Eight Types of Nurses

Nurses are respected and valued members of the medical community. They playa critical role in the health care field. Although the medical field is made upof many types of nurses, they are all exciting and rewarding careers. Thefollowing list outlines many types of nursing careers:

- Registered Nurse (RN): Registered Nurses work in almost all areas of thehealth care profession. They perform many tasks that include: administeringtreatments such as medications, performing certain medical procedures,monitoring vital signs, advising and supporting patients, educating patientsabout medical conditions, and keep families up-to-date on a patient’s status.Registered Nurses can specialize in certain medical areas

- Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA): Certified Nurse Assistants are also knownas nurses’ aides, patient care technicians, home health aides, and home healthassistants. CNAs are employed in a number of health care fields. They work inhospitals, nursing homes, private homes, and adult living homes. CNAs perform anumber of duties that include: monitoring health such as recording a patientstemperature, pulse, and respiration, helping patients eat, bathe, and dress,helping patients walk, keeping patients rooms in order, providing nutritiousmeals, answering patients’ call bells, and making beds. They may also helppatients to exam rooms and even assist with simple procedures. CNAs report to aRegistered Nurse.

- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN): Although Licensed Practical Nurses haveless training than Registered Nurses, they are employed in all areas of healthcare. They work in hospitals, nursing homes, and medical clinics. LPNs performsuch duties as monitoring a patient’s overall condition, giving injections,recording vital signs, and applying dressings. They will also assist patientswith personal hygiene and report any treatment reactions

- Critical Care Nurse: A Critical Care Nurse works with seriously injuredand ill patients in the hospital. This type of nurse works in the ICU(intensive care unit) or CCU (critical care unit). Their job is to care forpatients who are being treated for serious and life-threatening illnesses.

- Travel Nurse: A Travel Nurse is a nurse that travels to different areasand provides short term support when there is a nurse shortage. They will fillin when a full time nurse goes on maternity leave, during peak work times, if anurse has a long term illness, or if a nurse is on an extended vacation. Thereassignments are short term but they are highly paid. An assignment usually runsfor about 13 weeks. Travel Nurses often work in hospitals and medical clinics.Employers will provide many benefits such as free housing and healthinsurance.

- Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN): Theses nurses perform the same jobfunction as licensed practical nurses. LVNs provide certain medical servicessuch as giving enemas, treating bedsores, bandaging wounds, and recordingvitals. They also assist patients with bathing and dressing.

- Public Health Nurse (PHN): These nurses are registered nurses who havespecialized in community health. They often go to community centers, homes, andschools where they assist individuals and families with health concerns. Theywork with community organizers regarding health related issues. They alsoperform the same duties as registered nurses.

- Nurse Practitioner: A Nurse Practitioner is a registered nurse who hasspecialized training and education which allows them to carry out many tasksnormally performed by a doctor. Such tasks include diagnosing and treatingillnesses and injuries. Some states allow practical nurses to writeprescriptions.

These are just a few of the more popular areas of nursing. Nurses are on thefront lines of health care and are usually the first people patients meet whenfaced with a health issue. Nurses provide valuable support for patients andtheir families making them an indispensable part of the health carecommunity.