Certified Nursing Assignment
Research shows that the nursing profession is growing at a rate of greater than 20% and that by the year 2016 there will be a need for 393,000 CNA’s. Pursuing a degree in the nursing field is often accompanied by the fear of whether nursing is the right fit for them considering the lengthy and costly educational requirements. The CNA program enables you to test out the nursing field without the cost and commitment to ensure that nursing is the right fit for you.
What is a CNA?
What is a CNA? A CNA is a Certified Nursing Assistant; they work under the supervision of Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses. CNA’s are legally prohibited from performing procedures that require additional medical training/education.
Many people are aware that CNA duties include housekeeping related duties such as making beds, setting up meal trays and emptying catheters but don’t let this fool you; there is much more to being a CNA than mere housekeeping.
CNA’s are often the eyes and ears of the nursing profession. Additional duties include monitoring vital signs, documentation of food and fluid intake as well as reporting health concerns to the supervising nurse.
Compensation
The median annual salary of a CNA is $24,010 and while many are content with remaining a CNA others use the CNA position as a stepping stone to move up in the nursing profession to either a RN or LPN.
What is a LPN?
What is a LPN? A LPN is a licensed practical nurse, to move up to this position in the nursing profession requires additional education than a CNA position requires. Depending on the level of experience of an LPN they may supervise CNA’s, aides, and other LPN’s as part of their duties. LPN’s work under the supervision of Registered Nurses and Physicians.
An LPN’s primary duties are to provide bedside care for the patients such as measuring and recording patient information such as vital signs, height, weight etc. LPN’s are also required to prepare, monitor and administer injections, catheters and enemas as well as dress wounds, and provide alcohol rubs and massages. LPN’s also assist with patient needs such as dressing, mobility and bathing.
Compensartion
The median annual salary of a LPN is $40,380 and many choose to remain at this level in the nursing profession, but if you are still seeking more involvement in patient care there is another option. RN is the next step in the nursing profession and requires additional educational requirements.
What is a RN?
What is a RN? A RN is a Registered Nurse and as such they oversee a much larger scope of the nursing profession than either the CNA or LPN positions. Becoming a RN requires graduating from a nursing program at the college or university level. In addition to obtaining a college degree they must also pass a national licensing exam. Once both of these criteria are met the RN’s scope of practice is then governed by regional healthcare’s schooling and government rules.
RN’s can go into many different aspects of the health care arena. They can concentrate on the mental health area, emergency and trauma, pre and post-operative roles as well as hospice or rehabilitation to name just a few areas available.
Compensation
The median annual salary of a RN is $64,690 and this is the highest level of nursing that one can attain. The benefit of obtaining a RN degree is that the choices are limitless to where you wish to concentrate your medical expertise.