Do you agree?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Below is a description of nursing that I found on http://www.bls.gov from the US govt. Dept of Labor and Statistics.

Do you agree? Are you happy with this description of nursing? In your opinion, what improvements are needed (if any) to promote our profession?

I appreciate your responses! Hope you are all having a great day!

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What these workers do

Nurses take care of sick and injured people. They also help people stay well. They watch for the signs of being sick. Nurses then help doctors examine and treat patients. They give people medicine. Nurses tell people how to take care of themselves and their families.

Hospital nurses or staff nurses are the largest group of nurses. Staff nurses provide real bedside care. Hospital nurses usually work in one area such as surgery or the ER. Some of them rotate among jobs.

Office nurses help doctors in private clinics and offices. They also help with medical tests, give medicines, and dress wounds. Some also do routine lab and office work. Home health nurses go to people's homes to help them. Public health nurses work in government agencies, clinics, schools, and other public settings. They teach people about health and help prevent disease. They also show people what's good to eat and tell people how to take care of their kids.

[Top] What the job is like

Most nurses work in clean, well-lighted facilities. Home and public health nurses go to patients' homes and other sites. Nurses spend a lot of time walking and standing. They need emotional strength to cope with stress. Nurses should also be caring and sensitive.

Nursing has its hazards. Nurses care for people with diseases they can catch too. These include diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS. Nurses must guard against these and other dangers such as radiation, chemicals, and drugs.

Because patients need 24-hour care, nurses may work nights, weekends, and holidays. Office, industrial, and public health nurses are more likely to work regular hours.

[Top] Jobs

Registered nurses make up the largest health care occupation. They held about 2.2 million jobs in 2000. About 3 out of 5 jobs were in hospitals. About 1 out of 4 worked part time.

[Top] Preparing for the job

Nurses must graduate from a nursing program. Associate degree in nursing (ADN) programs take 2 to 3 years in a community or junior college. Diploma programs take 2 to 3 years in a hospital. Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) programs take 4 to 5 years in a college. People who want to be nurses should weigh the pros and cons of enrolling in a BSN program. Some career paths are open only to nurses with bachelor's degrees.

Nursing education includes class work and clinical training. Classes include anatomy, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and nursing theory. Nurses do most of their clinical work in hospitals. A growing number of programs include clinical practice in nursing homes, public health offices, and home health agencies.

Nurses must then pass a test to get a nursing license. Nurses must regularly renew their license. Some States make nurses take classes before they get a renewal.

Doing a good job may lead to a nurse's promotion. The first step is to head nurse. From there, they can advance to director of nursing and even vice president. Some nurses move into the business side of health care. Some get jobs in big health care firms doing planning, marketing, and quality assurance.

[Top] The future

BLS expects jobs for registered nurses to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. Because the occupation is very large, many new jobs will become available. There will always be a need for traditional hospital nurses, but many new nurses will work in home health, long-term, and walk-in care.

Medical advances in patient care will mean more jobs for nurses. New ways of helping people let nurses treat more problems. The number of older people, who need more health care, will grow very rapidly. They will need nurses to treat them when they get sick.

Very good job opportunities are expected for registered nurses. Some States report a shortage of nurses because fewer people are going to nursing school and because many older nurses are leaving the occupation.

[Top] Pay

Half of all registered nurses earned between $37,870 and $54,000 in 2000. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,890. The top 10 percent made more than $64,360. Many employers offer flexible work schedules, childcare, education benefits, and bonuses.

[Top] Similar jobs

Emergency medical technicians

Occupational therapists

Physical therapists

Physician assistants

Respiratory therapists.

[Top] Where to look for more information

Disclaimer: Links to non-BLS Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

National League for Nursing

61 Broadway

New York, NY 10006

http://www.nln.org

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

1 Dupont Circle NW.

Suite 530

Washington, DC 20036

http://www.aacn.nche.edu

American Nurses Association

600 Maryland Ave. SW.

Washington, DC 20024-2571

http://www.nursingworld.org

It's not bad. Like most government publications meant for the general public, it's been dumbed down to--what is it these days, a 6th-grade reading level?--so obviously it doesn't go into too many nuances or subtleties.

I would like to see a more comprehensive list of required course in nursing school--what about physiology, patho, pharmacology, microbiology, etc. etc.? Maybe they're trying not to scare potential students.

And this section:

Doing a good job may lead to a nurse's promotion. The first step is to head nurse. From there, they can advance to director of nursing and even vice president.
was kind of ...eehhh. What, the pinnacle of success in our profession is to be a hospital VP? And only the really GOOD nurses gets that job? Yeah, that paragraph needs to be reworked a little. :rolleyes:
Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

It's so hard to describe what nurses really do. So someone who really doesn't know that's a good starting point. They'll find out about the stressors and the real world later.

Once again it seems that LPN's are not considered "nurses." Only nurse mentioned was the registered nurse.

Leigh

Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Nurseleigh,

I've seen this doc before and they had a separate section for LPNs, and rightfully so, as they are different:

here: taken from the same website:

A207 LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES

Exclude Registered Nurses (A095), Health Aides (K446), and Nursing Aides, Orderlies and Attendants (K447).

Provide prescribed medical treatment and personal care services to ill, injured, convalescent, and handicapped in hospitals, clinics, private homes, schools, etc. Require technical knowledge, but not the professional training of a Registered Nurse. In hospital, perform such duties as taking temperatures and blood pressures, changing, dressing, and bathing patients, and administering prescribed medicines. Assist in the delivery, care, and feeding of infants. In doctors' offices and clinics, help physicians by preparing patients for examinations, making appointments, and recording patient information. May be Maternity Nurse, L.P.N., Practical Nurse, Vocational Nurse, etc.

Yes, LPN is described separately. Here is the link.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos102.htm

Originally posted by nurseleigh

Once again it seems that LPN's are not considered "nurses." Only nurse mentioned was the registered nurse.

Leigh

I agree Leigh..... It seems as if the 6th graders who wrote this hoop-la not only lack integrity or have been seriously mis-informed, but they as well may have been lead to believe that

the initals LPN stands for licensed practically a nurse.

I would like to sit eye to eye with one or two of them and give a

NURSE's job description, and it wouldnt be brief!

I went back to look again at the page that I copied from. I originally came in off of a search engine directly to that page. When I went back, I had to go in through careers, then another link for students, and a link marked kids, to nurse (I think). I went looking to see if the link specified RN due to the LPN reponses. When I read the description the first time, I immediatly realized that they were referring to RN's in my own mind~~however LPN's, you are right, they didn't specify a seperate tract or option.

So that explains why it reads on a below HS level..b/c it is for that target audiance. Sorry, didn't mean to mislead in any way.

Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by andrewsgranny

I agree Leigh..... It seems as if the 6th graders who wrote this hoop-la not only lack integrity or have been seriously mis-informed, but they as well may have been lead to believe that

the initals LPN stands for licensed practically a nurse.

I would like to sit eye to eye with one or two of them and give a

NURSE's job description, and it wouldnt be brief!

Jeez! First let's remember that it is written at a 6th grade level to accomodate the current reading level of our society!! As Stargazer said above:

Like most government publications meant for the general public, it's been dumbed down to--what is it these days, a 6th-grade reading level?--so obviously it doesn't go into too many nuances or subtleties.

Secondly, there is a difference in LPN and RNs. To act like there isn't is misinformation, imho. As a nursing student I didn't even know what the hell an LPN was or did.

Flowerchild,

I'm glad you explained the route you took to get that info. Because I was becoming totally depressed thinking that collectively our country was functioning on a sixth grade reading level. I feel better now.

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