Types of Nurses

There are many different kinds of nurses, with each type requiring varied education requirements. Registered nurses, licensed practicing nurses and occupational health nurses are just three kinds of nurses, each with a specific skill set. There are specialized nurses that have careers which focus on such branches of medicine as child delivery and anesthetics, as well as a type of nurse that has the ability to function much like a doctor does.

LPNs

• Licensed practicing nurses are employed throughout the healthcare industry. LPNs are responsible for providing such services as taking a patient's vital signs, preparing injections and giving the shot, putting dressings on wounds and keeping track of the patient's condition. LPNs also can aid patients with bathing, getting dressed, washing themselves and other routine daily activities. LPNs work in hospital settings as well as in nursing homes, doctor's offices and clinics. In addition, an LPN may assist with laboratory tests, clean medical equipment and help in the delivery of babies. It takes about one year of education to become an LPN. Then the individual would be licensed nationally after passing an exam.

RNs

• Registered nurses (RNs) perform many duties including treatment of patients, advice and support to patients and their families, and teaching patients about different medical conditions. RNs can work in a hospital's emergency room, operating room, recovery room, or intensive care unit. RNs keep meticulous patient records, inventory medications, maintain supplies and can supervise other nurses. RNs also work in such places as nursing homes, home health care settings and doctors' offices. An RN needs to obtain a bachelor's or associate's degree or earn a diploma from a nursing program before passing a licensing examination.

Public Health Nurse

• A registered nurse with special training in the community health field is a public health nurse. The PHN can work in a hospital or in a health care facility as well as work in schools, community centers and the homes of patients where they perform many functions. PHNs provide immunizations from various diseases, launch investigations into outbreaks of contagious diseases, educate the public about proper nutrition and develop disease prevention plans. Like RNs, a public health nurse can go into a specialized field of nursing such as pediatrics. The same educational requirements as an RN are necessary to become a PHN as well as having training in community health.

Specialized Nurses

• The nurse midwife (an RN with advanced training) specializes in obstetrics and the care of the pregnant woman. The nurse midwife will follow a woman through her pregnancy and attend to the mother and child after the birth, working mostly in hospitals and clinics. A certified registered nurse anesthetist will work alongside surgeons, podiatrists, dentists and other professionals attending to the patient's anesthesia requirements. This type of nurse will have two or more years of training in addition to a degree in nursing.
  Home health nurses are registered nurses that travel to the home of the patient recovering from an illness, accident, or other event that keeps them homebound. An occupational health nurse is employed to provide workers with emergency care along with coordinating safety programs, with other functions as well.

Nurse Practitioner

• Nurse practitioners need a Master's degree in registered nursing before being able to function in a manner similar to a physician. Nurse practitioners do not need a doctor's supervision and they can conduct examinations and tests, diagnose patient's problems, decide on treatments, and write prescriptions in most states. Nurse practitioners work in the same settings that one would expect to find a doctor in.