Registered Nurse

A Registered Nurse ( RN ) is a health care professional responsible for implementing

the practice of nursing through the use of the nursing process in conjunction with other
health care professionals. Registered nurses work as patient advocates for the care and
recovery of the sick and maintenance of their health. In their work as advocates for the
patient, RNs use the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate nursing
care of the sick and injured. RNs have a significantly expanded scope of practice,
education and clinical training compared to that of licensed practical nurses.

A registered nurse's scope of practice is determined by each state's Nurse Practice Act. It
outlines what is legal practice for registered nurses and what tasks they may or may not
perform. Nurse Practice Acts also dictate the scope of practice for nurse practitioners
(NPs). An example is prescriptive authority for NPs. In some states, NPs can practice
completely autonomously and prescribe any category of medications. In other states, NPs
cannot prescribe controlled substances and may only practice with the collaboration of a
physician.

History
Modern ideas about hospitals and nursing as a profession did not develop until the 19th
century. The life and work of Florence Nightingale were a strong influence on the
profession's development. Nightingale, who came from a wealthy, upper-class British
family, dedicated her life to improving conditions in hospitals, beginning in an army
hospital during the Crimean War. In the United States, many of Nightingale's ideas were
put into practice for the care of the wounded during the Civil War. The care, however,
was provided by concerned individuals who nursed rather than by trained nurses. They
had not received the kind of training that is required for nurses today. The first school of
nursing in the United States was founded in Boston in 1873. In 1938, New York State
passed the first state law to require that practical nurses be licensed. Even though the first
school for the training of practical nurses was started almost 74 years ago, and the
establishment of other schools followed, the training programs lacked uniformity.

After the 1938 law was passed, a movement began to have organized training programs
that would assure new standards in the field. The role and training of nurses have
undergone radical changes since the first schools were opened.

Education standard for nurses have been improving constantly since that time. Today's
nurse is a highly educated, licensed health care professional. Extended programs of
training are offered throughout the country, and all states have enacted laws to assure
training standards are maintained and to assure qualification for licensure. Nurses are a
vital part of the health care system .