Registered Nurse Career Paper

Running head: REGIESTERED NURSE CAREER PAPER Registered Nurse Career Paper Name University 1 REGISTERED NURSE CAREER PAPER 2 Registered Nurse Career Paper A registered nurse (RN) is one among the various categories of nurses. For one to qualify as a registered nurse, he or she has to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) or an associate’s degree in nursing (AND). The moment a nursing student qualifies in one of these programs, he or she has to pass the NCLEX-RN examination. This is the only way to guarantee certification in this category of nursing. This paper covers the diverse aspects of a registered nurse’s career. Job Description Service Provided by Registered Nurses Services offered by registered nurses vary according to the location of work. However, the duties include caring for patients, helping doctors to carry out medical procedures, guiding the families of patients and participating in campaigns on health education. Registered nurses also have the capacity to administer medicines as well as operate equipment that monitors treatment (Miami Dade College Libraries). Scope of Practice for Registered Nurses Scope of practice refers to the legal stipulations of what nurses can and cannot undertake. It also includes the places where nurses are expected to work as well as their job description. Nurses administer and monitor treatment, develop a patient’s care plan and admit and discharge a patient in a proper manner among others. They are expected to execute their duties in hospitals, facilities for rehabilitation, prisons and education departments for nursing among others. Nurses have the responsibility of keeping track of their licenses and renew them on expiry (British REGISTERED NURSE CAREER PAPER 3 Columbia College of Nursing Professionals). The American Nurses Association (ANA) believes that patients’ interests are best served by a health care system in which many different types of qualified professionals are available, accessible, and working together – collaboratively. Therefore, it is important for scope of practice to reflect a professional’s true expertise. ANA is a founding member of the Coalition for Patient’s Rights (CPR), which was established to improve patients’ access to the health care providers of their choice, and the range of services those providers offer. The CPR consists of more than 35 organizations representing a variety of licensed health care professionals, each providing a diverse array of safe, effective, and affordable care.Protecting and advancing scope of practice for nurses is a major initiative for ANA. In the fast-moving world of health care, it is vital that nurses are able to practice to the full extent of their education and abilities, in order to deliver the most efficient, quality care to patients. There is a growing body of evidence to support the safe and cost-effective provision of care by APRNs, and a national call to remove all barriers to full practice authority. ANA remains committed to monitoring and advocating for legislative and regulatory changes relating to scope of practice, with the aim of removing practice barriers for nurses and improving access to care. Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses Code of ethics is a declaration of registered nurses’ ethical commitments to their patients and any other persons they offer their services. It is an instrument that nurses use to reflect and evaluate themselves regarding ethical matters in their career. It is built upon eight key values that guide nurses in their practice namely, dignity, justice, choice, confidentiality, accountability, REGISTERED NURSE CAREER PAPER 4 health and well-being, quality practice environments as well as safe, competent and ethical care. Registered nurses are expected to uphold these values in their work. These principles are ideally what every nurse should be aware of in their daily nursing practice. While ethical principles are sometimes confusing and often taught briefly during undergraduate nursing — they should be constants in nursing practice in order to provide the best, safest, and most humane care to all patients.Interestingly, the nursing code of ethics is suggested to have been founded in 1893 and named the “Nightingale Pledge” after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. As a modification of the Hippocratic Oath, taken by medical doctors, the Nightingale Pledge has been recited by nursing students at graduations with little changes since inception. The formal code of ethics was developed in the 1950s by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and has undergone numerous modifications since. The most significant recent change was in 2015 when 9 interpretative statements or provisions were added to the code of ethics to help guide nursing practice in a more definitive way. Many states include the ANA’s nursing code of ethics in their practice statements. Even though the code of ethics is primarily ethics-related, it also has legal implications. Given the importance of the code to the nursing profession, revisions continue on a regular basis. Personal Career Plan Passing the exams in the nursing degree program is a priority that cannot be overlooked. It is important to participate in the Nursing Students Association. This will play a big role in enabling me to obtain a clear understanding of my responsibility as a registered nurse. My interests as a nurse, particularly legislative ones will be represented. This will also enable me to REGISTERED NURSE CAREER PAPER 5 participate in the affairs within the community that I will serve in the future. After excelling in the exams, obtaining the required certification is necessary. Without this certification in spite of studying, I would not be eligible to practice. To attain this, I will sit for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN). After qualifying and obtaining a certificate and license, I will look for a job in one of the hospitals in my state. I intend to apply diligence in all my undertakings. My long-term goal is to become a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse (NICU Nurse), I would do my best to secure a job in a level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I would work here for two years, as this is requirement for me to become a NICU Nurse. I am aware of the significance of continuing with education as a nurse in spite of having qualified as a registered nurse. For this reason, I have to plan on how to undertake CEUs as I progress in my nursing career. Obtaining a master’s degree is also a part of my career objectives. I intend to specialize in the neonatal nursing field. It is my responsibility to display an ethical conduct as I exercise my duties to my patients and to other nurses in the fraternity. For this reason, I will observe the code of ethics as stated above. …