There are now many roles within the healthcare sector. There being more roles means that there are many more opportunities for people to help others by taking up these roles. One of the many roles in healthcare is a registered practical nurse. A RPN’s role is somewhat similar to that of the licenced practical nurse. Their job is to us their education and skills to assist patients, report back to the senior nurses or doctors and carry out jobs like checking is there has been an improvement in the patient’s condition as well as to check things like blood pressure and heart rate. Registered practical nurses tend to work mostly in hospitals, clinics, community centres, nursing home or even schools. They provide general care for people of all ages. RPNs tend to deal with non-severe and stable illnesses. The role of a registered practical nurse can be varied with different responsibilities which they can carry out every day. They can be involved in monitoring a patient’s improvement in health on a daily basis, take blood samples and update charts. All the tasks carried out by nurses play an important role in helping the healthcare system function adequately.

There are a set of skills which generally all registered practical nurses should have so they can carry out their job to the best of their ability. Skills required include compassion, multitasking, excellent communication skills, empathy and patient care skills. To become a registered practical nurse, one needs to go to nursing school or a community college. How many hours a day a registered practical nurse chooses to work is up to them. The timings can vary such as working only evenings, daytimes or even night hours. In some countries, after becoming a registered practical nurse one can go onto other routes such as becoming Advanced registered practical nurse, nursery worker or even a teaching assistant. RPNs also play an active role not only in supporting the patient but also their families by providing them with health and safety information. They also carry out tasks like providing assistance during changing dressings, bathing patients and giving patients medication. If they notice any changes to the patient’s health, they also report it so quick action can be taken.

When a patient comes in, nurses tend to be the first point of contact for them which means a rapport is built earlier on. It often tends to be that nurses are the ones who spend most time with the patients. A career like this can be very rewarding because going home thinking that your effort today has helped someone feel better can be a very pleasing and gratifying feeling. Lying in a hospital bed all day long can become very uncomfortable for some people. And since they may not have the opportunity to meet and spend time with their family and friends as often as they can, they can become quite lonely. Therefore, the presence of a nurse can be very helpful for them as they can take some time out to talk to the patient and make sure everything is okay and that they are comfortable. For a good rapport to build it is essential that there is efficient and clear communication between the patient and the nurse. It is through clear verbal communication that decisions regarding the treatment of the patient are made. Dealing with someone’s health is a big responsibility and through a good rapport the job can be done more easily.

The role of a qualified registered practical nurse is not only limited to working in a hospital but they can also work in nursing homes or work for home care providing companies. Each place has a slightly different way of working and has a different environment therefore a nurse can learn something new and obtain new skills.  As mentioned about the role of registered practical nurse Is very varied so some of the other tasks, they carry out are maintaining clinical records, doing a regular health check-up of a resident in a care home, direct other nurses to do tasks and provide training for newly qualified nurses and other staff. A benefit of having a career within the healthcare setting is that it never gets boring and monotonous there are always new challenges every day. No day is exactly the same. With the increased use of technology and records of patients being stored online. It is becoming essential that nurses have skills like dealing with MS Excel, work documents and PowerPoints.

Having a job in a healthcare setting isn’t always easy, however the passion to help others is something that keeps them going. Through more training and experience one can go on to having roles which are more demanding, therefore exposing yourself to new opportunities and have more newly lea