occupation paper

Occupational Paper: Registered Nurse

The career I am doing my paper over is the occupation of a Registered Nurse. The reason behind that is that at this moment, that is my focused career goal. (At a later time, it may be Nurse Practitioner, or Nurse Anesthetist.) I enjoy helping people and the nursing field hopefully will help me achieve those goals along with give my son a better future he deserves.
The educational requirements of becoming a RN are taking anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition and psychology courses. More specific coursework in nursing programs could include many of the following classes: medical vocabulary; concepts of professional nursing; health assessment; leadership in nursing; nursing theory; and health promotion in nursing. And since nurses must be good communicators with patients and physicians, many programs have big emphasis on interpersonal and group communications. Nursing is hands on, so having clinicals in hospitals, nursing homes, or private practices will occur while in the nursing program at any school. A BSN degree is required to become a registered nurse and they must have a nurse license. It typically takes you 4 years to complete a BSN degree. To become licensed, nurses must graduate from an approved nursing program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN. Hours for work will vary due to where the nurse works. Because patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities need round-the-clock care, nurses in these settings usually work in rotating shifts, covering all 24 hours. They may work nights, weekends, and holidays. They may be on call, which means they are on duty and must be available to work on short notice. Nurses who work in offices, schools, and other places that do not provide 24-hour care are more likely to work regular business hours. With nursing, there is a wide variety of tasks needing done, the most common are: record patients' medical histories and symptoms, administer patients’ medicines and treatments, set up plans for patients’ care or contribute to existing plans, observe patients and record observations, Consult with doctors and other healthcare professionals, operate and monitor medical equipment, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, teach patients and their families how to manage illnesses or injuries, explain what to do at home after treatment. All those tasks getting completed might seem overwhelming at first, but are essential for the quality care that your patient needs. Depending on what type of field of nursing being pursued, your normal routine might even vary. From my understanding, the license for nursing once you first obtain it, is good for 4 months-1 year, whenever the next expiration of the professions license is, then after it is renewed the license will stay good for 2 years. As for continued education after becoming a registered nurse, you are required 20 continued education hours during every 2 year renewal cycle. When it comes to advancement after your career goal of RN, it can be obtained. With experience, registered nurses can advance to assistant head nurse or head nurse. From there, they can advance to higher levels of management. However, many management-level nursing jobs require a graduate degree in nursing or health administration.Within patient care, nurses can advance to nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, or nurse anesthetist. These specialties require one or two years of graduate school, usually leading to a master's degree. Some nurses move into the business side of health care. For example, they may manage a home health care service. Others teach at colleges or universities. The outlook of being a Registered Nurse is very promising and there will always be a demand for them, so my goal once I graduate should land me some type of job unlike some professions. That I am thankful of, and thus my research comes to an end.