An entry-level nurse works under the supervision of a senior nurse within a public health facility. The entry-level nurse has the most contact with patients as they cater to their health needs. Healthcare-acquired infections pose a greater threat to public health. According to the CDC, the most common hospital-acquired infections include gastrointestinal infections , ventilator-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and central-line associated bloodstream infections (Schmier et al., 2016). HAI increase readmission rates and diseases progression in patients. However, entry-level nurses can play a vital role in eliminating the prevalence of HAI. This arises from their roles , which includes maintaining patient hygiene such as changing bed linens, dressing, cleaning, and catheter care and toileting assistance . The nurses can also ensure that hand hygiene is observed by all patients including fellow nurses at the hospital to stop the spread of HAI.
The lowest entry levels for a nurse is the licensed practical nurse (LPN) whose required education is the postsecondary certificate and taking various exams to acquire an LPN license. For one to attain senior level nurse position, one must have associates or bachelor’s degree and a master degree. Additionally, one must have an RN and APRN certification. Nurses will acquire five different levels of practice competencies in their line of work (McHugh & Lake, 2010). In the case of an entry-level nurse, he/she is at the advanced beginner expertise level. This shows one does not have enough competence in handling complicated health issues. Such a nurse will rely on the learned rules and procedures in ascertaining what actions are necessary for a particular situation. In the case of a senior level nurse, he/she is at the expert competence level. One will accurately diagnose a situation , and in most cases, senior-level nurses are relied on to act as preceptors and offer guidance to the other nurses (McHugh & Lake, 2010). Education has a huge role to play in determining the experience level of a nurse. Additionally, the years one has worked can also help in boosting the experience level. This indicates an entry-level nurse has lower experience as compared to a senior level nurse because of education and number of years worked differences.
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References
McHugh, M. D., & Lake, E. T. (2010). Understanding clinical expertise: nurse education, experience, and hospital context. Research in nursing & health , 33 (4), 276-287.
Schmier, J. K., Hulme-Lowe, C. K., Semenova, S., Klenk, J. A., DeLeo, P. C., Sedlak, R., & Carlson, P. A. (2016). Estimated hospital costs associated with preventable healthcare-associated infections if health care antiseptic products were unavailable , Clinicoe conomics and outcomes research: CEOR , 8 , 197.
