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:
“But ice-crunching and loud gum-chewing, together with drumming on tables, and whistling the same tune seventy times in succession, because they indicate an indifference on the part of the perpetrator to the rest of the world in general, are not only registered on the delicate surfaces of the brain but eat little holes in it until it finally collapses or blows up.”
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“Peace,
Dear nurse of arts, plenties, and joyful births.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)