How to Become a Registered Nurse - Essay Example

"How to Become a Registered Nurse?" is a decent example of a paper on care.
The nursing category of medical officials consists of at least three positions, namely nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. The highest-ranking class among these consists of the registered nurses that form the biggest proportion of healthcare officials in the US. In terms of the main responsibilities that a registered nurse possesses, the maintenance of order in the healthcare environment perhaps captures the sensitivity of the role of this category of nursing and healthcare officials. Various patients’ needs are referred to the registered nurses in the hospital environment, from where the nurses allocate tasks to other junior officials if they cannot manage to handle them.

Some of the care needs that this class of nurses provides include treating patients’ illnesses and injuries as well as providing such care as may be required in high-end medical operations such as during operations, intensive care, pharmacy, healthcare clinic operations and many other services including ambulance care. In terms of the healthcare settings that the registered nurses may take care of, the most common roles include maintenance of reliable patient records, management of patient care plans, allocating and supervising tasks over junior nurses as well as handling related patients’ family needs. A number of areas where registered nurses offer their specialized services include nurse practitioners, nurse specialists, midwives and anesthetists (AllNursingSchools, 2012).      

Education and Certification

For qualification for enrolment into the list of registered nurses, healthcare scholars must attain a degree in registered nursing, which is offered in different degree programs across the universities. The main degree programs bearing the minimum eligibility threshold for qualification as a registered nurse include the associate degree in nursing, bachelors of science in nursing as well as a diploma in nursing. Young graduates with an associate degree have an opportunity of beginning their career from the entry-level that justifies the 2-3 year course length. In terms of reference for engagement in different degrees, the associate degree in nursing proves to be the most popular, which besides a short duration of between two and three years to completion, is accompanied by certain career progression benefits.

Among the benefits, reimbursements on tuition fees and exemptions in the bachelors of science degree in nursing make the associate degree in nursing program popular among the students. In terms of gaining the certification by graduate students, accomplishing the course with a specified performance index enables the control of the quality of graduates entering into the sensitive healthcare industry. Licensing for registered nurses as well as licensed practical nurses requires that the graduates provide proof of completion of studies or eligibility for graduation, passing NCLEX® Examination as well as provide personal biodata detailing on different assessments. Licensing occurs across all states and the State Boards of Nursing perform the task of ensuring strict compliance with the laid down recruitment procedures.

Employment

Jobs available in the nursing section of the healthcare industry is a reflection of the national demand for healthcare services for the last several years. Apparently, an ever-increasing demand for healthcare services, as new health conditions and an aging population in need of healthcare, provides the background for the increasing demand for healthcare attendants in the US. According to Lombardi (2012), the nursing industry constitutes the most sought-after jobs due to the remuneration rates as driven up by market demand. Registered nurses rank as the most competitive section of American jobs, recording a constant growth over the recent years, with August 2012 indication of 13 per cent growth illustrating this trend. This information by Lombardi (2012) relies on data availed by the Employment Situation Summary from the BLS. A similar observation was reported by Wood (2011) a year before, with a prediction of over 20 per cent growth of jobs in the nursing industry for the entire decade. These two accounts support other trends reported in the nursing jobs on major hiring sites and advertising agencies, with a strong indication of a growing industry. Apparently, the remuneration of registered nurses currently ranges from &50,000 and 64,000 with an average requirement for prior experience of between one and two years (Richie, 2012). Advancement opportunities for the nursing industry, as mentioned above, are available upon additional related educational qualification.

Professional Activities

Nursing registration and chargeable license fees vary from one state another, with different states also having varied renewal and registration reinstatement fees (Law, 2006). Newly graduated professional nurses are required to first register with the National Students Nurses Association (NSNA) in order for their membership into any other professional nursing association to take effect. One major challenge faced by fresh graduates is meeting the initial costs of entry. The cost of meeting the organizations’ membership charges may overwhelm new graduates as well as student nurses who have not started to earn. Through consultative meetings with membership groups, negotiations supporting waiver of partial fees remittance until such a time when the graduates can comfortably meet the fees prove coordination towards the inclusion of all nurses at different stages of advancement (NSNA, 2006). Chances available for students to continue with educational and career paths in nursing provide an opportunity for nurses to enrich their profile and achieve higher medical personnel statuses.

Conclusion/ Reflection

The registered nurse position in healthcare provides a presentable opportunity for a career with a huge demand in the US today. Apart from the job opportunities available in the industry, the varied nursing positions that an individual can embrace as a starting point enables the category of jobs to be one of the most flexible ones currently in the market. The short duration of training and progression chance, also make nursing an interesting job that anyone would fit easily. It, therefore, presents a decent high professionalized job opportunity that I would like to take up at any point in my career life. The high organization and professional watch procured to the industry also give an appealing side of the efficiency of the management of the industry.