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NURSING CAREERS
Below are a few nursing careers you may want to look into.
Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses. They work in
collaboration with physicians and other health professionals. With the increased
need for primary care providers, there is a particularly high demand for nurse
practitioners nationally and across the commonwealth of Virginia. Nurse
practitioners:
- take detailed health histories and perform complete physical exams.
- Diagnose patients and decide treatment plans.
- Treat common acute conditions, illnesses or minor injuries.
- Provide health management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes.
- Prescribe medications.
- Counsel patients and their families on preventive care, health problems
and treatment alternatives.
Depending on their interests, nurse practitioners may work in private medical
offices, clinics, schools, health maintenance organizations, health departments
or hospitals. Some have their own private practices.
Typical Salary: $45,000 - 75,000
Nurse Midwife
Certified nurse midwives provide personal, family-centered care for those with
uncomplicated pregnancies and refer to affiliated physicians when the need
arises.
Nurse midwives:
- educate women regarding contraception, conception, personal care,
nutrition, exercise, childbirth methods and other reproductive health
issues.
- Conduct pelvic and breast exams and Pap smears.
- Monitor the patient and fetus during pregnancy.
- Assist women with labor and childbirth.
- Examine newborns and provide information in infant care and nutrition.
- Consult and refer to physicians when pregnancy or labor is not normal.
They usually work in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, public
health departments, clinics and private practices.
Nurse Anesthetists
They work in collaboration with physicians or dentists, combining professional
nursing skills with the science of anesthesia. Nurse anesthetists are an
important part of the surgical team.
Nurse anesthetists:
- Explain upcoming medical procedures and anesthesia to patients.
- Assemble and test medical equipment needed to administer anesthetics.
- Prepare prescribed solutions and start intravenous injections.
- Administer prescribed anesthetics and medications.
- Observe patients to ensure that anesthesia is maintained.
- Monitor patients for warning signs during anesthesia and assist
attending physicians with emergency procedures, if necessary.
- Record each patients' condition (as well as all anesthetics and
medications administered) before, during and after surgery. Nurse
anesthetists may work in hospitals, emergency rooms, dental offices and
outpatient surgery facilities.
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Clinical nurse specialist work in collaboration with physicians and other health
care providers.
Clinical Nurse Specialists:
- perform physical and psychosocial assessments of patients and families.
- Diagnose not only health problems of individuals but those of groups of
patients.
- Manage chronic conditions and illnesses.
- Educate and counsel patients on health care needs and preventive health
care.
- Develop educational programs for nurses and other health care providers.
- Collaborate and conduct research.
Clinical nurse specialists focus on one or more areas, such as pediatrics,
mental health, perinatal care, oncology or gerontology. They may work in
hospitals, clinics, health maintenance organizations or in private practice.
Typical Salary: $45,000 - 75,000
Registered Nurses (RNs)
RNs work closely with patients' physicians and other health professionals as
part of the health care team. Depending on their area of specialization and work
setting, RNs perform some or all of the following:
- develop and implement individualized plans for a patient's care.
- Monitor and record patient's needs and changing conditions.
- Administer prescribed medications and treatments.
- Educate individuals on self-care, including maintaining health and
preventing illness/injury.
- Conduct health screening tests and procedures.
- Direct and supervise other nursing personnel.
RNs are in demand in a wide variety of work settings: hospitals, physicians
offices, industrial and corporation sites, clinics, government or community
health agencies, nursing homes, hospices or patients' homes. RNs also may choose
to pursue careers in health administration, teaching, utilization review,
consulting, research and many other specialties.
Typical Salary: $32,500 - 65,000
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
LPNs provide routine nursing care for patients. They work under the direction of
registered nurses, or physicians.
Licensed practical nurses:
- take and record patients' vital signs, such as blood pressure and
temperature.
- Perform some diagnostic tests and treatments.
- Assist patients with daily activities, such as feeding, bathing and
exercising, which may involve lifting and turning patients.
- Observe patients and report any reactions to treatments or medications.
- Care for patients ranging from newborns to adults, from labor and
delivery to post-mortem.
LPNs may work in hospitals, clinics, physicians offices, private homes, nursing
homes and other medical institutions.
Typical Salary: $21,770 - 35,000
Nursing Assistants/Aides
Nursing assistants also known as nurse aides, home health aides or orderlies.
Nursing assistants:
- take and record patients' temperature, blood pressure, and pulse.
- Set up medical equipment and perform simple treatments.
- Assist patients in and out of bed.
- Move patients to and from treatment rooms.
- Bathe, dress, undress and otherwise assist with patients' hygiene needs.
- Serve meals and feed patients.
- Clean, sterilize and assemble supplies and instruments used in surgery.
Make beds and perform other housekeeping activities to maintain cleanliness in
patients' room, nurseries and operating rooms.
Nursing assistants usually work in hospitals or in nursing homes under the
supervision of licensed health care professionals. They also may work in private
homes or psychiatric care settings.
Typical Salary: $13,100 - 20,000
Source: Virginia Health Careers Manual
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