Nursing Overview and Roles

Definition: Nursing is a profession within the healthcare sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities to maintain or improve health.
Roles: Nurses assess patient needs, develop care plans, administer medications, collaborate with other healthcare professionals, and provide education.

Registered Nurse (RN):
- Requires a degree (ADN or BSN).
- Provides direct patient care, medication administration, and health education.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)/Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN):
- Shorter training, typically a diploma program.
- Works under RNs, taking vital signs and providing basic care.
Nurse Practitioner (NP):
- Advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with a master’s or doctoral degree.
- Can diagnose and treat medical conditions, sometimes prescribe medications.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS):
- An APRN focused on a specific area of nursing practice.
- Works to improve patient outcomes and healthcare systems.
Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA):
- Specializes in anesthesia care.
- Requires advanced training and certification.
Nurse Midwife (CNM):
- Provides care for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum.
- Can offer gynecological services.

Patient Advocacy: Act as the patient’s voice, ensuring their needs and preferences are respected.
Evidence-Based Practice: Use current research and guidelines to inform patient care decisions.
Holistic Care: Address not only physical health but also emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
Cultural Competence: Understand and integrate individual cultural backgrounds into care practices.

Assessment: Collect comprehensive data about patient health status.
Diagnosis: Analyze assessment data to determine actual or potential health problems.
Planning: Develop individualized care plans with measurable outcomes.
Implementation: Execute the care plan and interventions.
Evaluation: Assess the effectiveness of interventions and modify the care plan as needed.

Education: Ranges from diploma programs to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in nursing.
Licensing: Must pass the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN to practice as an RN or LPN/LVN, respectively.

Telehealth: Increasing use of technology to provide remote healthcare services.
Holistic and Integrative Health: Focus on well-being and prevention, expanding beyond traditional practices.
Nursing Shortage: Ongoing challenges in recruitment and retention in the nursing workforce.

Nursing is a profession within healthcare focused on caring for individuals, families, and communities to maintain or improve health
Nurses assess patient needs, develop care plans, administer medications, collaborate with other healthcare professionals, and provide education

Registered Nurse (RN): requires a degree (ADN or BSN), provides direct patient care, medication administration, and health education
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)/Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN): shorter training, typically a diploma program, works under RNs, taking vital signs and providing basic care.
Nurse Practitioner (NP): advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with a master’s or doctoral degree, can diagnose and treat medical conditions, sometimes prescribe medications.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS): an APRN focused on a specific area of nursing practice, works to improve patient outcomes and healthcare systems.
Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA): specializes in anesthesia care, requires advanced training and certification.
Nurse Midwife (CNM): provides care for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, can offer gynecological services.

Patient Advocacy: act as the patient’s voice, ensuring their needs and preferences are respected
Evidence-Based Practice: use current research and guidelines to inform patient care decisions
Holistic Care: address not only physical health but also emotional, social, and spiritual needs
Cultural Competence: understand and integrate individual cultural backgrounds into care practices

Assessment: collect comprehensive data about patient health status
Diagnosis: analyze assessment data to determine actual or potential health problems
Planning: develop individualized care plans with measurable outcomes.
Implementation: execute the care plan and interventions.
Evaluation: assess the effectiveness of interventions and modify the care plan as needed.

Education: ranges from diploma programs to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in nursing
Licensing: must pass the NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN to practice as an RN or LPN/LVN, respectively.

Telehealth: increasing use of technology to provide remote healthcare services
Holistic and Integrative Health: focus on well-being and prevention, expanding beyond traditional practices
Nursing Shortage: ongoing challenges in recruitment and retention in the nursing workforce