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Nursing Careers

California Occupational Guide Number 2002-C
1995 (Archived August 2003)
                           Nurses Aides/Assistants

Facts......Facts......Facts

"Employment has grown in all health-care sectors, especially in home care, 
nursing, and personal care facilities, offices and clinics of medical 
doctors and dentists, and hospitals."

                                       U.S. Industrial Outlook 1994

What They Do

Nurses Assistants perform any combination of the following duties in caring 
for patients in hospital, nursing home, or other medical facility under the 
direction of nursing and medical staff.  They answer signal lights, bells, 
or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.  Aides/Assistants bathe, 
dress, and undress patients.  They may serve and collect food trays and feed 
patients who require help to eat.  Nurses Aides duties vary according to 
training and experience and may be designated by various titles, such as 
psychiatric aide, nurse attendant, or hospital attendant, depending upon the 
practice of the employer.


Skills

 -- Interact with different kinds of patients, their families and other 
    health professionals
 -- Understand human behavior
 -- Gain trust of others
 -- Base decisions on measurable, verifiable information
 -- Work as a team member


Training/Requirements

 -- May be required to have a High School diploma or equivalent
 -- May be required to have six months experience 
 -- Some hospitals train employees for one to nine weeks under the close 
    supervision of a General Duty Nurse or a Licensed Practical Nurse.
 -- May be required to take a physical exam

Extended care and skilled nursing facilities require:

 -- At least six months experience
 -- Completion of a formal nursing course in a Community College or 
    Hospital-Affiliated School 
 -- Participation in a State approved work-study program leading toward a 
    Nursing Assistant Certificate

Outlook

This occupation is one of a group of Nurses Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants 
estimated to grow approximately 37 percent from 1990 through the year 2005.

This occupation is estimated to grow faster than the average of all 
occupations through the year 2005.

Hourly Wage

Salaries differ from one district to another, by additional education and 
licensing, and amount of work or experience.  Nurses Aides with no 
experience may earn an hourly wage from $4.80 to $9.00.  With two years 
experience they usually earn $5.00 to $9.75, and Nurses Aides with three or 
more years of experience may make $5.25 to $10.25 per hour.

Related Occupations

Licensed Vocational Nurses
Psychiatric Technicians

Occupational Codes

DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 4th Ed., Rev. 1)  355.674-014
OES (Occupational Employment Survey) System                    660080


                             NURSES ANESTHETISTS

Facts......Facts......Facts

"CRNAs are anesthesia specialists who administer more than 65 percent of the 
26 million anesthetics given to patients each year in the United States.  
(Anesthetics are drugs that provide general or local insensitivity to pain.)"

                                     The Sacramento Bee
                                     Sunday, May 2, 1993

What They Do

A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) prepares for a medical 
procedure by setting up his/her assigned operating rooms with necessary 
equipment and supplies, meeting with assigned clients to build the clients 
confidence in her/him, and by completing necessary preoperative procedures.  
(Preoperative medical procedures might include administering medication, 
hooking up the patient's IV, or connecting the patient to a life support 
system, etc.).  Then when the patient goes into the operating room for 
his/her surgery, the CRNA administers either a general or local anesthetic 
to the patient.

Skills

 -- Possess great technical skill 
 -- Possess theoretical knowledge
 -- Be skillful at monitoring a patient's vital signs during a surgical 
    procedure
 -- Knowledge of operating computerized equipment
 -- Knowledge of initiating remedial measures to prevent surgical shock 
    or other adverse conditions
 -- Knowledge of applying various anesthetics to patient
 -- Ability to work with a team

Training/Requirements

 -- Bachelor of Science in Nursing or related field
 -- Registered Nurse License
 -- Have a minimum of one year's experience in acute care nursing 
 -- Graduate from a two (or more) year accredited nurse anesthesia 
    education program 
 -- Pass nurse anesthetists certification exam to become a CRNA
 -- Every two years, complete continuing education and recertification 
    requirements

Outlook

This occupation is one of a group of registered nurses estimated to grow 
over 33 percent from 1990 through the year 2005.

Annual Wage

A national survey reported an annual average salary of $67,000 for Nurse 
Anesthetists.

Local wage data is not available.

Related Occupations

Physicians Assistant
Nurse Practitioners

Additional Sources of Information

American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
6300 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL  60018-4226

American Board of Post Anesthesia Nursing Certification
11512 Allecingie Parkway
Richmond, VA  23235


Occupational Codes

DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 4th Ed., Rev. 1)   075.371-010
OES (Occupational Employment Survey) System                     325020


                        NURSES, INFECTION CONTROL

Facts......Facts......Facts

Infection control programs in hospitals are becoming a mandatory procedure 
because of the rise of diseases that are easily transmitted by a wide 
variety of patients.


What They Do

Infection Control Nurses are vital to the safety of both patients and staff 
in the hospital.  The Nurse's primary goal is to control the number of 
hospital-acquired infections.  Infection Control Nurses coordinate a system 
that detects, investigates, and reports any infection that exist within the 
hospital.  A safe environment is achieved by monitoring a Health and Safety 
Management program and educating the employees and patients in infection 
control.  The Nurses are responsible to make sure all facilities are in 
compliance with operations codes.  The job requires keeping up-to-date on 
current literature and regulatory guidelines.  This information will help 
the nurses make accurate recommendations for maintaining an infection-free 
hospital.


Skills

 -- Interact with many kinds of people
 -- Work as team member
 -- Follow technical instructions
 -- Base decisions on measurable, verifiable information
 -- Work precisely and accurately


Training/Requirements

 -- Bachelor of Science in Nursing or health related field
 -- Registered Nursing License
 -- 3-5 years of Health and Safety Administration experience
 -- Be familiar with epidemiology, infectious diseases, and microbiology
 -- Know principles of plant, technical and safety management, legal, 
    and regulatory requirements governing infection control
 -- Some experience with hazardous waste management preferred


Outlook

This occupation is one of a group of registered nurses estimated to grow 
over 33 percent from 1990 through the year 2005.


Annual Wage 

The average annual salary for Nurses, Infection Control in 1993 was $39,000 
for nurses working in selected western states.

Local wage data are not available.


Related Occupations

 -- Epidemiologists
 -- Industrial Hygienists
 -- Infection Control Specialists
 -- Occupational Safety and Health Technicians
 -- Registered Nurses
 -- Safety Managers
 -- Safety Specialists


Additional Sources of Information

Association for Practitioners in Infection Control
505 E. Hawley Street
Mundelein, IL  60060

Infectious Diseases Society of America
c/o Vincent T. Andriole, M.D.
Yale Univ. School of Medicine
333 Dedar Street, 201 LCI
New Haven, CT  06510-8056

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
4733 Bethesda Avenue, Suite 750
Bethesda, MD  20814


Occupational Codes

DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles, 4th Ed., Rev. 1)  075.127-034
OES (Occupational Employment Survey) System                    325020


                            NURSE INFORMATICIANS


Facts......Facts......Facts

"The field of nursing informatics is still in its fledgling phase, but it 
is growing."
                                          NURSEweek, pg 18


What They Do

In 1989 J.R. Graves and A. Corcoran, two nursing informatics Researchers, 
defined Nursing Informatics in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship.  Here is 
their definition as quoted by NURSEweek:  "Nursing informatics is a 
combination of computer science, information science, and nursing science 
designed to assist in the management and processing of nursing data, 
information, and knowledge to support the practice of nursing and the 
delivery of nursing care."  They design, implement, maintain, and evaluate 
clinical nursing information systems.


Skills

 -- Have effective communication skills
 -- Make qualitative and verifiable decisions
 -- Ability to design effective nursing information systems
 -- Knowledge of creating innovative information technology
 -- Ability to conduct Research on integrating technology with nursing,   
    administration, and education
 -- Capable of developing models for nursing informatics
 -- Gather, interpret, use, and report data
 -- Devise and evaluate procedures


Training/Requirements

 -- Master's Degree in Nursing Informatics
 -- May be required to have Ph.D. in Nursing Informatics
 -- Possess great technical skill 
 -- Ability to solve practical inference problems
 -- Experienced at operating computerized equipment and software
 -- Ability to work with a team


Outlook

Computer systems are being used more extensively to monitor patients who 
are typically in intensive care units, to keep track of financial 
information, and to collect and analyze data from medical equipment and 
instruments.  According to Dataquest, Inc., a market Research firm, the 
worldwide market for computer systems dedicated to medical applications 
reached an estimated $610 million in 1993, an increase of nearly 10 percent 
over 1992.  This growth rate is expected to continue through 1996, with 
worldwide sales reaching more than $800 million.  This growth in medical 
applications will increase the demand for Nurse Informaticians.


Hourly Wage

Wage data is not available for Nurse Informaticians.


Related Occupations

Medical Informatics Specialists


Additional Sources of Information

American Medical Informatics Association
4915 St. Elmo Avenue, Suite 302
Bethesda, MD  20814

American Nursing Informatics Association
1656 W. Palais Road
Anaheim, CA  92802

Northern California Nursing Informatics Association
c/o San Francisco State Univ. Nursing Dept.
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA  94132-1722


Occupational Codes

DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles) is not available for this occupation.
OES (Occupational Employment Survey) System is not available for this 
     occupation.


Source:  State of California, Employment Development Department,
         Labor Market Information Division, Information Services Group, 
         (916) 262-2162.
Note:  This is NOT a job opening.  The purpose of this occupational guide is to provide you with useful information to help you make career decisions.   If you are searching for a job, go to:


California Employment Development Department   >>   Labor Market Information   >>   More Occupational Guides -- Current  |  Archived