RN Jobs - What You Will Be Expected to Do

RN jobs entail providing direct care to patients, from generalized to specialized practice, in numerous areas of health care. When working in a hospital, an RN is often required to assign tasks to others, and might even supervise nursing staff who have a lower level of seniority, including nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses.

Besides working in a hospital setting, registered nursing jobs are available in public health agencies, home health care services, nursing care facilities and physicians' offices. Depending on the setting worked in, registered nurses might even receive specialized on-the-job training in order to prepare them for a specific type of care, such as paediatrics, oncology or women's health.

Long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes or chronic care hospitals require RNs to work long hours, weekends and nights. However, other health care settings do not expect so much from their registered nurses; an example may be a registered nurse working in a physician's office. This entails standard 8 hour shifts during regular hours - the same schedule as the doctor worked for.

RN Jobs Overview

Duties

The most common duties which registered nurses are expected to perform on a daily basis are as follows:

- Provide treatment for patients suffering from chronic medical conditions, injuries and illnesses
- Observe and record symptoms of patients
- Administer injections and medications
- Help physicians carry out examinations and in surgery
- Assess the progress of patients based on their treatment plans
- Dress wounds and incisions
- Offer support to patients and their families to help them cope with the diagnosed illness
- Educate patients on how they can improve their health
- Assign and supervise nurses as they carry out patient care plans

Required Skills for RN Jobs

In order for a registered nurse to obtain a job and excel at it, a few skills are required. These include:

- Compassion
- A high attention to detail
- The ability to deal with stressful situations
- Very good communication skills
- A decent level of physical fitness

Is Becoming a Registered Nurse Right for You?

As I am sure you are already aware, health care is one of the few industries which is able to enjoy a high level of employment growth despite the bad economy - job stability is usually a good enough reason for many people to enter into the field of nursing. However, you will also need to be compassionate, want to make a difference to other people's lives, and be prepared to work long hours. If this accurately describes you, you can start you career as a registered nurse by obtaining an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in nursing.

RN Jobs are available in a range of settings; therefore, you can either work in a traditional health care facility or explore non-traditional options. For example, you can become a travel nurse, where you are free to choose your assignments and the duration of these assignments. In addition, you can receive free housing, a signing-on bonus and relocation costs. Whatever you decide, I am confident that you will find working as a registered nurse, both a rewarding and satisfying career.