RN Employment - Alabama Nursing Schools and Nursing Programs

Registered Nurse Employment

Most registered nurse jobs - about three out of five jobs - are in hospitals, in inpatient and outpatient departments. Other registered nurses work in offices of physicians, nursing care facilities, home healthcare services, employment services, government agencies, outpatient care centers, social assistance agencies and educational services both public and private. One in four registered nurses works part-time. As the largest health care occupation, registered nurses hold over 2.4 million jobs.

The best paying RN jobs are those offered by employment services and general medical and surgical hospitals. Home health care services, offices of physicians and nursing care facilities also offer good wages although not close to those offered by employment services and general medical and surgical hospitals.

Many employers offer flexible work schedules, childcare, educational benefits, and bonuses. Most nurses work in well-lighted, comfortable healthcare facilities. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients' homes, schools, community centers, and other sites. Nurses may spend considerable time walking and standing.

Patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities require 24-hour care and consequently, nurses in these institutions may work nights, weekends, and holidays. Registered nurses may also be on call meaning that they should be available to work on short notice. Office, occupational health, and public health nurses are more likely to work regular business hours.

Hospital nurses form the largest group of nurses. Most are staff nurses, who provide bedside nursing care and carry out medical regimens. They also may supervise licensed practical nurses and nursing aides. Hospital nurses usually are assigned to one department, such as surgery, maternity, pediatrics, the emergency room, intensive care, or the treatment of cancer patients. Some may rotate among departments.

Office nurses care for outpatients in physicians' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and emergency medical centers. They prepare patients for, and assist with, examinations; administer injections and medications; dress wounds and incisions; assist with minor surgery; and maintain records. Some also perform routine laboratory and office work.

Nursing care facility nurses manage care for residents with conditions ranging from a fracture to Alzheimer's disease. Although they often spend much of their time on administrative and supervisory tasks, registered nurses also assess residents' health, develop treatment plans, supervise licensed practical nurses and nursing aides, and perform invasive procedures, such as starting intravenous fluids. Registered Nurses also work in specialty-care departments, such as long-term rehabilitation units for patients with strokes and head injuries.

Nursing has its hazards, especially in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and clinics, in all three of which nurses may care for individuals with infectious diseases. Nurses must observe rigid standardized guidelines to guard against disease and other dangers, such as those posed by radiation, accidental needle sticks, chemicals used to sterilize instruments, and anesthetics. In addition, they are vulnerable to back injury when moving patients, shocks from electrical equipment, and hazards posed by compressed gases.