Karla ortiz

English 1010
Dr. Anne Canavan
11/7/2017
Registered Nurse (RN)

Does helping others make you happy? How does knowing you will always have a job

make you feel? Do you like knowing there is still place to grow after picking a career? If helping

others, having a job, and growing makes you feel good then you might consider becoming a

registered nurse. I decided to go into the nursing field because I like to help others. As a certified

nurse assistant (CNA) at a nursing home I see how lots of patients dont get the care they need

because facilities are usually short staffed. I want patients to get the care they deserve and that is

why I chose this career. A registered nurse (RN) can work with helping the elderly, children,

babies, adults, etc. You cant get bored as a RN as there are many specialties you can work in

like helping cancer patients, labor and delivery, dementia units, etc

To get further insight in being a RN, I interviewed Shaully Morris. Morris is a RN at a

skilled nursing facility. Going into nursing has many benefits. There is a major shortage in

nurses so medical facilities and hospitals are always hiring nurses and will give a hiring bonus

(9 awesome benefits). The shortage in nurses also means you can pick up extra shifts and work

lots of overtime. Some facilities will also give bonuses for picking up shifts. Job flexibility for

nurses is high. You can work full time, part time, mornings, evenings, night shifts, etc. The nice

thing of working as a RN is you can work three days and have four days off and still be a full

time nurse (Morris). You can never get bored as a nurse because there are so many specialties

you can work in like helping the doctor deliver babies as a labor and delivery nurse, helping the
surgeon as a scrub nurse in the operating room (OR) by keeping the OR sterile and handing the

surgeon the tools needed, working with cancer patients as a oncology nurse, travel nurse which

goes to hospitals in need of nurses all over the country, providing comfort care for dying patients

as a hospice nurse, and many more.

If you are interested in the nursing benefits you might consider nursing school youre

probably wondering what classes you have to take before getting into the program and what

classes you to take during the program. It takes about two years to finish the nursing program,

however there are some prerequisites that you need to take before youre able to apply. The

prerequisites differ from school to school, but for Salt Lake Community College they consist of

College Biology, College Biology Lab, Human Anatomy, Human Anatomy lab, Human

Physiology, Human Physiology lab, Elementary Chemistry, Elementary Chemistry lab, and

College Algebra( SLCC). Shaully Morris also recommends to take pathophysiology before

entering the program. It is really hard to get an A on the first try with some of these classes I

had to take several more than once to get the grade I wanted.(Morris).The estimated cost for

Salt Lake Community College student nursing courses is $1,750 per semester and $1,400 for

books (SLCC). To apply into the nursing program you must also have some experience in

certified nursing assistant or medical assistant (SLCC)

Nursing is one of the most changed majors so it is highly recommended to get some

experience in the field in as a CNA or an MA. Before you decide whether you want to get your

CNA or MA to get some experience you might want to look at what the duties of each are and

which you would be able to handle. A CNA is more of a caregiver they help the patients with

their activities of daily living (ADL). Examples of ADLs are brushing the teeth, dressing,
showering, toileting, feeding, etc. Medical assistants can do vitals, draw blood, administer shots,

paperwork like coding and insurance, give over the counter meds, contact patients regarding

refills and health information, lab work like taking a urinalysis (UA) or pregnancy test. Certified

nursing assistant are mostly needed in nursing homes and hospitals and Medical Assistants work

in doctor's office, hospitals, private practice or in clinics. Another difference would be the

salary. The average median pay for a Certified Nurse Assistant is $26,590 a year that's about

12,78 dollars per hour, while Medical Assistants average median pay is of $31,540 a year, about

15.17 dollars per hour (Healthcare).

Once entering and completing a year in the program you may take a test to get a Licensed

Practical Nurse (LPN) and work as one while still working on getting your RN. After completing

the program you must take the National Council Licensure Examination exam to determine if

you are qualified to get your RN. The reason why you should continue the program to get your

RN after getting your LPN is because facilities and hospitals prefer to hire RNs over LPNs. The

reason for this is because a RN can work in more specialties and are allowed to do more duties.

For example LPNs can not do IVs and Registered Nurses can. Registered nurses also get paid

more than a LPNs. The average median pay for a Licensed Practical Nurse is $44,090 per year,

around 21.20 dollars per hour and a Registered Nurse median pay is $68,450 that's about 31.91

dollars per hour (Healthcare).

In the profession of nursing youre going to be providing care and working with others.

Everyday youre going to be faced with tough challenges no matter where you choose to work

whether its in the emergency room, hospice care, cancer center, labor and deliver, etc. As a

nurse in a nursing home the day starts off by getting report on residents from the previous shift.
Report is when the previous nurse lets the oncoming nurse know of any changes like changes in

medication, patient's condition, or if they had a new patient come in. After report is given blood

sugars are taken if needed and medications that are due before breakfast are given to 30+

patients. Once that is done some charting is done before they have to pass out medications that

are due before lunch and then again for dinner. Charting is documenting medications given and

refused, changes on residents, and basically everything you do or don't do. Other than

administering medication nurses do skin checks and if any abnormalities they have to document

it and if needed a dressing is applied. Nurses are also in charge of calling family members and

doctor when a resident falls or has any changes in condition and have to decide if they want to

send them out to the hospital or not.

Nurses carry immense responsibility and require a lot of patience because not all patients

are nice and grateful. Nurses are special people, not everyone can be one (Morris). The

nurse's personality is a big contributor to whether if you are a good nurse or not. Nurses must be

able to deal with difficult situations like not letting the death of a patient affect the way they

work or having family members yelling at you because they think their family member is not

getting the care that they would like (Morris). Nurses must be able to make quick and good

decisions in order to keep patients alive. Dont get scared though. It is not all bad there is also

good things like getting to meet new people, hearing the elderlies stories and jokes, and knowing

you are making someone's quality of life better.

If you like the feeling you get when you help someone out then Nursing might be a great

choice for you. They have good benefits, schooling isnt too long, theres opportunities to grow,
never get bored of your job, and will never fear of being jobless. Nursing might be hard but it has

a great payoff you will touch someone's life or they will touch your life.
 Work Cited

9 Awesome Benefits to Pursue a Career in Nursing. Nurse Journal,

https://nursejournal.org/articles/nursing-careers/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017

Healthcare Occupations. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,

www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017.

Morris, Shaully. Personal Interview. 14 Nov. 2017

SLCC Catalog. Program of Study: Nursing: AAS (CTE) - Salt Lake Community College -

Acalog ACMS, 2017.

catalog.slcc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=10&poid=3598&hl=nursing&returnto=sea

rch. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017.