 Nursing Today By Hannah Dooley and Sara Comella

Introduction  “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.” (American Nurses Association)

Current Status in Kentucky  In Kentucky, the average nursing salary is $57,520. (Nursing License Map)

Nurses in Kentucky: Ethnicity  African Americans: 1,999  Pacific Islander: 60  Asian-Other: 237  Asian Indian: 541  Hispanic: 372  Native American: 127 (Kentucky Board of Nursing, 2015)

 White-Not of Hispanic Origin: 61,456  Other: 358  Total: 65,150 (Kentucky Board of Nursing, 2015)

Nurses in the United States  3.5 million nurses in 2011  3.2 million were female  330,000 male  Men earned, on average $60,700 while women earned $51,100 per year. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014)

Ethnic Differences in Nursing

Average Age of a Nurse in the United States  45.2 years old in 2000  46.8 years old in 2004  Only slightly more than ¼ of nurses were under age 40  16.6% under age 35  Over age 50: 25.5% (Orlovsky, 2006)

Setting  Hospitals  Nursing Homes  Medical Offices  Ambulatory Care Centers  Community Health Centers  Schools  Retail Clinics

 Camps  Homeless Shelters  Prisons  Sporting Events  Tourist Destinations

Patient Population (Traumarn29, 2012)

Responsibilities  Perform physical exams & health histories  Health promotion  Education  Administer Medications  Wound care  Interpret patient information (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Leadership  Proper assessments  Communication  Gaining knowledge every day  Teamwork

Legislation in Nursing  Kentucky senate bill 7- allowing advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe medication independently after four or more years of experience (Senate Bill no.7)

Patient advocate  American Nurses Association Code of Ethics  Protector  Teaching  Empathy  Own well-being

Organizations  Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses  Academy of Neonatal Nursing  The American Psychiatric Nurses Association  American Holistic Nurses Association (Academy of Neonatal Nursing)

Conclusion  Role of a nurse varies and can be extremely challenging  Nurse must be a educator, counselor, and advocate  Nursing is an evolving profession

Academy of Neonatal Nursing. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, American Nurses Association. (n.d.). What is nursing? Retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, May). Occupational employment and wages. Retrieved from: Home - American Psychiatric Nurses Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, Kentucky Board of Nursing. (2015, April 7). RN current licensure count by ethnic group &county of residence. Retrieved from: Landivar, L.C. (2013, February). Men in nursing occupations. Retrieved from Nursing License Map. (n.d.). Kentucky nursing license. Retrieved from: Organizational Affiliates. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, Policy & Advocacy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, Orlovsky, C. (2006). Survey says: Total number, average age of nurses both on the rise. Retrieved fromhttp:// Number-Average-Age-of-Nurses-Both-on-the-Rise_20142.aspxhttp:// Number-Average-Age-of-Nurses-Both-on-the-Rise_20142.aspx Traumarn29. (2012, August 7). Nurse to patient ratio summary statistics. Retrieved from: References