All About Being a Nurse
A Nurse’s responsibility can range from making acute treatment decisions to providing vaccinations in schools. Regardless, across the entire patient experience and wherever there is someone in need of care, nurses work to identify and protect the needs of individuals.
Healthcare leaders warned that hospitals faced a nursing shortage long before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the repeated surges of COVID-19 made the situation dire and increased overall burnout.
A September 2021 American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) survey found that 92% of respondents reported that the pandemic had “depleted nurses at their hospitals, and, as a result, their careers will be shorter than they intended.”
Now more than ever, state and federal lawmakers must mitigate the nursing shortage crisis without disincentivizing businesses from engaging in practices helpful to the public.
What Do Nurses Do?
There are over 4 million registered nurses (RN) in the United States today.
Nurses work in a variety of settings and specialties. Some of these specialties include emergency nursing, ambulatory care, burn care, diabetes care, geriatrics care, home health care, hospice care, labor and delivery care, medical-surgical care, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), nephrology care, obstetrics and gynecology care, pediatrics care, psychiatric care, and trauma care.
With so many options, nurses can choose to practice in hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, occupational and community health centers, schools, clinics, camps, and shelters.
Therefore, the day-to-day responsibilities of nurses vary depending on several factors, including the location they work in, the size of the staff and nursing team, and the population they serve.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) lists an overview of nurses’ responsibilities, including tasks such as:
- performing physical exams
- obtaining medical/health histories
- providing patients with health promotion, counseling, and education
- administering medications, wound care, and other health interventions
- coordinating patient care collectively with other members of the healthcare team
- supervising staff such as LPNs and nursing assistants
- taking part in critical decision making
- research responsibilities
Nurse Salary
Nursing is the largest profession in healthcare. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimated that over 276,000 positions will be added to this field by 2030.
The four branches of nursing are Registered Nurse (RN), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and Nurse Practitioner (NP).
An NP earns the highest median annual salary out of the four branches of nursing at $111,840. Next, the median salary for an RN is $77,460, followed by an LPN at $48,500, and lastly, the median salary for a CNA is $30,720.
Additionally, there are numerous types of nurses with salaries ranging from $30,000 to $120,000 per year. A few nurse types include a Certified Nurse Midwife (CRNA), a Nurse Anesthetist (NA), a Clinical Nurse Specialist, a Nurse Educator, a Nurse Administrator, and a Clinical Nurse Leader.
Notably, the most popular nursing specialties are Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, Neonatal ICU, Oncology, Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Surgical, Operating Room, Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and Trauma.
ICU Nurses earn the highest median salary of $120,243 annually. This field, along with geriatric nurses, is currently the most in demand.
What is the Nursing Process?
All nurses, regardless of what their field or specialty is, utilize the same nursing process.
- Assessment - Nurses assess patients on an in-depth psychological, economic, social, and lifestyle basis.
- Diagnosis- Nurses form a diagnosis based on thoughtful consideration of physical symptoms and patient behavior.
- Outcomes/Planning- Nurses leverage their expertise to set realistic patient recovery goals. These objectives are closely monitored.
- Implementation- Nurses guarantee consistency of care for the patient while documenting their progression by accurately implementing the care plan
- Evaluation- Nurses hone the plan to achieve the best patient outcomes by closely analyzing the effectiveness of the care plan and studying patient responses.
Best Nursing Schools in the US
US News recently ranked the top Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs by the average of scores received from surveys of top academics and officials at nursing schools or departments.
The following schools were ranked the top 15 in the US:
- #1 in Nursing
University of Pennsylvania- 4.5 score - #2 in Nursing
Emory University- 4.4 score - #3 in Nursing
Duke University- 4.3 score
University of Michigan- Ann Arbor- 4.3 score - #5 in Nursing
Case Western Reserve Universty- 4.2 score
The Ohio State University- 4.2 score
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- 4.2 score
University of Washington- 4.2 score - #9 in Nursing
New York University- 4.1 score
Oregon Health and Science University- 4.1 score
University of Alabama at Birmingham- 4.1 score
University of Illinois- Chicago- 4.1 score
University of Iowa- 4.1 score
University of Maryland- Baltimore- 4.1 score - #15 in Nursing
University of California, Los Angeles- 4.0 score
University of Kentucky- 4.0 score
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities- 4.0 score
University of Nebraska Medical Center- 4.0 score
University of Pittsburgh- 4.0 score
University of Texas at Austin- 4.0 score
University of Virginia- 4.0 score
