Becoming an Adult Nurse
Adult Nurses help the adolescent and elderly patients to recover from illness, diseases, injuries or other health problems. Their responsibilities include assisting doctors to diagnose the patient, checking temperatures, measuring blood pressure and breathing rates, providing drugs and injections, leaning and dressing wounds, giving blood transfusions, managing health care plans, observing and recording the condition of patients etc. In some cases, they help treat acute and chronic medical conditions.
In addition, Adult Nurses provide health care education to promote good health. They also offer emotional support to the patients and their family members. These professionals may specialize in an area such as accident and emergency, cardiac rehabilitation, outpatients, neonatal nursing, and operating theater work.
Adult Nurses work in a variety of health care settings including government and private hospitals, clinics, general medical practices, rehabilitation centers, home healthcare centers and nursing care facilities etc.
Educational requirements
To become an Adult Nurse, aspiring candidates must have to obtain a Master’s degree in nursing. The syllabus in Master’s program covers Advanced Pharmacology, Population based health care, Health and wellness promotion, Adult health management etc.
However, entrance into a master’s program requires the completion of a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During the degree program, nursing students study Nursing fundamentals, Pathophysiology, Health assessment, Pharmacology, Adult nursing practices etc.
Certification
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers board certification in adult nursing to the candidates who hold Master’s or Doctoral degrees from accredited nursing programs and have a minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours of experience.
Licensure
The practice of Adult Nurse must be licensed in USA. Hence, the aspiring candidates have to complete an approved nursing program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to obtain a licensure.
Skill set
Besides the clinical knowledge, Adult Nurses possess various skills such as a mature, compassionate and sensitive manner, a clear understanding of confidentiality, high medical ethics, ability to remain calm under pressure, work with compassion, pleasant communications and interpersonal skills , Management and organization abilities, basic computer knowledge to name a few.
Job Outlook and Salary
The job outlook for an Adult Nurse remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 26% during 2010-2020. The average annual salary of an Adult Nurse was $66,220 in 2013.