How to help in new york as an rn?

Introduction Patient care Patient advocacy Planning of care Patient education and support Nursing in the COVID-19 pandemic Future outlook for nursing References  Further reading

Nurses serve their communities in many ways and have essential roles in healthcare. Nurses promote healthy lifestyles, advocate for patients, provide health education, and directly care for many patients. The exact functions of nurses have changed somewhat over the years; however, their importance in healthcare remains evident.

Since the advent of modern medicine, nurses' role has shifted from being comforters to modern healthcare professionals who provide evidence-based treatment and wellness education. Nurses have a multifaceted role as holistic caregivers, patient advocates, specialists, and researchers.

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The primary role of a nurse is to be a caregiver for patients by managing physical needs, preventing illness, and treating health conditions. To do this, nurses must observe and monitor the patient and record any relevant information to aid in treatment decision-making processes.

Nurses care for injuries, administer medications, conduct frequent medical examinations, record detailed medical histories, monitor heart rate and blood pressure, perform diagnostic tests, operate medical equipment, draw blood, and admit/discharge patients according to physician orders. Nurses also ensure patients' comfort, change bandages, report any changes in a patient's condition to other nurses or doctors, document patient activities, and assume other relevant tasks.

Nurses must often pay close attention to every detail of the patient's treatment and how they respond. If a problem is identified, nurses will often be the first to notice; thus, they must be able to quickly report a problem, particularly in the event of an emergency, to a physician.

Throughout the treatment process, the nurse follows the progress of the patient and acts accordingly with the patient's best interests in mind. The care provided by a nurse extends beyond the administration of medications and other therapies. Nurses are often responsible for the holistic care of patients, which may encompass the individual's psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual needs.

In addition to their role as a clinician, nurses often provide emotional support for their patients and families. This can include ensuring that the patient understands and is prepared for their treatment, listening to patients and assessing their physical, emotional, cultural, mental, and spiritual needs.

Nurses often help patients and their loved ones process their feelings and frustrations towards their illnesses. Through counseling and patient education, nurses may also be of assistance in explaining treatment options to patients and their family members, as well as advocating for the health and well-being of their patients.

A nurse often serves as a patient advocate in protecting a patient's medical, legal, and human rights. Since many sick patients may be unable to comprehend medical situations and act accordingly, it is often the nurse's role to support the patient.

This may involve representing the patient's best interests, especially when treatment decisions are being made. Furthermore, nurses will often inform and support patients when they have questions or are apprehensive about treatments, procedures, or any other aspect of their care. Nurses may also make suggestions for patients' treatment plans in collaboration with the patient, their families, and other health professionals.

A nurse is directly involved in the decision-making process of treating patients. Thus, it is essential that nurses think critically when assessing patient signs and identify potential problems to make the appropriate recommendations.

Although clinicians like physicians, physician associates, and nurse practitioners typically make final treatment decisions, nurses also have a crucial role in patient treatment plans. This is because nurses are typically most familiar with the individual patient, as they monitor their signs and symptoms on an ongoing basis. Thus, nurses should collaborate with other medical team members to promote optimal patient health outcomes.

Nurses are also responsible for ensuring that patients can understand their health, illnesses, medications, and treatments to the best of their ability. This is particularly important when patients are discharged from the hospital and are responsible for continuing their treatments at home.

A nurse should take the time to explain to the patient and their family or caregiver what to do and expect when they leave the hospital or medical clinic. Nurses should also ensure that the patient feels supported and knows where to seek additional information if needed.

In every aspect of healthcare, nurses provide education, promote healthy practices, share their expertise, and help patients heal. By guiding patients and their families, nurses can also provide patients with appropriate referrals for other services, resources, and classes.

In addition to when patients leave the hospital, nurses also educate patients about their care plan daily. This is essential for the success of the treatment, as patients must be prepared for all steps of their treatment and recovery. Nurses are also responsible for training and helping other nurses.

Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nurses have remained at the front line of hospital patient care. In addition to their everyday responsibilities, nurses have also acquired various additional roles to mitigate the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19.

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For example, during the numerous waves of COVID-19, wherein community transmission rose, and hospitalization rates subsequently increased, nurses were often responsible for assisting in the planning of how these outbreaks would be managed at the patient level. This often involved maintaining the supplies and appropriate usage of sanitation materials and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as offering patients screening information, quarantine guidelines, and triage protocols based on the most recent guidance.

Since nurses often have immediate contact with potentially infectious COVID-19 patients, they have frequently been at risk of infection throughout the pandemic. Thus, nurses must abide by specific infection prevention measures to protect not only themselves against infection, but also their families, co-workers, and other patients. Some of the PPE limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to nurses caring for COVID-19 patients include ventilators, masks, robes, goggles, face shields, and gloves.

Due to the spread of misinformation that has become increasingly prevalent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have also been considered distinguished healthcare workers capable of discrediting myths and other conspiracies. Thus, nurses have also increased public awareness of effective disease prevention methods, guided others to available healthcare services, provided evidence-based patient care, and practiced important infection-reducing measures.

The increased demand for healthcare services throughout the pandemic led many clinicians to transition their services to virtual visits. Thus, nurses must now possess a wide range of technical skills that allow them to provide patient care through these different avenues. Nurses should also have the communication skills that will enable them to assess and support their patients through various media sources.

As patient advocates, nurses must also be aware of the potential risk that certain patient groups, particularly those of older age or lower income, may not be comfortable with technology-mediated healthcare services. Thus, in these situations, nurses should continue to ensure that patient-centered care is achieved by adapting the treatment approach to accommodate each patient's specific needs, abilities, and characteristics.

The demand for qualified nurses is growing in many regions worldwide, particularly in light of nursing shortages that increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the increasingly complex role of nurses following the pandemic, allocating specific roles, such as medication administration and patient education, to specific nurses may reduce burnout among current nurses while also allowing nurses to focus their efforts on specific aspects of patient care that they are most suited for.

In addition to a growing aging population, the demand for nurses will also increase due to the increasing number of patients who have contracted COVID-19 and now experience long COVID, as well as patients who will still contract COVID-19 and require hospitalization. Furthermore, it remains unclear how delayed care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic will affect inpatient hospitalizations in the future, as well as outpatient procedures.

It should be noted that COVID-19 has taken the lives of over 6.4 million individuals throughout the world to date, with millions of individuals who have recovered from the disease, despite experiencing severe effects. Thus, it is inevitable that nurses, as well as many other healthcare professionals, have experienced a wide range of psychological and physical effects from their experience in caring for patients during this global health emergency.

As a result, it is vital that hospitals and clinics offer comprehensive support for the existing nurse workforce to retain current nurses, as well as encourage others to pursue this profession. Several different initiatives have been proposed to reduce the burden on nurses through digital, clinician, regulatory, and labor union collaborations.

While an undergraduate degree allows individuals to work as an RN or LVN/LPN in New York, more advanced professions require a graduate degree. Advanced practice registered nurses, such as nurse practitioners, must complete an MSN or DNP program approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

Registered nurses (RNs) treat and educate patients and the public about various medical conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their families. RNs record patients’ medical histories and symptoms, help perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, operate medical machinery, and help with patient follow-up and rehabilitation.

In addition, RNs also: — Deliver and supervise patient care; — Give patients medicines and treatments; — Evaluate the outcomes of care, instituting appropriate changes and reporting patient progress; — Plan, implement, and evaluate programs to meet community needs; and — Conduct research or quality improvement projects to identify and institute best practices.

RNs teach patients and their families how to manage their illnesses or injuries, explaining post-treatment home care needs; diet, nutrition, and exercise programs; and self-administration of medication and physical therapy. Some RNs may work to promote general health by educating the public on warning signs and symptoms of disease. RNs also might run general health screening or immunization clinics, blood drives, and public seminars on various conditions.

When caring for patients, RNs establish a care plan or contribute to an existing plan. Plans may include activities, such as administering medication, including checking dosages and avoiding interactions; starting, maintaining, and discontinuing intravenous (IV) lines for fluid, medication, blood, and blood products; administering therapies and treatments; observing the patient and recording those observations; and consulting with physicians and other health care clinicians.

RNs often facilitate interdisciplinary care, may lead patient care teams, as well as supervise licensed practical nurses, nursing aides, and home health aides in the delivery of patient services.

While many RNs work in clinical jobs, there are increasing opportunities for RNs in research, health care management, and education. Also, RNs’ roles are evolving in response to changes in the health care delivery system. Today, RNs may work as researchers, health care consultants, public policy advisors, risk managers, utilization reviewers, and hospital administrators. Many RNs also specialize depending on their interests, where they work, or the patients they work with.

For more information about RN specialties and other details about an RN career, please go to http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm.

Hospitals employ the majority of RNs. Many Rns find work in physicians’ offices, home healthcare services, nursing care facilities and outpatient care centers. RNs may also be employed at insurance companies, schools, universities, correctional facilities, manufacturing plants and even places like cruise ships.

According to the 2019 BLS, the average salary for full time registered nurses nationwide was $154,920, varying by specialty and geographic region. Average annual salary also varies greatly across New York State, depending on location. The NYSDOL reports that registered nurses in New York earned an average annual salary of $87,840, (entry level-$56,980, experienced- $123,860).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), RNs constitute the largest health care occupation nationwide. New York, like the rest of the country, is experiencing growth in demand for RNs, and this trend is expected to continue.

The BLS projects that the number of RN jobs in the U.S. between 2016 and 2026 will increase by 14.8% and will increase in New York by 20.1%. Growth in employment of RNs is expected to continue to be strong primarily because of technological advancements; an increased emphasis on preventative care; and the large, aging baby-boomer population, which will demand more health care services as these older adults live longer and more active lives.

For more information on projections of RNs by New York labor regions, 2014-2024, click here.

To become an RN, the two main types of educational programs are 1) a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN) offered by a college or university, and 2) an associate degree in nursing (ADN) offered by a community college or junior college, sometimes in collaboration with a hospital. Around the U.S., a shrinking number of education programs offer an RN diploma; only one remains in New York.

All nursing education programs include classroom instruction and supervised clinical experience in hospitals and other health care facilities. Students take courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences. Bachelor’s degree programs usually include more training in the physical and social sciences, communication, leadership, and critical thinking, which is becoming more important as nursing practice becomes more complex. BSN programs also offer more clinical experience in nonhospital settings. A BSN or higher (eg, MSN) is often necessary for administrative positions, research, consulting, and teaching.

Supervised clinical experience is provided in hospital departments such as pediatrics, psychiatry, maternity, and surgery. A number of programs include clinical experience in nursing care facilities, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics.

The New York LPN-to-RN Articulation Model establishes a mechanism for the licensed practical nurse (LPN) to achieve educational mobility by eliminating barriers in New York’s nursing education programs. The model uses a statewide LPN-to-RN transition course to validate previous knowledge and determine advanced placement within an RN program. This method is expedient and cost-effective for both the participating student and the receiving institutions. For more information on this program, go to: http://www.lpntorn.info/

All RNs must be licensed. To be licensed as an RN in New York, an individual must be at least 18 years of age, meet education requirements of having received at least a two-year degree or diploma from a program in general professional nursing that is acceptable to the New York State Department of Education, complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider, and pass the nursing examination developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). All associate or diploma prepared RNs who were not enrolled in their program or did not have an application pending as of December 19, 2017 will be required to obtain a baccalaureate in nursing within 10 years of their initial RN licensure.

For more information, go to: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nursing.htm

Grants, scholarships, and awards for students who wish to become RNs are available at local, state, and federal levels. Such funding comes from private foundations, institutions and colleges of higher education with nursing programs, the New York State Education Department, and from the U.S. government. For more information, go to: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurse-education-scholarships-grants.htm. For additional information about federal and state financial aid, visit the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation website at: https://www.hesc.ny.gov.

Johnson & Johnson’s Campaign for Nursing’s Future offers current information on financial assistance opportunities for nursing students. The website organizes information by general degrees, specialties, and for returning students. For more information, visit the Johnson and Johnson campaign for nursing’s future here.

There are dozens of ADN and BSN programs in New York. Some BSN programs offer “bachelor completion” tracks for RNs with diplomas or ADNs who wish to obtain a BSN. Many of these programs are offered on a part-time basis and are geared for people who work. Some employers will offer tuition assistance to RNs on their staff who wish to enroll in these programs.

Also, please see this list of education programs from the New York Department of Education: www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/nurseprogs.htm

Genessee Valley Region

Central Region

Genesee Valley Region

Long Island Region

Metropolitan Region

Mid-Hudson Region

Northeast Region

Northern Region

Western Region

Central Region

Genesee Valley Region

Long Island Region

Metropolitan Region

Mid-Hudson Region

Northeast Region

Western Region