How Have You Been Affected By the Shortage of Nurses? April 1, 2010
Posted by americannursing in Articles.add a comment
Everyone knows about the shortage of nurses in the United States, but few have asked themselves, “How does the shortage of nurses affect me?” To answer the question, you may need a bit of information about what nurses do.
Registered nurses (RNs) provide direct care for patients in acute care settings (59% are in hospitals), in public health programs, home health, long term care, correctional facilities, schools, doctors’ offices, summer camps, and in the military. RNs also work in jobs that do not provide direct patient care such as: infection control nurses, nurse administrators, legal nurse consultants and nurse educators. The roles and settings for RNs to work are varied and every potential site for a nurse to work is affected by the shortage.
Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) provide basic bedside care for patients in a variety of settings. LVNs work in clinics, long term care/rehabilitation facilities (75% are in nursing-homes), correctional facilities, doctors’ offices and in home health care. LVNs care for patients under the direction of RNs or MDs. Patients need care 24 hours a day, and nurses (both RNs and LVNs) work a variety of hours and days. LVNs also work in jobs that do not provide direct patient care such as: staff developers, administrators, educators and consultants.
