Supervised by nurses and other medical staff, nursing assistants or nursing aides assist patients with dressing, bathing, eating, getting out or into bed, and answering patient’s requests. Along with making the patient’s bed and keeping their room orderly and neat, they check patient’s vital signs such as respiration and blood pressure, provide skin care, and record and report any emotional or physical changes in the patient to their supervisor. There are many nurse career advancement opportunities for nursing aides such as continuing their education to become a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse.
Licensed practical nurses and registered nurses work in hospitals, doctor’s offices, ambulatory care facilities, clinics, emergency medical centers, patient’s homes, nursing care facilities, schools, work sites, and many other places. Along with supervising nursing aides, licensed practical nurses monitor patients, administer medications, develop care plans and implement them, and handle other basic healthcare needs. Licensed practical nurses often continue their education and accept nurse career advancement opportunities as registered nurses.
Some of the many job functions of registered nurses include, assisting physicians during examinations, treatments and surgeries; observe and provide direct care to their patient’s; develop care plans and implement them; supervise nursing aides and licensed practical nurses; administer patient’s medication; and diagnose common injuries, illnesses and treat them. In order for a registered nurse to have more nurse career advancement opportunities such as administrative and teaching positions or clinical research and nursing management positions, they study to obtain their Bachelor of Science in nursing degree.
With a Bachelor of Science, Masters or other nursing degrees, nurse career advancement opportunities and promotional prospects increase along with the salaries. Some of the many specialty fields include:
Cardiac Care Nurse – work with both heart disease patients and families; monitor cardiac drugs; care for pacemaker, angioplasty, and bypass patients
Forensic Nurse – aides in crime investigations such as assault, abuse, accidental death, and sexual assault
Nephrology Nurse – cares for kidney disease patients or those at risk
Nurse Educator – mentor and teach in practice and classroom settings; responsible for instructing, preparing lesson plans, encouraging and inspiring nursing students.
Of the many nurse career advancement opportunities, there are leadership positions, which include head nurses, nurse administrators, or nurse supervisors. Nurses in these positions often direct nursing activities, assign duties, arrange or provide training, and plan work schedules for nursing aides, registered nurses, and other nurses. They are in charge of maintaining records and ordering the necessary supplies and equipment. Continued education increases their nurse career advancement opportunities and gives them far more flexibility and job options.
Dental assistant career advancement opportunities have never been better in the United States than they are today, partly due to Americans obsession with keeping their own teeth as long as possible and having them look pearly white. Dental assistants perform a large variety of duties such as patient care, laboratory, and office duties. When patients come in, the dental assistant makes them comfortable, gives the dentist the patient’s dental records, and prepares the patient for treatment. As the dentist examines his or her patient, the dental assistant works along side and hand the necessary materials and instruments to the dentist, along with using a device such as suction to keep the patients mouth clear. It is the dental assistant’s job to disinfect and sterilize the dental equipment and instruments, prepare the needed instrument trays, and instruct patients on both general oral health and postoperative care. For experienced dental assistants, there is a number of dental assistance, career advancement opportunities available to them.
As dental assistants gain working knowledge and expertise, many prepare restoration and impression materials and not only take but process dental x-rays under the dentists direction. For those looking for dental assistant career advancement opportunities, they may become involved in removing sutures, using impressions to make casts of the mouth and teeth, or in the making of temporary crowns. Some schedule appointments, maintain patient records, do the billing and order dental materials and supplies.
Some individuals interested in dental assistant career advancement opportunities choose to continue their education and become licensed dental hygienists. Unlike dental assistants, dental hygienists examine a patient’s gums and teeth, record the presence of abnormalities or disease, remove hard and soft deposits, plaque, stains, and calculus from their patients teeth, and provide other dental care. Some prepare laboratory and clinical diagnostic tests, which the dentists then interpret. Others wanting dental assistant career advancement opportunities may decide to change occupations and become occupational therapist aides and assistants, medical assistants, physical therapist aides and assistants, pharmacy technicians, or even return to school to become dentists.
The job outlook for dental assistants along with those that have accepted dental assistant career advancement positions looks extremely favorable. They expect employment in the dental assistant field to grow far faster than average, along with other healthcare occupations, over the next seven years. There will be many new job openings created by employment growth, individuals that accept dental assistant career advancement positions, dental assistants reaching retirement age, and those leaving the field altogether. With older and middle aged people retaining their natural teeth longer, this increases the demand for dentists, dental assistants, and dental services.
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