Registered Nurse
What Registered Nurses Do?
Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.
Duties:
Registered nurses typically do the following: * Record patients' medical histories and symptoms * Give patients medicines and treatments * Set up plans for patients’ care or contribute to existing plans * Observe patients and record the 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 their illnesses or injuries * Explain what to do at home after treatment
Work Environment:
Most registered nurses work in well-lit, comfortable healthcare facilities. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients' homes, schools, community centers, and other sites.
Some registered nurses work in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and nurses often work with the military. Some move frequently, traveling in the United States and throughout the world to help care for patients in places where there are not enough healthcare workers.
Injuries:
Registered nurses may spend a lot of time walking, bending, stretching, and standing. They are vulnerable to back injuries because they must often lift and move patients. The work of registered nurses may put them in close contact with people who have infectious diseases, and they often come in contact with potentially harmful and hazardous drugs and other substances. Therefore, registered nurses must follow strict, standardized guidelines to guard against diseases and other dangers, such as radiation, accidental needle sticks, or the chemicals they use to sterilize instruments.
Work Schedules:
Because patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities need round-the-clock care, nurses in
Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.
Duties:
Registered nurses typically do the following: * Record patients' medical histories and symptoms * Give patients medicines and treatments * Set up plans for patients’ care or contribute to existing plans * Observe patients and record the 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 their illnesses or injuries * Explain what to do at home after treatment
Work Environment:
Most registered nurses work in well-lit, comfortable healthcare facilities. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients' homes, schools, community centers, and other sites.
Some registered nurses work in correctional facilities, schools, summer camps, and nurses often work with the military. Some move frequently, traveling in the United States and throughout the world to help care for patients in places where there are not enough healthcare workers.
Injuries:
Registered nurses may spend a lot of time walking, bending, stretching, and standing. They are vulnerable to back injuries because they must often lift and move patients. The work of registered nurses may put them in close contact with people who have infectious diseases, and they often come in contact with potentially harmful and hazardous drugs and other substances. Therefore, registered nurses must follow strict, standardized guidelines to guard against diseases and other dangers, such as radiation, accidental needle sticks, or the chemicals they use to sterilize instruments.
Work Schedules:
Because patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities need round-the-clock care, nurses in