LVN

1. a person trained in the scientific basis of nursing, meeting certain prescribed standards of education and clinical competence; see also nursing practice.

2. to provide services that are essential to or helpful in the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health and well-being.

3. to breast-feed an infant; see breastfeeding.

advanced practice nurse a registered nurse having education beyond the basic nursing education and certified by a nationally recognized professional organization in a nursing specialty, or meeting other criteria established by a Board of Nursing. The Board of Nursing establishes rules specifying which professional nursing organization certifications can be recognized for advanced practice nurses and sets requirements of education, training, and experience. Designations recognized as advanced practical nursing include clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, certified registered nurse anesthetist, and certified nurse-midwife.

nurse anesthetist an advanced practice nurse who administers intravenous, spinal, and other anesthetics during surgical operations, deliveries, and other medical and dental procedures. The certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) has completed postgraduate training and been certified in the administration of anesthetics. The address of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists is 222 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge, IL 60068.

associate nurse the 1985 House of Delegates of the American Nurses' Association recommended that “associate nurse” be established as the legal title for the person licensed to practice technical nursing. The educational requirement for such licensure should be an associate degree with a major in nursing awarded by state-chartered institutes of learning, such as community or junior colleges.

certified nurse (CN) a registered nurse who has met the criteria established by the American Nurses' Association for certification in one or more specialized areas of nursing practice.

Certified Postanesthesia nurse (CPAN) a postanesthesia nurse who has been certified by the American Board of Postanesthesia Nursing Certification.

charge nurse a registered nurse responsible for the management of a patient care unit.

circulating nurse a nurse member of the surgical team, responsible for activities of the operating room outside the sterile field and for managing nursing care of the surgical patient in the room. Responsibilities include application of the nursing process in coordinating care and support of the patient; maintenance of a safe, comfortable environment; assistance to members of the surgical team; identification of potential environmental hazards; maintenance of communication between the surgical team, the surgical staff, and the patient's family or significant other; and representation of the patient by acting as advocate during the period of patient dependence.

clinical nurse specialist an advanced practice nurse with a graduate-level degree in nursing and competence in a specialized area of nursing, such as gerontology, pediatrics, or psychiatric nursing. Functions of the clinical nurse specialist include providing direct patient care, teaching patients and their families, guiding and planning care with other personnel, and conducting research. These skills are made directly available through the provision of nursing care to clients and indirectly available through guidance and planning of care with other nursing personnel. Clinical nurse specialists hold a master's degree in nursing, preferably with an emphasis in a specific clinical area of nursing. Called also nurse specialist.

nurse clinician a registered nurse who has well-developed competencies such as for prescribing and implementing direct and indirect nursing care and articulating nursing therapies with other planned therapies. Nurse clinicians have expertise in nursing practice and ensure continuing expertise through clinical experience and continuing education. Generally, minimal preparation is the baccalaureate degree.

community nurse in Great Britain, a public health nurse.

community health nurse an especially prepared registered nurse whose work combines elements of both primary care nursing and public health practice and takes place primarily outside the therapeutic institution. Emphasis is on disease prevention and health promotion by measures such as early detection of disease and prompt intervention in cases of disease or high-risk behavior. See also public health nursing and community health nursing.

consultation-liaison nurse liaison nurse.

flight nurse a registered nurse who accompanies seriously ill patients during air transport.

general duty nurse a registered nurse, usually one who has not had formal education beyond the basic nursing program, who sees to the general nursing care of patients in a hospital or other health agency.

graduate nurse a graduate of a school of nursing; often used to designate one who has not been registered or licensed.

liaison nurse

licensed practical nurse (licensed vocational nurse) a graduate of a school of practical nursing whose qualifications have been examined by a state board of nursing and who has been legally authorized to practice as a licensed practical or vocational nurse (L.P.N. or L.V.N.). According to the role definition proposed as a model by the American Nurses' Association, the definition of L.P.N. practice has been updated to include “the performance under the supervision of a registered nurse of those services required in observing and caring for the ill, injured, or infirm, in promoting preventive measures in community health, in acting to safeguard life and health, in administering treatment and medication prescribed by a physician or dentist or in performing other acts not requiring the skill, judgment, and knowledge of a registered nurse.”

nurse-midwife a professional nurse who specializes in the care of women throughout pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. The official organization, established in 1955, is the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

nurse-midwife, certified (CNM) an advanced practice nurse who has completed a nurse-midwifery program approved by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and passed the ACNM National Certification Examination.

operating room nurse perioperative nurse.

perioperative nurse a registered nurse specializing in perioperative nursing practice; the professional organization AORN defines perioperative nurses as “those who provide, manage, teach, and study the care of patients undergoing operative or other invasive procedures.” This includes a variety of nursing roles that incorporate both behavioral and technical components; they may include, but are not limited to, roles such as scrub nurse, circulating nurse, and educator. Formerly called operating room nurse.

In the preoperative period, nursing activities can range from a beginning assessment of the patient in the clinic or home, through the preoperative interview, to preoperative assessment and care planning in the holding area or surgical suite. In the intraoperative period, beginning when the patient is transferred to the operating room bed and ending when he or she is admitted to the postanesthesia care unit, the nurse's activities include implementation of planned nursing care and evaluation of appropriateness and effectiveness of care. In the postoperative phase, which begins with admission to the postanesthesia care unit and ends with resolution of the surgical sequelae, nursing activities can range from communicating information to personnel in the postanesthesia care unit to a postoperative evaluation in the clinic or the patient's home.

The perioperative nurse delivers care using the nursing process as described in Standards of Perioperative Nursing Practice, published in the United States by the professional organization, the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN); in Canada, standards are published by the Operating Room Nurses' Association of Canada.

pool nurse an employee of the hospital who is not assigned to a specific patient care unit and is available to work in (float to) units with the greatest need.

nurse practice acts laws regulating the practice of nursing. They are included in the codes of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Each state and territory has its own statute, yet most have many features in common. The similarities among the various nurse practice acts and the National Council Licensure Examination permits Registered Nurses to move relatively easily from one state to another and continue practicing.

Recently, revisions and amendments to nurse practice acts have facilitated expansion of the role of the Registered Nurse. The revisions and amendments interpret nursing in a broader context than older practice acts that were based on physician delegatory statutes in which the role of the professional nurse was as assistant to the physician rather than as colleague. Newer definitions of nursing view the practice of nursing as including both independent nursing functions and delegated medical functions that may be performed autonomously or in collaboration with other members of the health care team.

nurse practitioner an advanced practice nurse trained in assessment of the physical and psychosocial health-illness status of individuals, families, or groups in a variety of settings through health and development history taking and physical examination. Specialties include family nurse practitioner and pediatric nurse practitioner.

nurse practitioner, family (FNP) a nurse practitioner specializing in the provision of primary care to families.

nurse practitioner, pediatric (PNP) a nurse practitioner who specializes in pediatric care.

private nurse (private duty nurse) one who attends an individual patient, usually on a fee-for-service basis, and who may specialize in a specific class of diseases.

public health nurse community health nurse.

Queen's nurse in Great Britain, a district nurse who has been trained at or in accordance with the regulations of the Queen Victoria Jubilee Institute for Nurses.

registered nurse a graduate nurse registered and licensed to practice by a State Board of Nurse Examiners or other state authority.

scrub nurse one who directly assists the surgeon in the operating room, being responsible for setting up sterile instruments and supplies and handing them to the surgeon or surgical assistant during the operative procedure. This role may be filled by a registered nurse, a licensed practical or vocational nurse, or a surgical technologist.

nurse specialist clinical nurse specialist.

transcultural nurse a nurse who is certified by the Transcultural Nursing Society; see also transcultural nursing.

transcultural nurse specialist a nurse prepared in transcultural nursing through post-baccalaureate education, having studied selected cultures and become knowledgeable about care, health, and environmental factors related to transcultural nursing perspectives. The specialist serves as an expert in selected cultures as a nurse practitioner, teacher, researcher, and consultant.

visiting nurse community health nurse.

wet nurse a woman who breast-feeds the infant of another.