A registered nurse (RN) is a person who studied nursing and graduated from a nursing school with the requirements indicated by a province, state, country, or government authorized health or medical licensing body before they are issued a nursing license.

Registered nurse path to practice is reviewed and granted by legislation and regulated by a professional council or body. Registered nurses are deployed for service in a wide range of professional establishments and are often required in a field of practice.

They are sometimes responsible for care supervision delivered by various healthcare workers like licensed practical nurses with the exemption of Canada, including student nurses, unlicensed assistive personnel, and non-experienced registered nurses

Registered nurses are mandated to meet a minimum practice hour while continuing education to,maintain their license. Moreover, it is a mandatory requirement for a registered nurse to remain free from a criminal conviction.  

Registered nurses are licensed medical professionals with the ability to provide handy medical care in various communities and medical settings.

This includes:

• Home
• Hospitals
• Prisons
• Nursing homes
• Long term and short time care facilities
• And More

In a different area, a registered nurse forms the spine of the world healthcare system. They perform a series of work and duties directly with doctors, patients, and other healthcare professionals.

What Does a Registered Nurse Do?

A Registered nurse assists with various health-related tasks. They attend to patients daily.

Most of these tasks include:

• Control infection and safety
• Provide basic care and comfort
• Manage care
• Offer various kinds of therapy

The day-to-day tasks for RNs depend on things such as their area of specialty, the facility they are in, and patients in their care.

Here are some examples of ‘what does a registered nurse do?’

• Helping to set up care plans
• Recording medical symptoms and histories
• Administering treatments and medications
• Working with other healthcare professionals including doctors
• Monitoring and using medical types of equipment
• Teaching how to give post-treatment care and manage health conditions to patients, their relatives, and friends.
• Getting patients ready for treatments, examination, or assessments based on their records or results

 Some of these tasks however, require a doctor’s approval.

Training and Education

In the US, each state has its own licensing rules for registered nurses. But in general, upcoming RNs must attend a nursing school then take and pass national licensing exams.

Nursing programs are offered at both the bachelor (BSN) Level and the associate (AND). Nevertheless, both licensure levels are the same for both programs, the BSN requires more medical and general coursework. It can help lead you to more job opportunities with higher pay.

After completing a nursing program, you must take the NCLEX-RN exams.

The exam focuses on four areas related to a registered nurse’s responsibilities

• Caring

• Documentation And Communication

• Learning And Teaching
• The General Nursing Process

In addition to the exam, other states have required steps before you are certified to be a registered nurse. One state requirement is getting your fingerprint taken.

Once approved to practice, a registered nurse can now specialize or focus on a particular area of interest.

The most popular areas of specialization for registered nurses are:

• Medical-surgical nurse
• Emergency room (ER) nurse
• Intensive care unit (ICU) nurse
• Pediatric nurse