The Role of a Nurse

A nurse has many responsibilities in the rehabilitation of a person who has needed
hospital treatment. In fact, this article can only really skim the surface of what a nurse
actually does as there are so many specialist nurses these days that have even more
responsibility placed upon them than ever before.

However, in general terms, the information below outlines the primary duties and
responsibilities which are at the forefront of all nursing care.

Caring For The Patient

Underpinning all of the responsibilities of a nurse is the duty of care to their patients.
They make sure that the patient is comfortable, ensures that the patient is getting enough
food and drink and they help the patient to get sufficient rest and sleep.

The nurse is responsible for taking care of the elimination of waste fluids from a patient
when they are not able to go to the toilet. They will wash and bathe them and ensure that
the patient does not suffer with any pain. They will help to keep the patient as mobile as
possible to avoid the consequences of things like pressure sores and stiff muscles and
joints and they will also offer emotional support to the patient on the road to recovery.

Working With The Doctor

A nurse’s role encompasses far more than simply care. They will work alongside the
doctor and/or surgeon to support them in the actual medical treatment of the patient. For
example, a surgeon may well have performed the operation but it will be the nurse who
will set up things like an intravenous line to administer drugs and the nurse will be the
person who changes dressings, gives the patient any injections and who administers other
pain killing medication.

Of course, all of the treatment will have been authorised by the doctor or surgeon first but
it will be the nurse who often determines when certain procedures post-surgery are
carried out and it will also be their responsibility to closely monitor the patient’s progress
and to feed that information back to the doctor/surgeon.

Co-ordination
The nurse will be at the very heart of the joint team effort in ensuring that a patient makes
a full recovery. They will work alongside doctors and other nurses as well as
physiotherapists and other members of the medical team co-ordinating all of the various
follow-up treatments and sessions which the patient needs to attend whilst in hospital.

Protecting The Patient

The nurse will ultimately be responsible for the protection of the patient whilst they are in
hospital. This is demonstrated in numerous ways. For example, they will liase with
cleaning and housekeeping staff to ensure that the patient’s living space is kept clean and
free from infection and will also ensure that the patient cannot come to any harm in terms
of helping them walk without tripping, making sure they can get and off the toilet and, in
general, they make sure that the patient stays safe as well as protecting their dignity,
when it comes to things like having to wash and dress the patient.

Teaching The Patient

Although the patient will receive advice from surgeons and the likes of therapists, it will
often be the nurse’s role to ensure that the patient fully understands what is expected of
them if they want to get well and carry on with all of their usual activities as quickly as
possible. So, a nurse will often be the person who will reinforce the rehabilitation
program to the patient and who will give them and their family as much advice as
possible about things like exercise, nutrition and the importance of rest and sleep and not
overdoing things once the patient is able to go home.

The Trusted Confidante

People are often very vulnerable when they’re admitted to hospital and it is
predominantly the nursing team who will be responsible for giving the patient guidance
and reassurance. Patients often form an emotional bond with the nursing staff and rely
greatly on their support. Therefore, it would be fair to say that a nurse needs to be a
teacher, a carer, an advisor, a trusted confidante and a friend and it is all of these facets
which make nursing not just a rewarding career but places the role of a nurse at the very
forefront of importance in health care.

[improve this article]

Registered nurse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“SRN” redirects here. For other uses, see SRN (disambiguation). The examples and
perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please
improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2009)

A Registered Nurse (RN) is a health care professional responsible for implementing the
practice of nursing through the use of the nursing process in conjunction with other health
care professionals. Registered nurses work as patient advocates for the care and recovery
of the sick and maintenance of their health. In their work as advocates for the patient,
RNs use the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing care of the
sick and injured. RN's have a significantly expanded scope of practice, education and
clinical training compared to that of licensed practical nurses.

A registered nurse's scope of practice is determined by each state's Nurse Practice Act. It
outlines what is legal practice for registered nurses and what tasks they may or may not
perform. Nurse Practice Acts also dictate the scope of practice for nurse practitioners
(NPs). An example is prescriptive authority for NPs. In some states, NPs can practice
completely autonomously and prescribe any category of medications. In other states, NPs
cannot prescribe controlled substances and may only practice with the collaboration of a
physician.Contents [hide]
1 United Kingdom
1.1 Second level nurses
1.2 Specialist nurses
1.3 Managers
1.4 Nurse education
1.4.1 Pre-registration
1.4.2 Post-registration
2 United States
2.1 Educational and licensure requirements
2.1.1 Diploma in Nursing
2.1.2 Associate Degree in Nursing
2.1.3 Bachelor of Science in Nursing
2.2 Licensure examination
2.3 Graduate nursing opportunities
2.4 Nursing board certification
2.5 The nursing shortage in the United States
2.5.1 Causes of the nursing shortage in the United States
2.5.2 Solutions to the nursing shortage
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit]
United Kingdom
Main article: Nursing in the United Kingdom

To practice lawfully as a registered nurse in the United Kingdom, the practitioner must
hold a current and valid registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The title
"Registered Nurse" can only be granted to those holding such registration. This protected
title is laid down in the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act, 1997.[1]

First level Nurses First level nurses make up the bulk of the registered nurses in the UK.
They were previously known by titles such as RGN (registered general nurse), RSCN
(registered sick children's nurse), RMN (registered mental nurse) , RNLD (registered
nurse learning disabilities)
[edit]
Second level nurses
Main article: State Enrolled Nurse

Second level nurse training is no longer provided, however they are still legally able to
practice in the United Kingdom as a nurse. Many have now either retired or undertaken
conversion courses to become first level nurses.
[edit]
Specialist nurses

The NHS employs a huge variety of specialist nurses. These nurses have many years of
experience in their field, in addition to extra education and training (see below).

They split into several major groups:

Nurse practitioners - These nurses obtain advanced practice training. They often perform
roles similar to those of Physicians and Physician Assistants, the vast majority can
prescribe medications as independent or supplementary prescribers. Those nurse
practitioners who do not have prescribing powers can usually issue medication via other
mechanisms such as patient group directions. Most NP's have referral and admission
rights to hospital specialities. They commonly work in primary care (e.g. GP surgeries) or
A&E departments, although they are increasingly being seen in other areas of practice.
The title "nurse practitioner" is currently however not legally protected, however it is
likely that in the near future the title "advanced nurse practitioner" will become a legally
protected title for this group.
Specialist community public health nurses - traditionally district nurses and health
visitors, this group of practitioners now includes many school nurses and occupational
health nurses. This is a legally protected title.
Clinical nurse specialists - nurses undertaking these roles commonly provide clinical
leadership and education for the staff nurses working in their department, and may also
have special skills or knowledge which ward nurses can draw upon.
Nurse consultants - these nurses are similar in many ways to the clinical nurse specialist,
but at a higher level. These practitioners are responsible for clinical education and
training of those in their department, and many also have active research and publication
activities.
Lecturer-practitioners - these nurses work both in the NHS, and in universities. They
typically work for 2–3 days per week in each setting. In university, they train pre-
registration student nurses (see below), and often teach on specialist courses for post-
registration nurses (e.g. a Lecturer-practitioner in critical care may teach on a Masters
degree in critical care nursing).
Lecturers - these nurses are not employed by the NHS. Instead they work full time in
universities, both teaching and performing research.
[edit]
Managers

Many nurses who have worked in clinical settings for a long time choose to leave clinical
nursing and join the ranks of the NHS management. This used to be seen as a natural
career progression for those who had reached ward management positions, however with
the advent of specialist nursing roles (see above), this has become a less attractive option.

Nonetheless, many nurses fill positions in the senior management structure of NHS
organisations, some even as board members. Others choose to stay a little closer to their
clinical roots by becoming clinical nurse managers or modern matrons
[edit]
Nurse education
[edit]
Pre-registration

In order to become a registered nurse, and work as such in the NHS, one must complete a
program recognized by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Currently, this involves
completing a degree or diploma, available from a range of universities offering these
courses, in the chosen branch specialty (see below), leading to both an academic award
and professional registration as a 1st level registered nurse. Such a course is a 50/50 split
of learning in university (i.e. through lectures, essays and examinations) and in practice
(i.e. supervised patient care within a hospital or community setting).

These courses are three (occasionally four) years' long. The first year is known as the
common foundation program (CFP), and teaches the basic knowledge and skills required
of all nurses. The remainder of the program consists of training specific to the student's
chosen branch of nursing. These are:
Adult nursing.
Child nursing.
Mental health nursing.
Learning disabilities nursing.

As of 2013, the Nursing and Midwifery Council will require all nurses in England to hold
a degree qualification.

Midwifery training is similar in length and structure, but is sufficiently different that it is
not considered a branch of nursing. There are shortened (18 month) programmes to allow
nurses already qualified in the adult branch to hold dual registration as a nurse and a
midwife. Shortened courses lasting 2 years also exist for graduates of other disciplines to
train as nurses. This is achieved by more intense study and a shortening of the common
foundation program.[2]

Student nurses currently receive a bursary from the government to support them during
their nurse training. Diploma students in England receive a non-means-tested bursary of
around £6000 per year (with additional allowances for mature students or those with
dependent children), whereas degree students have their bursary means tested (and so
often receive less). Degree students are, however, eligible for a proportion of the
government's student loan, unlike diploma students. In Scotland, however, all student
nurses regardless of which course they are undertaking, receive the same bursary in line
with the English diploma amount. In Wales only the Degree level course is offered and
all nursing students therefore receive a non-means-tested bursary.

Before Project 2000, nurse education was the responsibility of hospitals and was not
based in universities; hence many nurses who qualified prior to these reforms do not hold
an academic award.
[edit]
Post-registration

After the point of initial registration, there is an expectation that all qualified nurses will
continue to update their skills and knowledge. The Nursing and Midwifery Council
insists on a minimum of 35 hours of education every three years, as part of its post
registration education and practice (PREP) requirements.[citation needed]

There are also opportunities for many nurses to gain additional clinical skills after
qualification. Cannulation, venepuncture, intravenous drug therapy and male
catheterisation are the most common, although there are many others (such as advanced
life support) which some nurses will undertake.

Many nurses who qualified with a diploma choose to upgrade their qualification to a
degree by studying part time. Many nurses prefer this option to gaining a degree initially,
as there is often an opportunity to study in a specialist field as a part of this upgrading.
Financially, in England, it is also much more lucrative, as diploma students get the full
bursary during their initial training, and employers often pay for the degree course as well
as the nurse's salary.[citation needed]

In order to become specialist nurses (such as nurse consultants, nurse practitioners etc.)
or nurse educators, some nurses undertake further training above bachelors degree level.
Masters degrees exist in various healthcare related topics, and some nurses choose to
study for PhDs or other higher academic awards. District nurses and health visitors are
also considered specialist nurses, and in order to become such they must undertake
specialist training (often in the form of a top up degree (see above) or post graduate
diploma).

All newly qualifying district nurses and Health Visitors are trained to prescribe from the
Nurse Prescribers' Formulary, a list of medications and dressings typically useful to those
carrying out these roles. Many of these (and other) nurses will also undertake training in
independent and supplementary prescribing, which allows them (as of May 1, 2006) to
prescribe almost any drug in the British National Formulary. This has been the cause of a
great deal of debate in both medical and nursing circles.[citation needed]

well a registered nurse eats patatoe chips and soda and candy
[edit]
United States
The scope of practice of registered nurses is the extent to and limits of which an RN may
practice. In the United States, these limits are determined by a set of laws known as the
Nurse Practice Act of the state or territory in which an RN is licensed. Each state has its
own laws, rules, and regulations governing nursing care. Usually the making of such
rules and regulations is delegated to a state board of nursing, which performs day-to-day
administration of these rules, qualifies candidates for licensure, licenses nurses and
nursing assistants, and makes decisions on nursing issues. It should be noted that in some
states the terms "nurse" or "nursing" may only be used in conjunction with the practice of
a Registered Nurse (RN) or licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN).

The scope of practice for a registered nurse is wider than for an LPN/LVN because of the
level and content of education as well as what the Nurse Practice Act says about the
respective roles of each.

In the hospital setting, registered nurses are often assigned a role to delegate tasks
performed by LPNs and unlicensed assistive personnel such as nursing assistants.

RNs are not limited to employment as bedside nurses. Registered nurses are employed by
physicians, attorneys, insurance companies, community/public health agencies, private
industry, school districts, ambulatory surgery centers, among others. Some registered
nurses are independent consultants who work for themselves, while others work for large
manufacturers or chemical companies. Research Nurses conduct or assist in the conduct
of research or evaluation (outcome and process) in many areas such as biology,
psychology, human development, and health care systems. The average salary for a staff
RN in the United States in 2007 was over $60,000.
[edit]
Educational and licensure requirements
[edit]
Diploma in Nursing

The oldest method of nursing education is the hospital-based diploma program, which
lasts approximately three years. Students take between 30 and 60 credit hours in
anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, chemistry, and other subjects at a college
or university, then move on to intensive nursing classes. Until 1996, most RNs in the US
were initially educated in nursing by diploma programs.[3]According to the Health
Services Resources Administration's 2000 Survey of Nurses only six percent of nurses
who graduated from nursing programs in the United States received their education at a
Diploma School of Nursing. Reference: ftp://ftp.hrsa.gov/bhpr/rnsurvey2000/rnsurvey00-
1.pdf.
[edit]
Associate Degree in Nursing

The most common education for initial nursing education is a two-year Associate Degree
in Nursing (Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, Associate of Science in Nursing,
Associate Degree in Nursing), a two-year college degree referred to as an ADN. Some
four-year colleges and universities also offer the ADN. Associate degree nursing
programs have many prerequisite and co-requisite courses which ultimately stretch out
the degree-acquiring process to about 3 years or greater.
[edit]
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

The third method is to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a four-year degree that
also prepares nurses for graduate-level education. For the first two years in a BSN
program, students usually obtain general education requirements and spend the remaining
time in nursing courses. Advocates for the ADN and diploma programs state that such
programs have a more "hands-on" approach to educating students, while the BSN is an
academic degree that emphasizes research and nursing theory. However, most states
require a specific amount of clinical experience that is the same for both BSN and ADN
students. Nursing schools may or may not be accredited by either the National League for
Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education (CCNE).
[edit]
Licensure examination

Completion of any one of these three educational routes allows a graduate nurse to take
the NCLEX-RN, the test for licensure as a registered nurse, and is accepted by every state
as an adequate indicator of minimum competency for a new graduate. However,
controversy exists over the appropriate entry-level preparation of RNs. Some professional
organizations believe the BSN should be the sole method of RN preparation and ADN
graduates should be licensed as "technical nurses" to work under the supervision of BSN
graduates. Others feel the hands-on skill of diploma and ADN graduates makes up for
any deficiency in theoretical preparation. Regardless of this debate, it is highly unlikely
that the BSN will become the standard for initial preparation any time soon, because of
the nursing shortage and the lack of faculty to teach BSN students.
[edit]
Graduate nursing opportunities

Advanced education in nursing is done at the master's and doctoral levels. A Master of
Science in Nursing or a Master of Nursing takes from one to three years of additional
full-time study beyond the program of initial licensure. It prepares the graduate for
specialization as an advanced practice nurse (APRN). Areas of advanced nursing practice
include that of a nurse practitioner (NP), a certified nurse midwife (CNM), a clinical
nurse leader (CNL), a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), or a clinical nurse
specialist (CNS). Nurse practitioners work assessing, diagnosing and treating patients in
fields as diverse as family practice, women's health care, emergency nursing,
acute/critical care, psychiatry, geriatrics, or pediatrics, while a CNS usually works for a
facility to improve patient care, do research, or as a staff educator. The CNL is an
advanced generalist who focuses on the improvement of quality and safety outcomes for
patients or patient populations from an administrative and staff management focus.
Doctoral programs in nursing prepare the student for work in nursing education, health
care administration, clinical research, or advanced clinical practice. Most programs
confer the Ph.D in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), but some confer the
Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS or DNSc), Doctor of Science in Nursing (DSN), or the
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.). Doctoral programs take from three to five years of full-time
study to complete.
[edit]
Nursing board certification

Professional nursing organizations, through their certification boards, have voluntary

certification exams to demonstrate clinical competency in their particular specialty.
Completion of the prerequisite work experience allows an RN to register for an
examination, and passage gives an RN permission to use a professional designation after
their name. For example, passage of the American Association of Critical-care Nurses
specialty exam allows a nurse to use the initials 'CCRN' after his or her name. Other
organizations and societies have similar procedures.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center, the credentialing arm of the American
Nurses Association, is the largest nursing credentialing organization and administers
more than 30 specialty examinations.[4]
[edit]
The nursing shortage in the United States
Main article: Nursing Shortage

RNs are the largest group of health care workers in the United States, numbering over 2.6
million. It has been reported that the number of new graduates and foreign-trained nurses
is insufficient to meet the demand for registered nurses; this is often referred to as the
nursing shortage and is expected to increase for the foreseeable future. There is data to
support the idea that the nursing shortage is a voluntary shortage. In other words, nurses
are leaving nursing of their own volition. In 2004 it was estimated that approximately 1.8
million nurses chose not to work as a nurse.
[edit]
Causes of the nursing shortage in the United States

Among the many cited causes for the nursing shortage is the lack of qualified doctoral or
master degree prepared faculty for college RN programs. Students cannot be admitted to
school if there is no faculty to teach them.[5] Furthermore, there is evidence that faculty
positions for RN programs do not command equivalent salaries to those of their peers in
other fields.

Another factor affecting the nursing shortage is that after education, Registered Nurses
typically do not remain long in the profession, especially those working in more
traditional hospital health care roles.[citation needed] The primary reason given for
leaving the profession is poor working conditions (e.g. long and irregular hours and an
absence of sufficient numbers of health care providers, such as aides).

Other factors such as role-limited autonomy and physical labor demanded of clinical
positions are also seen as deterrents to those considering becoming a Registered Nurse.
Also, many systems and practices in nursing are heavily oriented toward the social and
gender patterns and practices of women, which can hinder consideration of nursing as a
profession by men.
[edit]
Solutions to the nursing shortage

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is concerned about the labor
shortage in the field of nursing and has been working to enact legislation, identify
strategies, and form cooperative efforts with all interested people and groups to address
this problem. The AACN has also published a fact sheet containing current statistics
related to the shortage (fou

ertification for Nurse Educators

On April 1, 2009, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) granted
accreditation to the NLN's CNE Program for demonstrating compliance with the NCCA
Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. NCCA is the accrediting body
of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA). The NCCA Standards
were created in 1977 and updated in 2003 to ensure certification programs adhere to
modern standards of practice for the certification industry.

CNE on TV - Nurse Educators Proud of What They Do

Click here to view

The Certified Nurse EducatorCM (CNE) Examination

The Value of Certification

Certification in any field is a mark of professionalism. For academic nurse educators, it
establishes nursing education as a specialty area of practice and creates a means for
faculty to demonstrate their expertise in this role. It communicates to students, peers, and
the academic and health care communities that the highest standards of excellence are
being met. By becoming credentialed as a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE), you serve as
a leader and a role model.

Mission
The mission of the Academic Nurse Educator Certification Program is to recognize
excellence in the advanced specialty role of the academic nurse educator.

Goals of CNE Certification:

Distinguish academic nursing education as a specialty area of practice and an advanced
practice role within professional nursing
Recognize the academic nurse educator's specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities and
excellence in practice
Strengthen the use of core competencies of nurse educator practice
Contribute to nurse educators’ professional development
If you are interested in having your expertise as an academic nurse educator recognized
and valued, please click on the links to the left and learn how to become a Certified Nurse
Educator.

Click here to view a list of all academic nurse educators who have earned the CNE
credential between September, 2005 and March 31, 2010.

Click here to download the CNE press release template.

If you notice any omissions or have additional questions, please contact us via email at
certification@nln.org.

Certification - The Mark of Distinction for Nursing Faculty

NURSE EDUCATOR

Background:

Nurse educators combine clinical expertise and a passion for teaching into rich and
rewarding careers. These professionals, who work in the classroom and the practice
setting, are responsible for preparing and mentoring current and future generations of
nurses. Nurse educators play a pivotal role in strengthening the nursing workforce,
serving as role models and providing the leadership needed to implement evidence-based
practice.

Nurse educators are responsible for designing, implementing, evaluating and revising
academic and continuing education programs for nurses. These include formal academic
programs that lead to a degree or certificate, or more informal continuing education
programs designed to meet individual learning needs.

Nurse educators are critical players in assuring quality educational experiences that
prepare the nursing workforce for a diverse, ever-changing health care environment.
They are the leaders who document the outcomes of educational programs and guide
students through the learning process.

Nurse educators are prepared at the master's or doctoral level and practice as faculty in
colleges, universities, hospital-based schools of nursing or technical schools, or as staff
development educators in health care facilities. They work with recent high school
graduates studying nursing for the first time, nurses pursuing advanced degrees and
practicing nurses interested in expanding their knowledge and skills related to care of
individuals, families and communities.

Nurse educators often express a high degree of satisfaction with their work. They
typically cite interaction with students and watching future nurses grow in confidence and
skill as the most rewarding aspects of their jobs. Other benefits of careers in nursing
education include access to cutting-edge knowledge and research, opportunities to
collaborate with health professionals, an intellectually stimulating workplace and flexible
work scheduling.

Given the growing shortage of nurse educators, the career outlook is strong for nurses
interested in teaching careers. Nursing schools nationwide are struggling to find new
faculty to accommodate the rising interest in nursing among new students. The shortage
of nurse educators may actually enhance career prospects since it affords a high level of
job securityand provides opportunities for nurses to maintain dual roles as educators and
direct patient care providers.

Roles:

A nurse educator is a registered nurse who has advanced education, including advanced
clinical training in a health care specialty. Nurse educators serve in a variety of roles that
range from adjunct (part-time) clinical faculty to dean of a college of nursing.
Professional titles include Instructional or Administrative Nurse Faculty, Clinical Nurse
Educator, Staff Development Officer and Continuing Education Specialist among others.

Nurse educators combine their clinical abilities with responsibilities related to:
Designing curricula
Developing courses/programs of study
Teaching and guiding learners
Evaluating learning
Documenting the outcomes of the educational process.

Nurse educators also help students and practicing nurses identify their learning needs,
strengths and limitations, and they select learning opportunities that will build on
strengths and overcome limitations.

In addition to teaching, nurse educators who work in academic settings have

responsibilities consistent with faculty in other disciplines, including:
Advising students
Engaging in scholarly work (e.g., research)
Participating in professional associations
Speaking/presenting at nursing conferences
Contributing to the academic community through leadership roles
Engaging in peer review
Maintaining clinical competence
Writing grant proposals

A growing number of nurse educators teach part-time while working in a clinical setting.
This gives them the opportunity to maintain a high degree of clinical competence while
sharing their expertise with novice nurses. Nurse educators who work in practice settings
assess the abilities of nurses in practice and collaborate with them and their nurse
managers to design learning experiences that will continually strengthen those abilities.

Specialties:

In most instances, nurse educators teach clinical courses that correspond with their
area(s) of clinical expertise and the concentration area of their graduate nursing education
program. Those considering a teaching career may choose from dozens of specialty areas,
including acute care, cardiology, family health, oncology, pediatrics and
psychiatric/mental health.

In addition, nurse educators teach in areas that have evolved as "specialties" through
personal experience or personal study, such as leadership or assessment. The true
specialty of a nurse educator is his or her expertise in teaching/learning, outcomes
assessment, curriculum development and advisement/guidance of the learner.

Qualifications:

Nurse educators need to have excellent communication skills, be creative, have a solid
clinical background, be flexible and possess excellent critical thinking skills. They also
need to have a substantive knowledge base in their area(s) of instruction and have the
skills to convey that knowledge in a variety of ways to those who are less expert.

Nurse educators need to display a commitment to lifelong learning, exercise leadership

and be concerned with the scholarly development of the discipline. They should have a
strong knowledge base in theories of teaching, learning and evaluation; be able to design
curricula and programs that reflect sound educational principles; be able to assess learner
needs; be innovative; and enjoy teaching.

Those who practice in academic settings also need to be future-oriented so they can
anticipate the role of the nurse in the future and adapt curriculum and teaching methods
in response to innovations in nursing science and ongoing changes in the practice
environment. They need advisement and counseling skills, research and other scholarly
skills, and an ability to collaborate with other disciplines to plan and deliver a sound
educational program.

Nurse educators who practice in clinical settings need to anticipate changes and
expectations so they can design programs to prepare nurses to meet those challenges.
They need to be able to plan educational programs for staff with various levels of ability,
develop and manage budgets, and argue for resources and support in an environment
where education is not the primary mission.

Practice Settings:

While nurses who care for patients in any setting engage in patient teaching, nurse
educators typically practice in the following settings:
Senior colleges and universities
Junior or community colleges
Hospital-based schools of nursing
Technical colleges
Hospitals
Community health agencies
Home care agencies
Long-term care facilities
Online using distance learning technology.

Within the school setting, there are as many options as there are schools. Educators may
teach on a rural, suburban or urban campus; at a major private university or local
community college; as part of a certificate program in a teaching hospital; or as a
research coordinator in a doctoral program.

Salary Range:

Nurse educators working in academic settings typically are on a nine-month appointment

(e.g., September through May). Opportunities to teach in the summer often are available,
and this is compensated separately. Salaries vary greatly depending on rank, education
(e.g., master's or doctorate degree), and institution type (e.g., a large academic health
center vs. a small liberal arts college). The most lucrative positions are available to
doctorally-prepared faculty in public nursing institutions

In 2002, full-time nurse educators with a nine-month appointment earned salaries ranging
between $25,000 and $100,000+. On average, full-time nurse faculty with a doctoral
degree earned $61,000 in 2002-2003 while faculty with a master's degree earned $49,000.

For those devoted to a career in nurse education, employment in a leadership and

administrative role may be of interest. Many nursing school deans can earn more than
$100,000 in a calendar year. In 2002-2003, the typical associate dean with a doctorate
earned between $93,442 and $111,036 while assistant deans, on average, earned between
$71,857 and $92,469.

Education:

At a minimum, nurse educators who work in academic settings must hold a master's
degree. In order to be promoted to the upper academic ranks (e.g., associate professor and
professor) and to be granted tenure, academic faculty typically must hold an earned
doctoral degree. Nurse educators who work in clinical settings must hold the minimum of
a baccalaureate degree in nursing, but more and more institutions are requiring the
master's degree for such appointments.

Many master's degree and post-graduate certificate programs are available to prepare
nurses specifically for the educator role. These programs, which are sometimes offered
online, focus on the skills needed to prepare advanced practice nurses to teach, including
instruction on the learning process, curriculum development, student counseling, program
evaluation, and the principles of adult education.

Dozens of baccalaureate-to-PhD programs also are available for nurses prepared with a
bachelor of science in nursing degree looking to pursue doctoral preparation. These
programs, which include intense clinical experiences, attempt to move students through
graduate level study at an accelerated pace.

Many federal and private sources of funding exist to assist students looking to pursue
graduate nursing education. The recently passed Nurse Reinvestment Act includes a
student loan repayment program for nurses who agree to serve in faculty roles after
graduation. Similar programs also are available through the National Health Service
Corps and the Bureau of Health Professions.

Associations:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

One Dupont Circle, #530
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 463-6930
www.aacn.nche.edu

American Society for Training and Development

1640 King Street, Box 1443
Alexandria, VA 22313
(703) 683-8100
www.astd.org

National League for Nursing

61 Broadway, 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10006
(800) 669-1656
www.nln.org

National Nursing Staff Development Organization

7794 Grow Drive
Pensacola, FL 32534
(800) 489-1995
www.nnsdo.org

Publications:

Journal for Nurses in Staff Development

http://www.nursingcenter.com/library

Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing

http://www.slackinc.com/allied/jcen/jcenhome.htm

Journal of Nursing Education

http://www.journalofnursingeducation.com/about.asp

Journal of Professional Nursing

http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/jpn.htm

Nurse Educator
http://www.nursingcenter.com/library

Nursing Education Perspectives

http://www.nln.org/nlnjournal/index.htm

Current issue contents

Nurse Researcher :: Volume 17 :: Number 3 :: 2010
Below are listed the contents of the current issue of Nurse Researcher. To access any of
these articles please log in to our searchable archive (only available to subscribers).

 Editorial
 Commentary
Barbara Jack
 Who am I and what am I doing? Becoming a qualitative research interviewer
Helen Bulpitt and Peter J Martin
 Storytelling: an approach that can help to develop resilience
Leah East, Debra Jackson, Louise O’Brien and Kathleen Peters
 Storytelling in risk management
Anthony Scott Brown

issues in research

 Nursing research or research nursing? Two separate terms, two separate

careers
Sue Johnson and Keith Stevenson
 Clarifying case study research: examples from practice
Dympna Casey and Catherine Houghton
 Preparing for thesis and viva: some practicalities
Nancy-Jane Lee
 Research in prison: a researcherpractitioner’s view
Pras Ramluggun, Bruce Lindsay and Michael Pfeil
 Narrative and narrative enquiry in health and social sciences
Claudia KY Lai
editor’s interview

 Keep one foot on solid ground

Philip Burnard

reviews and events

 Books
 Diary dates

You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print the PDF.
If you don't have this already, it can be downloaded FREE from www.adobe.com .

For future issues, articles welcomed on…

 quantitative methods
 evidence-based practice
 user involvement

All articles on these topics will be considered. Please see guidelines for contributors
within the printed journal.

For further information email: helen.hyland@rcnpublishing.co.uk

UICC World Cancer Congress

2006
Bridging the Gap: Transforming Knowledge
into Action
Back to Conference page
July 8-12, 2006, Washington, DC, USA

Tuesday, 11 July 2006 - 1:55 PM

171-2

Research Roles for Nurses

Debra Wujcik, RN, MSN, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, 649 Preston Research
Building, Nashville, TN 37232
Nurses can participate in cancer research in many ways. Nurses are uniquely qualified to
blend communication, clinical, and administrative skills which are necessary to conduct
clinical research. A thorough understanding of the research regulatory requirements,
economic implications of the studies, and the clinical needs of persons with cancer is
necessary to safely and effectively conduct research. Staff and outpatient nurses are often
asked about research trials by patients. Nurses need to know how to respond to those
questions and how to refer patients who are interested in clinical trial participation.
Research nurse roles include many activities such as screening for eligibility, discussing
the trial with the subjects, obtaining informed consent, registering and randomizing,
scheduling, toxicity assessment, adverse event reporting, and data management. Nurse
practitioners have advanced role functions such as taking histories and physical
examinations, ordering and interpreting data from laboratory and diagnostic tests, and
ordering appropriate medications and treatment to meet protocol requirements. Nurses
with advanced experience and education often serve as project managers and program
managers to coordinate staff and resources for one study with many participants or
multiple studies. Nurses with advanced degrees are prepared to design and conduct
behavioral and intervention research as principal investigators. Research roles for nurses
are found in academic centers, community practices, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Education and training opportunities are found in academic centers and through
professional research organizations. Certification as a research professional can be
obtained through organizations such as the Association for Clinical Research
Professionals (www.acrpnet.org) or Society for Clinical Research Associates
(www.socra.org). This session will present discussion of the variety of roles available for
nurses planning a career in research.

See more of Career Development in Cancer Research

See more of Cancer Research, Detection and Treatment

See more of The UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

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Prog Clin Biol Res. 1989;293:355-60.

A research nurse: enhancing participation

in clinical trials.
O'Halloran LJ, Curl VR, Hagen L, Sveningson L.

Community Clinical Oncology Program, St. Luke's Hospital, Fargo, North Dakota 58122.

Abstract

The Fargo CCOP believes that a Research Nurse enhances their participation in clinical
trials. Although it is early in our evaluation, the CCOP has maintained a stable accrual
level despite the loss of a Medical Oncologist that historically led our research accrual
totals. It may also be noted that enhancing treatment protocol participation increases
cancer control participation as illustrated in the figure below. Cancer Control accrual is
very respectable and positions the Fargo CCOP among the leaders in the North Central
Cancer Treatment Group. The Cancer Control protocols are very time intensive. It would
have been extremely difficult for the Medical Oncology Nursing staff to add cancer
control research responsibilities to an already busy work day. Although subjective,
communication between nurses, physicians, and data managers has been enhanced.
Medical Oncology nurses have also begun to do more extensive telephone follow up with
non-study patients. Minor violations appear to be decreasing. In summary, the Fargo
CCOP plans to continue support of the Research Nurse role. Centralizing the
accountabilities identified with one individual provides a mechanism for better
communication, patient compliance, and higher patient accrual to cancer treatment and
cancer control protocols. This approach may be helpful to other community cancer
programs that wish to enhance their participation in clinical trials and the NCI's effort to
increase patient accrual to high priority protocols.

PMID: 2726947 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Publication Types, MeSH Terms, Grant Support

Publication Types:
 Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH Terms:
 Clinical Trials as Topic*
 Humans
 Neoplasms/therapy*
 Nurse Clinicians*
 Research Personnel*

Grant Support:
 CA 37417/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States

LinkOut - more resources

Medical:
 Cancer - MedlinePlus Health Information
 Clinical Trials - MedlinePlus Health Information

Supplemental Content
Related citations
 Assuring access to state-of-the-art care for U.S. minority populations: the first 2
years of the Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program.

J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Dec 1; 85(23):1945-50.

[J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993]

 Accrual to National Cancer Institute-sponsored non-small-cell lung cancer trials:

insights and contributions from the CCOP program.

Clin Lung Cancer. 2009 Nov; 10(6):410-3.

[Clin Lung Cancer. 2009]

 Recruiting participants to cancer prevention clinical trials: lessons from successful

community oncology networks.

Oncol Nurs Forum. 2006 Sep 1; 33(5):951-9. Epub 2006 Sep 1.

[Oncol Nurs Forum. 2006]

  ReviewClinical trials in the community. The community clinical oncology
program experience.

Cancer. 1994 Nov 1; 74(9 Suppl):2694-700.

[Cancer. 1994]

 ReviewAddressing the current challenges of non-small-cell lung cancer clinical

trial accrual.

Clin Lung Cancer. 2008 Jul; 9(4):222-6.

[Clin Lung Cancer. 2008]

 » See reviews... | » See all...

Cited by 1 PubMed Central article

 The role of the clinical research coordinator--data manager--in oncology clinical
trials.

Rico-Villademoros F, Hernando T, Sanz JL, López-Alonso A, Salamanca O,

Camps C, Rosell R. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2004 Mar 25; 4:6. Epub 2004 Mar
25.

[BMC Med Res Methodol. 2004]

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retrieved using a word weight algorithm. Related articles are displayed in ranked
order from most to least relevant, with the “linked from” citation displayed first.

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What's this?

The extended role of

for practice
Amanda Stephens-Lloyd, BA(H

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS

Increasing numbers of nurses a

nurses. However, although the
the reality of the role. This pap
CRNs, highlighting the extende
the extent to which traditional
examined in an attempt to show
 respected in specialised clinica
building the evidence base for p

Key Words: Clinical research n

Nursing Times Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, 18
DOI: 10.1177/136140960400900104

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Nursing research
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Nursing research is the term used to describe the evidence used to support nursing
practice. Nursing, as an evidence based area of practice, has been developing since the
time of Florence Nightingale to the present day, where many nurses now work as
researchers based in universities as well as in the health care setting.

Nurse education places emphasis upon the use of evidence from research in order to
rationalise nursing interventions. In England and Wales courts may determine whether or
not a nurse acted reasonably based upon whether or not their intervention was supported
by research.

Nursing research falls largely into two areas:

 Quantitative research is based in the paradigm of logical positivism and is focused

upon outcomes for clients that are measurable, generally using statistics. The
dominant research method is the randomised controlled trial.
 Qualitative research is based in the paradigm of phenomenology, grounded
theory, ethnography and others, and examines the experience of those receiving or
 delivering the nursing care, focusing, in particular, on the meaning that it holds
for the individual. The research methods most commonly used are interviews,
case studies, focus groups and ethnography

Recently in the UK, action research has become increasingly popular in nursing.

[edit] Related links

 Evidence-based medicine
 Nursing
 Nursing theory

[edit] References
 Hamer S. & Collinson G. (1999). Achieving Evidence-Based Practice. Ballière
Tindall. ISBN 0-7020-2349-3.
 Parahoo K. (1997). Nursing Research: Principles, Process and Issues. Macmillan.
ISBN 0-333-69918-1.

This nursing-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_research"
Categories: Nursing specialties | Nursing research | Nursing stubs

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