Chapter 11: Nursing

• About 60 percent of RN jobs are in hospitals
• The three typical educational paths to becoming an RN are:

  • A diploma from an approved nursing program
  • An associate's degree from a community college
  • A bachelor's degree from a four year college
• Cardiac care nurse


  Cares for patients with heart disease from coronary artery disease to heart failure and recovery from heart surgery
• Critical care nurse


  Cares for patients with critical conditions or recovery from serious illness or injury in a hospital intensive care unit
• Hospice nurse


  Cares for terminally ill patients to manage pain and other symptoms that accompany the dying process
• Military nurse


  Members of the armed services who care for the military all over the world and veterans in the United States
• Neonatal intensive care nurse


  Cares for premature and critically ill newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit in the hospital
• Obstetrics nurse


  Cares for women during pregnancy, labor, childbirth, or other reproductive issues
• Psychiatric nurse


  Cares for patients with psychiatric disorders such as mental illness or substance use disorders
• Rehabilitation nurse


  Cares for patients who have chronic illnesses or long-term disabilities
• School nurse


  Cares for students from pre-K to college who become sick or injured while in school
• Substance abuse nurse


  Cares for patients who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, or other substances
• Transplant nurse


  Cares for patients who are donating or receiving an organ or tissue through the transplant procedure
• The most common shift for hospitals is three 12-hour shifts per week
• Those in skilled nursing facilities are more likely to work five 8-hour shifts per week
• Employment of RNs is expected to grow by 7% from 2019 to 2029
• Certification is optional for RNs
• How many years of education does a doctorate take?

  8
• How many years of education does a CNM take?

  6
• How many years of education does a CRNA take?

  6
• How many years of education does a CNS take?

  6
• How many years of education does a NP take?

  6
• How many years of education does a master's degree in nursing take?

  6
• How many years of education does a bachelor's degree in nursing take?

  4
• How many years of education does a LPN/LVN take?

  1
• How many years of education does a NA take?

  approx. 6 months
• How can LPNs become credentialed in specialties like IV therapy and gerontology?


  Through the NFLPN
• What does NFLPN stand for?

  National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses
• Employment of LPNs is expected to grow by 9 percent between 2019 and 2029
• Why is the employment for LPNs expected to grow so quickly?

  In response to the long term care needs of an increasing elderly population and the general increase in demand for healthcare services
• Nurses that care for people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled under the direction of physicians and registered nurses
• LPNs often perform basic bedside care
• Many LPNs measure and record patients' vital signs (such as height, weight, temp, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration)
• LPNs prepare and give injections and enemas, monitor catheters, dress wounds, and give alcohol rubs and massages
• LPNs perform routine lab tests, collect samples for testing, and record food and fluid intake and outpupt
• LPNs clean and monitor medical equipment
• CRNAs provide anesthesia and related care before, during, and after surgical, therapeutic, diagnostic, and obstetrical procedures. They also provide pain management and some emergency services
• CRNAs have practiced in the US since providing care for wounded soldiers during the Civil War
• CRNAs are the sole providers of anesthesia in two thirds of rural hospitals and are sole providers in 100% of rural hospitals in some states
• APRNs require a master's degree