A Complete Nursing Career Overview
Nursing is a profession that includes five main career paths: Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Practice Nurses, and more. Becoming an RN or LPN requires entry-level degrees in areas such as nursing science, nursing education, and certain health related fields. Licensure in your state can also be obtained by way of completing accredited education programs and passing licensure exams in your chosen licensed field. There are numerous career opportunities available to those interested in a professional healthcare career including: Clinical Nurse Specialist(CNS), Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACP), Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner (HNP), Altitude Simulation Specialist at the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), Health Care Advocacy, and more.
The field of nursing is dynamic and has a number of career paths for individuals to follow. The following listing of Nursing career information was compiled to help outline the various fields available to aspiring professional nurses.
Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a healthcare professional that specializes in defining patient health care problems, making diagnoses and providing long-term healthcare treatment plans by utilizing the nursing process which is patient focused. The NP performs comprehensive assessments which lead to effective identification and resolution of the actual presenting problem within the primary healthcare environment or referral as appropriate using established guidelines, standards, policies and procedures. NP's are one of the fastest growing fields in nursing, hiring at an increasing rate. Some NPs are also called Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), Certified Registered Nurse Midwives (CRNM), Certified Nurse-Midwife (cNM), or Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs). The registered nurse refers to all licensed practical and Vocational nurses.
- Source: www.usnews.com
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a registered nurse responsible for administering anesthesia to patients during surgery and qualifying patients for surgical procedures. CRNA's are also known as Nurse Anesthetists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. All state boards of nursing require the completion of an accredited program approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). CRNA programs consist of two years of full-time nursing study in addition to a two-year anesthesia program in hospital credentialed residency or fellowship programs. The anesthesiologist or operating room nurse refer to these certified professionals as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
- Source: www.asn.org
Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse responsible for practicing medicine and providing healthcare treatment plans by utilizing the nursing process, which is patient focused. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are able to diagnose and treat health care problems in out-patient or primary healthcare settings, making referrals when necessary to the appropriate provider(s). Some NPs are also called clinical nurse specialists (CNS), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), Certified Registered Nurse Midwives (CRNM), Certified Nurse-Midwife (cNM), or Certified Registered Nurse Midwives (CNMs). The registered nurse refers to all licensed practical and Vocational nurses.
- Source: www.usnews.com
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a registered nurse responsible for administering anesthesia to patients during surgery and qualifying patients for surgical procedures. CRNA's are also known as Nurse Anesthetists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. All state boards of nursing require the completion of an accredited program approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). CRNA programs consist of two years of full-time nursing study in addition to a two-year anesthesia program in hospital credentialed residency or fellowship programs. The anesthesiologist or operating room nurse refer to these certified professionals as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
- Source: www.asn.org
Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse responsible for practicing medicine and providing healthcare treatment plans by utilizing the nursing process, which is patient focused. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are able to diagnose and treat health care problems in out-patient or primary healthcare settings, making referrals when necessary to the appropriate provider(s). Some NPs are also called clinical nurse specialists (CNS), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA), Certified Registered Nurse Midwives (CRNM), Certified Nurse-Midwife (cNM), or Certified Registered Nurse Midwives (CNMs). The registered nurse refers to all licensed practical and Vocational nurses.
- Source: www.usnews.com
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who works under the supervision of a licensed nurse, physician and surgeon. The Certified Nursing Assistant provides support to patients in various medical environments, providing direct and indirect patient care, patient education, and the promotion of quality of life. The CNA is an entry level position that provides a curriculum for learning direct patient care and medical procedures. Although this position requires little to no prior experience, all state boards of nursing require certification through a national certification exam or state testing requirements.
- Sources: www.asn.org & www.donnaforeman.com
Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a registered nurse responsible for administering anesthesia to patients during surgery and qualifying patients for surgical procedures. CRNA's are also known as Nurse Anesthetists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. All state boards of nursing require the completion of an accredited program approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). CRNA programs consist of two years of full-time nursing study in addition to a two-year anesthesia program in hospital credentialed residency or fellowship programs. The anesthesiologist or operating room nurse refer to these certified professionals as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
Conclusion
Although it is unknown how the American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) will develop new guidelines for nurse anesthetists in the future, there is a strong possibility that the new guidelines may follow current physician anesthesiologist guidelines. The changes to nurse anesthesia guidelines should be implemented in stages. The first stage would be to make sure that all state boards of nursing have been informed of and support the changes. At this point, nurse anesthesia certified nurse practitioners should still be able to practice within their home state although patients requiring surgical anesthesia would be referred outside of the home state.