The three major educational paths to registered nursing practice include a bachelor’s science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in nursing (ADN), and a diploma. BSN programs are offered by colleges and universities and usually take about four years to finish the degree. ADN programs are offered by junior and community colleges and usually take about two to three years to finish. Diploma programs are given in hospitals and take about three years to complete.
The second degree program for individuals who have already a baccalaureate degree in another field is another type of educational program that has emerged to prepare individuals for licensure as an RN (Huber, 2006). A nurse should pass a registered nursing licensure examination in order to become a registered nurse. Hospital-based diploma programs are the most traditional of nursing education programs that prepare for RN licensure.
They started as training programs taught by doctors and where only few weeks in duration. Graduates of BSN started the federal government to offer support for the development of a master of science in nursing degree. Traineeship and fellowship grants allowed several RNs to go back to school to earn BSN and advanced degrees to prepare for employment in administration, education, practice, and research (Lenburg, 2005).
It is important for nursing administrators to provide RNs with the continuing education needed for them to develop delegation skills in order to adapt to their changing professional roles. Continuing education on delegation strategies are requirements for RNs practicing in a competitive managed care settings because the delegation skills they acquire in nursing schools were not enough to meet the demands of patient care in the restructure health care settings (Parson).
Scope of Registered Nursing Practice The scope of practice of registered nurses can vary from institution to institution and from state to state. Each state in the United States has laws pertaining to the appropriateness for various types of nursing professionals. The tasks and jobs comprising the registered nursing practice are outlined in the Nursing Practice Act, Business and Professions Code Section 2725.
The Nursing Practice Act authorizes registered nurses to have direct and indirect patient care services to make sure the safety, personal hygiene, comfort and protection of patient, and the performance of preventing diseases and restoring measures. RNs must posses the ability to administer medications and therapeutic agents needed to perform disease prevention, a treatment or rehabilitation procedure given by and within the scope of licensed physicians, podiatrists, clinical psychologists, and dentists.
They must also perform skin tests, the withdrawal of blood from veins and arteries, and immunization techniques. The scope of practice involves the capability to observe vital signs and symptoms of illness, general physical condition, patients’ reactions to treatment, and to implement necessary medical reporting, or referral, or standardization procedure, or modifications in treatment procedure that are agreeable with standard procedures, or the initiation of procedures pertaining to emergency care.