| RNs make up the largest portion of jobs in | | | | |
| healthcare. About sixty percent of the over two and | | | | Settings |
| a half million jobs are in a hospital setting. Others | | | | RNs who specialize may work in hospitals, rehabs, |
| work in skilled nursing facilities usually with a role of | | | | and/or doctors offices. Some registered nurses who |
| manager or supervisor, in home health care, or | | | | chose not to work in typical healthcare settings work |
| doctors’ offices. There are other job | | | | in places such as correctional facilities, camps, military, |
| opportunities for Registered Nurses such as | | | | resorts, ships, and schools. |
| occupational health, addition recovery services, | | | | |
| hospice care, and holistic medicine. | | | | Education |
| | | | RNs have three different paths to acquire licensure: |
| Specialization | | | | - BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) offered by |
| Working in a hospital gives a RN the chance to | | | | four-year colleges |
| specialize in a particular field of medicine just as a | | | | - ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) |
| doctor would. These opportunities include, but are not | | | | - Diploma from an approved nursing program |
| limited to: | | | | Most nurses obtain their RN from either the |
| - Emergency or trauma, transplant | | | | Associate or Bachelor Degree programs. The ADN |
| - Rehabilitation, radiology | | | | takes two to three years to complete. A BSN usually |
| - Psychiatric-mental health | | | | takes four to five years to complete. There are |
| - Perianesthesia | | | | accelerated programs (12 – 18 months) for those |
| - Critical care | | | | who have a bachelor’s degree in another field. |
| - Ambulatory care | | | | After completing the education and clinical training |
| Focusing in the care of a specific disease, genetic | | | | requirements, students must pass a national licensing |
| disorder, or illness is an option for an RN: | | | | examination known as the NCLEX-RN. Additional |
| - HIV/AIDS and cancer | | | | training is often needed if a specialized nursing career |
| - Disabled populations, such as physical, mental, or | | | | is to be pursued. |
| emotional | | | | |
| - Wound nurses treat patients with openings due to | | | | Registered - RN Nurse Salaries |
| traumatic injury, bedsores, diabetes, amputations, etc. | | | | Salary for RNs usually ranges from $50,000 to |
| RNs also specialize in specific physiological areas and | | | | $70,000 depending on experience, work environment, |
| the diseases and illnesses associated with them.: | | | | and specializations. Nurses who acquire a managerial |
| - Urology | | | | position may have the opportunity earn a higher |
| - Cardiovascular | | | | salary similar to the salary of nurses with years of |
| - Dermatology | | | | experience. |
| - Gastroenterology | | | | |
| - Gynecology | | | | Job Outlook |
| - Nephrology | | | | Job outlook for RNs is excellent overall. Location and |
| - Neuroscience | | | | environment determines the amount of employment |
| - Ophthalmic | | | | opportunities a nurse may have. The U.S. Department |
| - Orthopedic | | | | of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has |
| - Otorhinolaryngology | | | | determined that employment opportunities for RNs |
| - Respiratory | | | | are anticipated to be the fastest growing occupation |
| Another form of specialization a nurse might find | | | | in the next ten years, including more than a half |
| interesting is by age population: | | | | million jobs. These statistics do not account for the |
| - Neonatology - newborns | | | | hundreds of thousands of jobs that will become |
| - Pediatrics - children and adolescents. | | | | available by those nurses retiring from their careers. |
| - Gerontology and geriatrics - adults and the elderly. | | | | |