Certified Nurse: Duties & Job Market

by Barbara Bellesi

Certified nurses, often referred to as registered nurses or RNs, play integral roles in the health care industry. Certified or registered nurses care for and educate patients with a variety of medical conditions in a variety of health care environments.

What do certified nurses do?
In addition to providing medical care and education, nurses also offer emotional support for patients and their loved ones as they undergo medical procedures. Nurses work to establish or add to a plan of care for patients during and after a hospital visit or stay.

Nurses can specialize in one of four areas: in a particular part of the hospital, such as the operating or emergency room; in a specific health condition or disease, such as diabetes; in a specific organ of the body, such as the heart; or in a specific part of the population, such as pediatrics.

How do you find certified nurse jobs?
Nursing is the largest job in the health care industry. Nurses hold over 2.5 million jobs, with over half of them employed by hospitals. Other places where nurses work include doctors' offices, schools, and military medical units.

Wha do certified nurse programs entail?
Men and women interested in becoming certified or registered nurses have three options for education: a Bachelor's degree, an associate degree, or a diploma. Many colleges and universities offer BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) degrees, which take four years to complete. Many of these same schools -- as well as community and junior colleges -- also offer the ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing), which takes only two years to complete. Additionally, there are hospitals that offer three-year diploma programs but not nearly as many as colleges and universities that offer two- and four-year degree programs.

Those who want to pursue advanced studies in nursing can also earn Master's and doctoral degrees in nursing. These options are for individuals who wish to pursue senior or supervisory positions at a hospital or health care facility or who want to teach or conduct research at a college or university.

What is the demand for certified nurses?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for certified nurses will grow by more than a half million jobs by the year 2016. This is due in great part to the aging of the baby boom population; however, growth will be ultimately determined by the population needing care in a particular geographical setting.