The Different Levels of Nursing Practice

The Different Levels of Nursing Practice

We all know that health care has always been in demand in our society due to aging. People need to be taken care of especially when they get old and dependent to other people who can aid them daily. It would be hard to walk alone when you’re 85; people who get sick and old seek attention and help. Nursing have become a growing profession nowadays that is why a lot of college students are taking Bachelor of Science in Nursing as their course to qualify in the different levels of nursing practice they have to undergo.

There are four (4) levels of nursing practice. The first and easiest to attain is to be a certified nursing assistant or CNA, however if you’re just a certified nursing assistant, your job description is very limited; you can’t even be an assistant of a doctor in the hospital. Sometimes you are even referred to as a nurse’s aid. More or less, what nursing aids do is to bathe the patients, dress them, clean them, and help them walk to the bathroom, etc. Their task is very basic.

The next level is the Licensed Practical Nurses and the Licensed Vocational nurses. In this level, the nurse still does the same task as those of a certified nursing assistant however LPNs or LVNs can analyze the patient’s condition whether it is improving or worsening.

The higher level to LPNs and LVNs are the Registered Nurses or RNs. They are the ones assisting the doctor in the hospital. Besides having the capacity to do all the tasks that are assigned to CNAs, LPNs, and LVNs, registered nurses can operate the machines in the hospitals they are assigned to.

The highest among the levels of nursing practice is the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses or APRNs. These people have certain specialties like CRNA or certified registered nurse anesthetist, CNM or certified Nurse Midwife, and a lot more.

What is an Independent Nursing Practice

What is Independent Nursing Practice?

How would you like to hang at your gate or window a sign bearing your name and the words “Independent Nursing Practitioner?” As the term implies, “independent” means the nurse is self-employed and provides professional nursing services to clients/parents and their families. While some independent nursing practitioners set up their clinics near a hospital, most of them are community-based. These nurses reach out and offer theirs services rather than expect clients to seek their help. They perform both independent and collaborative roles. Health care assessment, formulating plans for health maintenance, prevention strategies, continuation of supportive activities in critical and complex health problems are all within the scope of nursing practice. They make referrals and collaborate with physicians and other disciplines as needed by the client or family.

Independent nurse practitioners are accountable for their decisions. Whether their role is independent or collaborative, it is based on the fact that each health care discipline offers an area of knowledge and expertise. Collaborative work is needed for effective, efficient, and economical care. It is essential therefore that independent nurse practitioners acquire working knowledge of the skills and expertise of other health workers.

The growing interest in independent nursing practice is expected to very much contribute to the improvement of the existing health care delivery system. It is time that we asses our own resources to explore this new field of practice. But the initial preparation for this kind of practice should have been incorporated first in nursing programs before nurses can assume the role effectively.

Pros and Cons Concerning Institutional Nursing

Pros and Cons Concerning Institutional Nursing

Nursing in hospitals and related health facilities such as extended care facilities, nursing homes, and neighborhood clinics, comprises all of the basic components of comprehensive patient care and family health. The concept of the modern hospital as a community health center where in-patient and out-patient care are continuous describes the goal of medical care in most general hospitals.

The educational qualification for beginning practitioners is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The nurse, as member of the health care team, participates in all phases of patient care of the acutely ill, the convalescing and the ambulatory patient. The nurse cares for the patient in the hospital or in the out- patient department and plans for the nursing care needs of the patient about to be discharged.

Advantages of Staff Nursing in Hospitals

1. There is always a supervisor whom one can consult if a problem exists.
2. Nurses are updated with new trends in medicine and in the nursing care of patients.
3. They have a forty- hour week duty which provide for two days of rest away from duty.
4. More staff development programs are available in hospitals.
5. They undergo rotation to different units.

Disadvantages of Staff Nursing in Hospitals

1. There is a great possibility of under-staffing which may require nurses to put in overtime work and sacrifice some of their plans.
2. Because of the bulk of work, some staff nurses do not find time to improve their skills through continuing education programs.
3. Administrative problems and overwork may tend to dissatisfy the staff nurse.

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