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Nursing Profession

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Submitted By talk2ade2001
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Nursing is one of the few professions with vast opportunities for growth and advancement Opportunities abound in both the clinical tract and the management tract of nursing. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the advancement opportunities one has as a professional nurse with a bachelor of science ( BSN) degree.
In the Clinical tract, we see nurses moving up the ladder through advancement in education. Most nurses started as Nurses Aid or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). A number of nurses advanced by obtaining an Associate of Nursing Degree (ADN), and subsequently passed the state board of nursing exam to become a registered nurse.
(Carter, 2012).
As frontline RN, you are inclined to confront real life and death issues; be it resuscitating a patient in the unit or providing care for terminally ill patients. You acquire experience and become very comfortable with patient care in the clinical setting.
However, the quest for more knowledge and the belief that we can do better, motivates an individual to pursue higher education like the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or a Masters of Science Degree in Nursing (MSN). These undertakings allow for the exploration of other opportunities in the clinical setting as well as the management setting. (Donley & Fiaherty,, 2008).
Some of the opportunities in the clinical tract include Unit Nurse Educator, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), and Clinical Nurse Specialist just to mention a few.
In the management tract, the focus is usually on the performance of the work force, which ultimately will have trickling down effect on patient care and patient satisfaction. According to Tappen, “ management is often described as the process of getting work done through other people. (Tappen, 2001, p 5).
Examples of opportunity in the management tract include positions such as a Unit

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