A Registered Nurse (RN) can specialize in one or more of the patient care specialties as per job requirements or personal preferences. The most common specialties have been divided into four main categories, on basis of:
Work setting or types of care provided,
Disease for which care is provided,
Body organ or the system for which care is provided, and
the section of population for which care is provided.
RNs may look towards specializing in any of the following popular specialties, with major emphasis on work settings and types of care they plan to provide.
Ambulatory Care Nurses provide health needs of individuals and families in diverse settings on outpatient basis. Emerging trend is “Telehealth” where care is provided by means of Internet or other communications in media. Stress involved is lesser than inpatient settings. Certified by “American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)”, employers are usually ambulatory providers such as Primary Care Offices, HMOs, clinics, mobile health units etc.
Burn Care Nurses are employed in hospitals with burn departments or clinics providing such services. It can be...