Job Responsibilities
I am currently a registered nurse working on the pediatric floor
of a local hospital. Standard daily job responsibilities include
assessing the patient, assessing the families' needs, family
education (proper handwashing techniques, disease process, care
plan, etc), carring out doctor's orders, multidisciplinary
communication [making sure everyone who needs to be updated on
the patient's condition is informed: primary care doctor, any
consulting specialists, any involved departments (physical
therapy, occupational therapy, etc.)], distributing medications,
verify that safety measures are being implemented, and charting,
charting, charting! Upon assessments, a nurse may find a change
in a patient's condition, in which action needs to be taken.
Then a large block of time (as little as 30 minutes up to several
hours) may be spent focused on helping that one particular
patient's needs. For example, if upon your first set of rounds,
patient number 2 has clinical signs of respiratory distress, the
nurse would be responsible for obtaining doctor's orders for a
treatment protocol, carring out those orders, making sure patient
number 2 remains in stable condition, and balancing the remainder
of the nurse's patient load. Some of the general skills one uses
in the hospital setting include: starting/ maintaining I.V.
therapy, accessing ports, placing/ maintaining NG tubes, placing/
maintaining foley catheters, drawing lab work, hanging blood
products, giving chemotherapy, oxygen therapy, monitoring vital
signs, dressing changes, neurological checks, general assessment
skills, assisting doctors with various procedures, to name a few.
A nursing career in a hospital setting is fast paced, continually
changing, and uses a wide variety of skills. One thing I have
learned in the hospital setting is that nobody likes to say they
have seen it all.
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Job Requirements
As a registered nurse, one can choose to get an Associate's
degree or a Bachelor's degree. An Associate degree actually
takes three years to complete. The first year is the pre-
requisite classes such as Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and
Physiology, English, Political Science/ History, Sociology, etc.
The second and third years are strictly all nursing classes and
are consisted of three parts: class, lab, and clinicals. I would
highly recommend taking the classes in this way, over three
years. The nursing classes are intense and require a lot of
time.
The same Board exam is taken whether you graduate with an
Associate's or Bachelor's degree. The Bachelor program offers
classes in the management areas; where as, the Associate degree
does not. Some employer's offer a pay difference for a Bachelor's
degree. The hospital I am currently employed at, offers a
$0.50/hr differential. One must have a Bachelor's degree to
obtain any position higher than staff/ charge nurse, in the
hospital for which I am currently employed.
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Uppers
The best part of being a nurse is helping other people directly. It is so
rewarding to be able to help a patient/ family through some of their most
difficult days, to know that you made a difference in another person's life, for
the better.
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Downers
The worst part of nursing is the diversity of responsibility. I
think most nurses would love to take care of people and end it
there; however, it doesn't work that way. There is too much to
do and not enough time in which to do it in! Too much of our
time is spent doing indirect care (phone calls, charting,
gathering of supplies/ information, etc.)
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Lifestyle
This career can fit into any caring lifestyle. If you care for people, this can
work for you. The great thing about nursing is the possibilities and
opportunities are almost endless. Hospitals have shifts that run 24x7 (8 hr. and
12 hr. shifts: each hospital and each department's times may vary), doctor's
offices are usually closer to "business" hours, home health needs people for all
hours, all days, Lawyers use nurses to review charts, nurses can do research,
school nurses work school hours and have summers off, traveling nurses travel to
different places for a term (6-8-12 week sessions) and expenses are paid by the
employing hospital; these are all just a few positions nurses can hold.
In this field, generally scrubs are worn. Each employer has their own policy
as to which colors/ designs are acceptable. Traveling is not usually done in this
field unless you are a traveling nurse, home health nurse, or you are traveling
for an educational conference.
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Compensation
Some employers will pay a "sign on" bonus. This is a set dollar
amount given for full-time employment and pro-rated for part-time
employment. Employers usually require a contract stating your
commitment to work at that location for a designated legnth of
time. Currently in Missouri, sign on bonuses are offered
regularly.
Hospital setting PRN status (no benefits):
base rate: $22.50/hr
evening differential: $ 2.00/hr
weekend differential: $ 1.50/hr
night differential: $ 2.50/hr
paid on stand by: $ 4.50/hr
union dues: $21.00/mo.
There are so many benefits, I don't even know all of them. Some
of them include: health care, dental care, life insurance,
disability, 401k, pre-tax medical spending account, discounts on
certain services from cellular places, banks, etc, counciling,
employee emergency services, etc. We also get benefits from
local merchants for being part of a union.
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Advice to Jobseekers
RN
First, I would highly recommend getting a job at a local
hospital as a p.c.a. or p.c.t. (patient care associate/tech.), if
at all possible. This will give you the inside look at nursing
before you go through all the schooling. I would recommend doing
this before or during your first year of school. It will also
benefit you to 'see' and be exposed to the daily surroundings
(medical terminology, disease process, vital signs, etc.).
Secondly, Stick with it. It takes a while to get comfortable.
Sometimes, a long while, depending on the consistency or variety
of the type of work you experience. School gives you the basics,
but it doesn't give you the whole picture. Once you are
the 'nurse', it can be quite intimidating and a bit overwhelming,
but confidence comes with time and experience. Ask lots of
questions and do not be afraid to ask for help. Many nurses,
myself included, would rather help someone than have them make a
mistake.
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