What Types of Registered Nursing Jobs Are There?
The basic requirement to become a registered nurse (or RN) in the United States is to complete an accredited nursing program and pass the NCLEX-RN exam, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. After a number of years working as a licensed nurse, RNs are able to take specialty exams to pursue a variety of different jobs.
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Hospital Work
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 59 percent of nursing jobs are in hospitals. Nurses are found in almost every division of a hospital system, including such units as emergency rooms, ambulatory care, neonatal, intensive care, and surgery departments. Nurses also are needed in the outpatient facilities of a hospital system, such as outpatient surgery units and rehabilitation services. Hospitals need nurses on duty around the clock, so many hospital RNs work nights, weekends, and holidays.
Nursing Medical Fields
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Just as there are doctors who work in specific areas in the medical field, the same holds true for RNs. The BLS reports that job growth for RNs in physicians' offices is expected to grow 39 percent through 2016. RN jobs within private practices include working with specialists dealing with coronary disease, urology, gynecology, and ophthalmic diseases, to name a few specialties. Private-practice jobs are more attractive to nurses because they offer normal work hours---mostly day-shift hours, and rarely on weekends or holidays.
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Geriatrics and Hospice
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RNs also are needed in geriatric and end-of-life nursing. As the life expectancy of Americans continues to lengthen, home-health and nursing-home jobs have seen a growing demand for registered nurses who have extensive knowledge about the special care needed in rehabilitating and maintaining the mental and physical health of an older population. Hospice nursing jobs require RNs to work with terminally ill patients of all ages.
RN jobs with No Patient Contact
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There are some nursing jobs that don't require direct interaction with patients. According to Health Care jobs, a few such positions include nurse administrators, public health nursing and nurse educators. Nurse administrators supervise nursing staffs, establish work schedules and budgets, and maintain medical supply inventories. Public health nurses work with populations to improve the overall health of communities. Nurse educators teach student nurses and also provide continuing education for working nurses. Such jobs still require the candidate to have a nursing license.
Institutional Nursing
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Schools and other government facilities such as hospitals for the mentally ill, prisons and veterans' hospitals also employ registered nurses. School nurses serve as health and wellness educators at schools. In state facilities for the mentally ill or disabled, RNs monitor patients and report to staff physicians. At VA hospitals, nurses must deal with issues unique to military veterans, particularly those who have fought in wars. State and private prisons employ registered nurses to monitor the health and provide emergency treatment to incarcerated individuals.
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