Nursing specialties

A Registered Nurse (RN) can specialize in one or more of the patient care specialties as per job requirements or personal preferences. The most common specialties have been divided into four main categories, on basis of:


Work setting or types of care provided,
Disease for which care is provided,
Body organ or the system for which care is provided, and
the section of population for which care is provided.
RNs may look towards specializing in any of the following popular specialties, with major emphasis on work settings and types of care they plan to provide.

Ambulatory Care Nurses provide health needs of individuals and families in diverse settings on outpatient basis. Emerging trend is "Telehealth" where care is provided by means of Internet or other communications in media. Stress involved is lesser than inpatient settings. Certified by "American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)", employers are usually ambulatory providers such as Primary Care Offices, HMOs, clinics, mobile health units etc.

Burn Care Nurses are employed in hospitals with burn departments or clinics providing such services. It can be physically and psychologically draining.

Critical Care Nurses are one of the in-demand health care professionals due to their ability to make quick decisions and stay calm, when lives are at stake. They provide care to patients with cardiovascular, respiratory or pulmonary failure, in intensive care hospital units.

Emergency/Trauma Nurses are in demand for their ability to make quick decisions about patients' condition and stay clam while dealing with potential life-threatening conditions caused by accidents, strokes, and heart attacks. Stress and grief pose challenge, while role autonomy, and team work are the characteristics. Certified by "Board Of Certification For Emergency Nurses", employers are acute-care and specialty hospitals, and emergency medical systems. In addition, they may become Flight nurses providing medical care to patients who are air-lifted for transportation to nearest the medical facility.

Holistic Nurses attend to all aspects of wellness and health of a holistic nature, where connection between mind, body and spirit is acknowledged and whole person is treated, rather than caring for just a disease or a symptom. Acupressure, Acupuncture, Massage, Aroma therapy, Yoga, and Biofeedback are performed by a Holistic Nurse.

Home Healthcare Nurses provide at-home care to patients in post-operative, post-partum stages or when recovering from accidents.

Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses provide care for terminally ill patients outside of hospitals with objective to ease their pain and suffering. They care for physical and emotional needs of dying patients and their family with interventions like pain management, palliative care, symptom management and emotional support. Certified by "National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses", employers are usually hospices, home health, hospitals and long-term care facilities. Dealing with deaths of all your patients is a big challenge in itself but the feeling of taking care of a dying patient and the opportunity to practice holistic nursing are motivational factors for many.

Infusion Nurses provide intravascular medications, fluids, blood products and assess their impact on the condition of patients. Certified by "Intravenous Nurses Certification Corporation", they are employed by hospitals, home health agencies and in physician offices. Irregular schedules, excessive paper work, and stress are the challenges. While role autonomy in addition to technical mastery are a few of the plus points.

Long-term Care Nurses provide nursing, psychosocial and personal care services on a recurring basis to patients with chronic physical or mental disorders. Increasing patient acuity can be a drawback for some but the lesser pressure and chaos is a plus.

Medical-Surgical Nurses provide basic health care to patients in all health settings.

Occupational Health Nurses work towards Primary Prevention and keeping the workforce healthy by combining concepts of public health and nursing, besides working towards realizing standards set by Occupational Safety and Health Act, maintaining records, providing care to the ill or injured employees. Certified by ""American Board for Occupational Health Nurses"", employers are usually in business establishments, factories, or mills.

PeriAnesthesia Nurses prepare patients for a surgical experience, support safe transition out of anesthetized state and provide intensive care to patients until they are ready to be discharged from the perianesthesia care unit. Certification is done by"American Board Of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Certification"

Peri-Operative Nurses provide preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care to patients and assist surgeons in the operation room by handling instruments, controlling bleeding and suturing incisions. Learning opportunities and teamwork are a plus, while frequent emergencies and exposure to human suffering may be a drawback for some. Certified by "CNOR and CRNFA Certification Board Perioperative Nursing", employers are usually in hospital surgical departments, ambulatory surgical centers, clinics, or a physician's offices.

Psychiatric Nurses care for patients with personality and mental disorders. Uncooperative or dangerous patients may be one of the drawbacks besides restrictive patient-care policies, excessive paper work and a conflict from misconceptions and mental illness. Certification is done by ANCC.

Find out more about Internet Marketing Strategy and get up to speed with Best website review here. Learn where the best places are to get Directory Information which is a popular website that specializes in providing information of Business.