Registered nurse
Registered nurses are employed in a wide variety of professional settings, and often specialize in a field of practice.
Registered nurses must usually meet a minimum practice hours requirement and undertake continuing education to maintain their license.
Requirements varied by location, but often included a stipulation that the applicant must be "of good moral character"[12] and must not have mental or physical conditions that rendered them unable to practice.
[18] Patients benefit from having a sufficient number of nurses to meet the clinic's or hospital's needs.
[20] Nurses are responsible for providing a high quality of care and maintaining the well-being of patients.
Insufficient time to complete tasks and inadequate staffing also contribute to missed aspects of nursing care.
[24] A nurse who is registered with the NMBA, and as such AHPRA, is free to practice in any state or territory in Australia, providing they meet the governing boards requirements and the individual state/territory legislative requirements, such as working with children checks and individual police checks for that state or territory.
There are many varying courses and scholarships available which provide a bachelor-level Registered Nurse the opportunity to 'up-skill' and assume an extended scope of practice.
As of 2015, for initial licensure, Canadian RNs must pass the NCLEX-RN exam offered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
To obtain state licensure, applicants must also meet clinical nursing requirements and pass the NCLEX-RN.
[36] Although associate degree programs are often two years, Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degrees frequently take three years to complete because of the increased volume of undergraduate coursework related to the profession of nursing, sometimes as part of the program itself and sometimes as prerequisites for admission.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees include more thorough coursework in leadership and community health, as well as more clinical hours, and can be completed as an extension of an Associate program or standalone.
Accelerated versions of both exist, and are considered particularly challenging due to the increased course-load necessary to complete the program in a short time.
Some employers, especially hospitals, may require a bachelor's degree even for entry-level positions; however, it is also increasingly common for hospitals to hire ASN-licensed individuals for limited practice, under the condition that the individual complete a BSN within a designated time-frame, typically 2–3 years.
After meeting the eligibility requirements and passing the appropriate specialty certification exam, the designation of Registered Nurse – Board Certified (RN-BC) credential is granted.
The median pay for a registered nurse in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was $68,450.00 per year with a bachelor's degree.
[38] Typical requirements to get into a nursing school: High School diploma, required GPA for school of choice, admissions application, personal essay, personal interview, teacher recommendations, volunteer experience (preferably in healthcare), application fee, test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if applicable, minimum SAT scores or TEAS.
[39] Students who wish to pursue either an ADN or a BSN in nursing must first fulfill the necessary liberal arts, math, and scientific prerequisites.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nursing jobs are projected to grow by 15% between 2016 and 2026, which is much faster than the average overall rate.
California cities often comprise the top five highest-paying metropolitan areas for registered nurses in the country.
The median annual salary for registered nurses was $80,000 per year as of June 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.)
