A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a college or university and has passed a national licensing exam. Registered nurses help individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease. They care for the sick and injured in hospitals and other health care facilities, physicians' offices, private homes, public health agencies, schools, camps, and industry. Some registered nurses are employed in private practice. Many first become a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN). A registered nurse's scope of practice is determined by the regional college or association, as well as by the government responsible for health care in the region. These bodies outline what is legal practice for registered nurses and what tasks they may or may not perform. As of 2011, there are 2.24 million registered nurses in China.
Famous quotes containing the words registered and/or nurse:
“During the Suffragette revolt of 1913 I ... [urged] that what was needed was not the vote, but a constitutional amendment enacting that all representative bodies shall consist of women and men in equal numbers, whether elected or nominated or coopted or registered or picked up in the street like a coroner’s jury. In the case of elected bodies the only way of effecting this is by the Coupled Vote. The representative unit must not be a man or a woman but a man and a woman.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“I don’t know how long it has been since my ear has been free from the roll of a drum. It is the music I sleep by, and I love it.... I shall remain here while anyone remains, and do whatever comes to my hand. I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.”
—Clara Barton (1821–1912)