Physician Assistant (PA)

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and families about health conditions, and provide emotional support during illness and recovery. The work encompasses assessing patient health through observation and physical examination; administering medications and treatments; developing care plans in collaboration with physicians and other healthcare team members; operating and monitoring medical equipment; recording patient histories and symptoms; and educating patients on managing chronic conditions and post-discharge care. RNs work in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, nursing homes, schools, correctional facilities, and patients' homes. Specializations include critical care, emergency, pediatrics, oncology, labor and delivery, psychiatric nursing, and public health. The profession demands clinical knowledge, critical thinking for rapid decision-making, physical stamina for 12-hour shifts, and emotional resilience for managing patient suffering and death while maintaining professional composure.

Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who provide primary and specialty healthcare, including diagnosing conditions, prescribing medications, ordering tests, and managing patient care. NPs often serve as patients' primary healthcare providers, conducting examinations, developing treatment plans, counseling patients, and coordinating care with specialists. They work in primary care, pediatrics, geriatrics, women's health, psychiatry, and acute care settings. The role combines clinical expertise with patient education and advocacy, often spending more time with patients than physicians do. NPs work in physician practices, hospitals, clinics, retail health settings, and independent practices where state law permits. The profession emphasizes holistic, patient-centered care that addresses both medical conditions and lifestyle factors affecting health. Growing demand and expanded scope of practice in many states make this a rapidly expanding healthcare role.

Respiratory therapists evaluate, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders ranging from premature infants with underdeveloped lungs to elderly patients with chronic respiratory disease. The work involves assessing patients' cardiopulmonary function through examination and diagnostic tests, developing and implementing treatment plans, administering oxygen and aerosol medications, managing mechanical ventilators, performing airway management procedures, educating patients on respiratory conditions and treatments, and responding to emergencies requiring respiratory intervention. Respiratory therapists work in critical care units managing life support for the most seriously ill patients, in emergency departments stabilizing patients in respiratory distress, in sleep laboratories diagnosing sleep apnea, and in patients' homes teaching management of chronic conditions. The role requires clinical judgment to assess patient status and adjust treatments accordingly, technical skills to operate complex life-support equipment, and the ability to remain calm while managing life-threatening respiratory emergencies.