General Nurse Information

In addition to “doing no harm,” legal and ethical aspects of nursing and patient care pertain to rules regarding patient rights, confidentiality, and negotiating the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). New workplace technology not only impacts practice, but the management of information in an era of rising concerns about patient privacy. Since Provision 3 of the American Nurses Association Code charges nurses with “safeguarding” patients right to privacy, nurses are at the center of these developing issues.

In June 2001, the American Nurses Association House of Delegates approved the revised nine major provisions of the Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. It was fully approved by the Congress of Nursing Practice and Economics the following month. The document can be viewed online at the American Nurses Association website.

The International Council of Nurses updated its international code of ethics in 2005. The four principal elements of the code are Nurses and People, Nurses and Practice, Nurses and the Profession, and Nurses and Co-workers.

A Growing Presence

Current estimates indicate that, among health care positions in general, registered nurses will continue to be among the most sought after professionals throughout the next decade. Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2014, when 1.2 million new and replacement nurses will be needed (according to a 2006 report by the American Hospital Association). Although numbers vary, authorities estimate that in 2006 there are roughly 120,000 vacant positions nationwide.

Where to Start

In the last 15 years, nursing specialties and subspecialties have expanded dramatically, providing more clinical practice opportunities than ever before—dermatology nurses, certified registered nurse anesthetists, oncology nurse specialists, flight nurses, public health nurses and even home health nurses are just a few of the many choices available. Any business owner preparing a home health care business plan knows that the core of that program’s success will depend upon the recruitment and retention of qualified nurses.

Specialties are typically derived from four main headings: 1) setting or type of treatment (example: emergency care nurses), 2) disease or condition (example: HIV/AIDS nurses), 3) body system or organ (example: gastroenterology nurses), and 4) patient population (example: geriatric nurses).

Like all health care positions, a nursing degree must be earned from an accredited program recognized by the state Board of Registered Nursing and a credential awarded upon successful completion of the comprehensive nursing test, known as the NCLEX®.

A nursing degree can be earned in many ways:

• An associate’s degree (ADN) is a two-year program and is the minimum requirement for becoming a registered nurse. (NOTE: With pressures from the nursing shortage, more schools are exploring opportunities to accelerate the graduation of nurses into the profession by shortening the academic program where feasible.)
• A bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) is a four-year program. (Accelerated programs are available for individuals who have a bachelor’s degree in another field.) There is an increasing emphasis within the industry to recruit more BSN-prepared professionals. Some employers will help sponsor a registered nurse who chooses to pursue a BSN.
• A licensed vocational nurse (LVN) can earn a degree in one year.
• Diploma program in nursing (ADN) is linked to a hospital and typically is completed in 2-3 years.
• A master’s degree in nursing (MSN) qualifies individuals to become instructors or advanced-practice specialists.

A nursing degree can be secured through a growing number of accelerated programs, especially for LVNs earning an RN degree, or RNs earning a BSN degree. Though intensive, some of these programs may take as little as one additional year of study.

A nursing degree is transferable to professional choices outside of acute, critical or emergency care nursing. A nursing degree can be the step to becoming a midwife, a case manager, an infection control specialist, a legal consultant or even an administrator.

Nurse Practitioners

In some instances, such as in diabetes care, nurse-managed programs have shown better patient outcomes for lower costs.