. There are particular geographic areas such as California and specialty areas such as cardiac care in which the shortage is more severe. Nurses with training in working with the elderly or in long-term care are in increasing demand as the Baby Boomers age, and nurses specializing in neonatal and pediatric care will be in demand over the next 10-20 years as Echo Boomers start families.
Because there aren't enough nurses to staff medical facilities, responsibilities and demands on existing nurses can be stressful. Those who work in nursing must be able to manage stress well, and find the reward in what they do. Working as a nurse is not just rewarding because of the help they provide patients and loved ones, but because being a nurse can be lucrative, with a wide variety of options in terms of schedules, locations, and levels of responsibility and a clear path of advancement.
Nurse Job Duties
Although registered nurses constitute the largest health care occupation at 2.5 million jobs, there are different levels of nursing careers with increasing levels of responsibility and expertise:
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
LPNs and LVNs report to registered nurses or doctors, working directly with patients to provide basic care such as monitoring vital signs and dressing wounds. They help patients feel more comfortable by assisting them with walking, moving in bed, bathing, and dressing. Collecting lab samples and performing basic laboratory tests, recording food intake and output, monitoring medications, gathering medical history and information for insurance purposes, and cleaning medical equipment are parts of their job that do not involve hands-on care of patients.
Registered Nurses
RNs provide direct care to patients and often make decisions about their care. They create a plan of care, or follow an existing one, that includes performing diagnostic tests and analyzing results, documenting medical histories and symptoms, administering treatment including medications, and operating medical machinery. They are responsible for making sure that medications are provided in the right dosage and avoid interactions, starting and removing IVs, observing patients, protecting the patients' health-related information, educating family members and loved ones, and consulting with physicians. They may supervise LPNs and LVNs.
Advanced Practice Registered Nurses
APRNs have received a minimum of a Master's Degree in an area of specialty, and include Clinical Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), which are the most advanced of all nurses, Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and Nurse Practitioners (NP). Their advanced training allows them to diagnose conditions, implement tests and treatment, and write prescriptions. They often fill administrative functions in managerial roles, overseeing healthcare teams.
In addition to doctors' offices and hospitals, nurses may work in outpatient treatment facilities, long-term care facilities or home health care agencies.
Nurses who work in hospitals work in quite a few different departments, including:
Nurses' responsibilities may include direct patient care in a patient's home, doctor's office, medical clinic or hospital, but there are nurses who don't provide hands-on care. In fact, only 59% of registered nurses work in hospitals according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Instead, nurses may function as educators or advocates, use the Internet or phone to treat patients remotely, assist with legal and criminal investigations, or manage information. There are careers for nurses in many professional fields and work settings.
Good nurses possess solid leadership and organizational skills, a friendly and easygoing nature, the ability to stay calm in a crisis, compassion, a sense of humor and strong problem-solving skills.
Nursing Schools and Training
High school students who are applying to nursing school should have high aptitude for English, algebra, chemistry, biology, physics, psychology and technology. Volunteering at a hospital is a good way to get experience working with nurses, become familiar with the role they play in patient care, and make it easier to get into nursing school.
The minimum amount of education required to start a nursing career is a high school diploma and a one-year program at a vocational or technical school. Completing these requirements and passing theNational Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) earns the title Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN).
Registered nurses typically obtain a two-year associate’s degree in nursing (ADN), a two- or three-year diploma from an accredited nursing program or hospital, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). Because degree programs tend to be readily available and versatile, diploma programs are less popular. In addition to taking SATs and other tests, some nursing schools require a pre-admission test called the National League for Nursing (NLN) Pre-admission Exam. Once they've completed a program, registered nursing students must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in order to be licensed to practice. As a measure of their clinical competence, they may then choose to be certified in specialty areas, such as critical care, oncology, or rehabilitation.
For those who already have a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a field other than nursing, some universities offer accelerated programs: (Accelerated BSN, Accelerated MSN). For nurses who wish to further their education by obtaining their BSN or MSN, many bridge programs are available, including online programs that provide flexibility to match the diverse and demanding schedules of nurses.
Additional education and training such as a Master's Degree in a specialty field, along with additional licensure requirements, can qualify nurses to perform job responsibilities similar to doctors', such as making diagnoses, performing tests or writing prescriptions. They may also be involved in management and administration, as a faculty member, or as an expert clinician. Nurses can even pursue PhDs, which qualify them to become involved in more community-level, university-level, government-level or organizational-level roles.
Keeping current with nursing practice and advances in medicine is expected of all nurses, and is mandated in some states. Continuing education credits (CMEs) can be earned at professional conferences, through private training organizations, on the internet or in journals.
Resources for Nurses
Schools for Nursing are listed in the column to the left.
The Subcategories tab lists career specialties for Nursing, each of which has a full page profile on the site.
The Find Schools tab lets you search for schools by field of study, degree level, and location.
The Videos tab lets you watch videos describing many of the career specialties for Nursing.
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
Request info from multiple schools, by clicking the Get Info links.
We have some additional detailed pages at the state level for Nursing. These pages include maps focused on the particular state, among other details.
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