Nursing…….
Multiple Educational Choices
Unlimited Career Potential
Nursing is essential to the delivery of quality health care and its
contributions are significant to the economy of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky. Nurses are the largest component of the health care workforce.
There are over 60,000 licensed nurses and 50,000 Unlicensed Assistive
Personnel in Kentucky. Over 90 percent of this population are actively
working in the state. While approximately 2,000 newly licensed nurses
are added to the workforce each year, many more are needed to
meet present demands.
Nursing as a discipline is both an art and an applied science.
Nursing roles have developed in response to societal needs. Nurses are
involved with disease prevention, health promotion, health protection,
and curative and restorative care. The scope of nursing practice today
includes many roles and requires various levels of educational
preparation. All nurses share three major nursing roles…Provider of
Care, Manager of Care, and Member of the Discipline. There are five
distinct nursing education levels…Nurse Aide, Licensed Practical
Nursing, Associate Degree Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and
Master of Science in Nursing.
THE WORK OF NURSES
Nurses function as providers and managers of care. As a Provider of
Care the nurse uses a systematic process and appropriate resources
to assist clients in meeting health needs in an evolving health system.
The nurse, as a member of a multi-disciplinary team, makes independent
and dependent decisions that shape the design and coordination of client
care in a variety of settings. As a Manager of Care the nurse
assures that the right care is given at the right time, in the right
setting, at the right cost to achieve desired outcomes.
Nurses are also members of a profession. As a Member of the
Discipline the nurse is accountable for a practice reflecting the
legal and professional standards governing nursing. The nurse is
responsible for life-long learning that supports ethical practice
reflecting an appropriate set of values. No matter the nursing function,
the following activities are inherent in each of the nursing roles, and
are developed with increasing complexity at each educational level.
- The nurse develops and implements a plan of care that promotes and
maintains optimum health status.
- The nurse participates in a complex ongoing interactive
communication process that forms the basis for professional
relationships.
- The nurse coordinates and facilitates resource management and
collaboratively interacts with others to achieve desired outcomes.
- The nurse as an advocate assures that the client welfare prevails.
- The nurse teaches and counsels to promote knowledge acquisition
and behavioral changes that support optimum health status.
The nurse as a scholar demonstrates a professional commitment to
life-long learning and scientifically based practice.
Nursing Education Opportunities
Nurse Aide
The nurse aide functions under the supervision of licensed nurses (RN
or LPN) and assists in giving care related to meeting the hygiene,
comfort, exercise, safety, and elimination needs of residents or
clients. Lifting and moving residents or clients, observing and
reporting client conditions, collecting specimens and giving emotional
comfort are all part of being a nurse aide. State laws and rules may
designate nurse aide role and responsibilities.
Secondary or post-secondary educational institutions and other state
approved providers may offer Nurse Aide programs. The nurse aide program
is a minimum of 75 hours in lecture and clinical experience that
prepares the individual to take both a written and a performance test to
validate competence. Upon successful completion of the nurse aide
program and testing to validate competency, the nurse aide is placed on
the state nurse aide registry to verify that the nurse aide is in good
standing. Good standing on the nurse aide registry is a federal
requirement to work in any long-term care facility that receives federal
funds.
Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN)
Licensed practical nurses are integral members of the health care
system, prepared to provide nursing care and health promotion activities
to individuals across the life span in various health care settings
under the direction of the registered nurse, physician, or dentist. The
practical nurse is expected to think critically and solve problems in
client care situations. The practical nurse assists with all phases of
nursing care from basic acute care, long-term care, clinics, home health
agencies, ambulatory care centers, and physician offices.
A licensed practical nurse completes an approved program in a
technical college or private institution that requires at least 1 year
of full-time study. Studies include nursing, body structure and
function, basic psychology, pharmacology, math, and communication
skills. Graduates of an approved program take a licensing examination
for practical nursing (NCLEX-PN). Upon passing NCLEX-PN and meeting
other state requirements, the graduate receives a license to practice as
a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in Kentucky.
Associate Degree Nursing (RN)
Associate degree nurses are prepared to function in various health
care settings as providers of care, managers of care, and members within
the discipline of nursing. They perform acts, which require special
knowledge in the psychological, biological, physical and social sciences
in the application of nursing knowledge to client care situations.
Associate degree nursing programs are offered at universities,
colleges and community colleges and require at least two years of
full-time study (60-72 credit hours). The curriculum and clinical
practice reflects current trends in health care. Courses in the
sciences, humanities, and nursing provide the foundation of the program.
Nursing courses include classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences
that enhance learning. Graduates of an approved program, take a
licensure examination for registered nursing (NCLEX-RN). Upon passing
NCLEX-RN and meeting other state requirements, the graduate receives a
license to practice as a registered nurse (RN) in Kentucky.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (RN)
BSN nursing education programs are usually based in colleges and
universities and are four years in length (120-140 semester credit
hours) and prepare individuals to practice professional nursing as a
generalist. The program of study emphasizes courses in the natural
sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities.
Approximately one-half of the curriculum consists of general education
courses. Major foci in baccalaureate nursing education are to develop
critical decision making skills, exercise independent nursing judgment,
and acquire management and research skills.
Graduates of baccalaureate nursing programs are prepared to provide
health promotion and health restoration care for individuals, families,
and groups in a variety of institutional and community settings. The
usual degree awarded is the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
Graduates of an approved program, take a licensure examination for
registered nursing (NCLEX-RN). Upon passing NCLEX-RN and meeting other
state requirements, the graduate receives a license to practice as a
registered nurse (RN) in Kentucky. Registered nurses with an associate
degree who return to school for a bachelor’s degree do not re-take the
licensing examination.
Masters of Science Degree in Nursing (RN) or (ARNP)
This degree in nursing is a specialist degree. A registered nurse
concentrates study in one particular area of nursing and become an
expert in that area. That area of concentration may be nursing
administration, adult health, community health, maternal-child health,
women’s health, mental health, gerontology, rehabilitation care,
and/or advanced practice in anesthesiology, pediatric nurse
practitioner, family nurse practitioner, and nurse midwife. Most masters
degree programs are restricted to nurses who have a BSN degree and
require approximately 36-46 credit hours. A few programs offer the ADN
to MSN degree option to qualified Registered Nurses.
Upon graduation most programs require the graduate to pass a
comprehensive written or oral examination or prepare a research thesis.
The graduate of the Master’s in Science in Nursing (MSN.) or the
Master of Science with a major in nursing degree (MS) may be eligible to
take a national certifying examination which qualifies the nurse for
registration by the state as an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP).
For a Nursing Career
- Set your educational goals.
- Contact the school(s) of your choice for academic program,
financial aid information, and scholarship opportunities.
- BEGIN YOUR NURSING EDUCATION!
For Additional Information Contact:
KY Nursing Mobility Task Force
PO Box 2616
1400 South First Street
Louisville, KY 40201
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