Registered Nurse (RN)
from: http://www.communityhealthcareers.com/careers_regnurse.htm
egistered Nurses are highly-skilled health care providers. They provide direct nursing care to patients and may specialize in surgery, neurology, emergency care, intensive care, obstetrics, gerontology or other areas of health care. They do everything from counselling pregnant teenagers to saving heart attack victims. They may work in hospitals, emergency rooms, schools, nursing homes or with private home care companies.
The Cool Things They Do:
- Assess the physical, mental and emotional health of patients
- Collect information on patients’ personal, family and community background
- Take vital signs and perform basic physical exams
- Design and carry out treatment plans for patients that include bandaging a wound, giving medications or injections, coordinating treatments with other health care professionals, or referring a patient to another caregiver
- Operate technical equipment and monitoring results
- Assist in medical procedures or surgery
- Inform patients about treatment options and educate them about various health issues
Registered nurses can have extremely stressful jobs, especially those who work in critical care, emergency care, and operating rooms. Their work requires a great deal of standing, bending, and lifting as well as the emotional strength needed to comfort and support patients in distress. They work long, hard hours, including weekends, holidays, and overnight and are at constant risk of exposure to sickness and disease.
|
•
|
9,500 to 10,000 nurses are currently needed in Ontario.
|
- Hospitals
- Health clinics
- Nursing agencies
- Physicians' offices
- Companies and workplaces
- Home care agencies and private homes
- Schools
- Government/Military
- Genuine interest in helping people
- Patience, compassion, and empathy
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Organizational and critical thinking skills
- Ability to operate technical equipment
- Good physical strength and stamina
- Willingness to work hard
Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing
Length of Study/Training : 4 years post-secondary
Certification (s):
National : Passing the Canadian Nursing Examination
Ontario : Licensing by the College of Nurses of Ontario
- Math
- Biology
- Anatomy
- Chemistry
- English
Canada’s aging population requires an ever-increasing supply of medical services but experts say there will be a shortage in the number of qualified nurses in the near future. Many opportunities will exist for new nurses entering the field.
Average annual salary: $35,000 to $60,000 although working overtime and being “on-call” can raise earnings to more than $75,000 a year.
Canadian Nurses Association
http://www.cna-nurses.ca
College of Nurses of Ontario
http://www.cno.org
Ontario Nurses' Association
http://www.ona.org/index.html
Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario
http://www.rnao.org
Canadian Nurses Foundation
http://www.canadiannursesfoundation.com
American Nurses Association (US)
http://www.ana.org
Job Futures:
Licensed Practical Nurse (3233)
http://jobfutures.ca/noc/3233.shtml