Different Nursing Branches

Nurses have a great contribution to our society. Nurses are professionals who are specialized in caring for human’s health such as sicknesses, diseases, and illnesses. The nursing profession is divided into many different kinds of branches, in which the responsibility of the nurses vary according to their specialization. Licensed Practical Nurses provide the most basic health care to the patients. Registered Nurses have a greater responsibility; they provide direct health care to the patient, but are under the supervision of a doctor.

Nurse Practitioners also provide direct health care to the patient, but are permitted to work independently. The different kinds of branches of nursing all share one thing in common, which is to provide health care to someone in need, but at the same time they differ depending on their specialization.

Licensed Practical Nurse is a kind of branch with the minimum amount of education required. To become an LPN, one year of education is all that is needed after earning a high school diploma.

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An LPN must have completed at least one year of training program in a nursing school to be able to begin a nursing career. Once an LPN has finished the first year of training they must pass a certificate exam named NCLEX-PN to officially become a Licensed Practical Nurse. (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses). LPN’s job functions are very basic and limited. LPN’s measure vital signs, give injections, report abnormalities in a patient’s medication, and help patients with their personal hygiene.

The hour shifts of LPN’s may vary depending on where they work. Working during the night and weekends is often very common in LPN’s because these kinds of nurses usually work in hospitals, nursing homes, and might even go to the patient’s home. (Vocational/Licensed Practical Nurse). An LPN’s salary also varies depending on their place of work. An LPN working at a physician’s office can earn an average salary of $$46,951. On the other hand, an LPN working at the patient’s home earn one of the highest income salary $59,428 because these nurses will have to travel from patient to patients home to provide the necessary health care. (LPN Industry)

Registered Nurse is another branch of the Nursing career. This kind of nursing requires a fair amount of education. To become an RN, a nurse must have at least an Associates of Science in Nursing at a two year community college or a Bachelors of Science in Nursing at a four year university. After completing their college requirements, an RN must pass a certificate exam named NCLEX-RN to be able to work as a Registered Nurse. An RN’s responsibilities are much greater than LPN’s. RN’s provide direct health care to each individual patient. An RN focuses all their attention to each patient to be sure the patient gets the correct medication to prevent any kind of disease or illness.

RN’s often work in emergency rooms, recovery rooms, school, and sometimes even go to the patient’s home. An RN’s working hours are also very irregular; they might work during the night, weekends, and might also be on-call. (Registered Nurse). RN’s salary also varies according to their place of work. A Registered Nurse working at a physician’s office earns an average salary of $70,834. And an RN working in the recovery room earns a salary of $79,087, because these nurses are dealing with delicate patients. (RN Industry)

Nurse Practitioners is the highest kind of branch in the nursing field with the most amount of work required. An NP besides earning a bachelor’s degree; they need to earn a master’s degree and some even choose to earn a doctor’s degree as well. This process usually takes two to three more years after a nurse earns their bachelor’s degree. After earning a master’s or doctor’s degree graduates are eligible to become certified. (Academic Requirements). NP’s have a variety of functions they perform in their career. These kinds of nurses are able to work independently, without the supervision of a doctor. A NP treats major health problems, such as diabetes, depression, injuries and illnesses; they are also the only nurses that are certified to prescribe medication. NP’s work hours are a bit more regular; they work in schools, hospitals, clinics and health centers.

There are a number of health centers throughout the United States where NP’s directs the center or where they even own their own health center. (Nurse Practitioner). The salary of an NP is the highest out of all the kinds of nurses, due to their large amount of work and supervision required, but it also varies according to their specialization. The average salary of a nurse practitioner working at a physician’s office is of $98,389. And an NP working at an acute care hospital care will have an average salary of $107,052; these nurses earn the most amount money because dealing with urgent care is not an easy task. (NP Industry).

The Nursing career has several functions in common, but it also has a number amount of different responsibilities. All the types of nursing provide health care to patients to ensure stability in them. Give injections and measuring vital sings is a task that is performed in all the different branches. On the other hand, the kinds of nursing also differentiate in many aspects. The amount of education, work, and salary differentiate depending on the specialization. Licensed Practical Nurses only perform the basic are in the patients. Registered Nurses have a little bit more responsibility, because they provided direct health care to each individual patient. And Advanced Resisted Practical Nurses have the biggest responsibility; they are certified to work without any supervision.

Works Cited

“Academic Requirements.” Explore Health Careers. American Dental Education Association. Jan.2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. “How to Become a Licensed Practical or Licensed Vocational Nurse.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. “How to Become a Registered Nurse.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. “LPN Salary by Industry.” Payscale. PayScale, Inc. 2000-13. Web. 8 Feb. 2013 “NP Salary by Industry.” Payscale. PayScale, Inc. 2000-13. Web. 8 Feb. 2013 “Nurse Practitioner.” Explore Health Careers. American Dental Education Association. Jan.2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. “Registered Nurse (RN).” Explore Health Careers. American Dental Education Association. Jan.2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013. “Registered Nurse Salary by Industry.” Payscale. PayScale, Inc. 2000-13. Web. 8 Feb. 2013 “Vocational/Licensed Practical Nurse.” Explore Health Careers. American Dental Education Association. Jan.2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2013.