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What Do Registered Nurses Really Do? Essay

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The decision to work towards becoming a registered nurse requires a personal transition from the role of being an aerospace technician to one of a healthcare professional. As part of this transition, I must learn what defines a nurse, understand what I can contribute to the profession, establish and meet professional goals, and be aware of extraneous factors that affect the healthcare industry. The answer to the question of “What does a registered nurse really do?” is so broad in scope that it becomes difficult to explain effectively with one statement. With many specialty fields of nursing falling under the same general definition, a core set of roles and responsibilities is used to define this answer. The Bureau of Labor and …show more content…

Both of these specialty fields are similar in requiring a minimum of a master’s degree from an accredited program and by being limited in their scope of patient care (BLS, 2014). CRNA’s job functions, as described by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, focus on administering anesthesia, analyzing the patient’s state of consciousness, and monitoring vital signs before, during, and after procedures in a surgical setting (2014). In contrast, according to the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, PMHN’s focus on the mental health of patients, prescribe psychoactive medications, perform in depth interviews and behavioral observations, and work in various settings that range from private practice psychiatric offices to institutionalized care facilities (n.d.). I believe that I possess talents and characteristics that will benefit the nursing profession. Coming from an aerospace background, I have worked in environments where attention to detail, safety, documentation, and hazardous material handling occurred on a daily basis. In addition to my normal job functions, I was proactive in process improvement programs, inventory control systems development, safety awareness programs, and I served as the department point of contact/ team leader in all three areas. I was also formally trained and worked as a certified

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