The 2008 presidential race in the U.S. is hotly contended. One of the issues that voters are basing their support on is health care.
The health care system in the U.S. is in disarray with more than 47 million American uninsured. Of that number, more than 8.7 million children are without health insurance.
President Bush and Congress continue to make cuts to health care and reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid.
In addition to issues of health care insurance, there is a growing shortage of health care workers which must be addressed if any health care reform is going to be effective.
The shortage of nurses is already affecting patient care as ratios of nurses to patients are affecting how quickly a patient can be seen. In some hospitals patients sit in waiting rooms, or wait in overflow areas of emergency rooms for admission to the hospital.
This shortage of nurses is expected to continue to grow over the next decade. This makes nursing one of the most in-demand careers. Nursing will offer professionals job security and the ability to make demands for salary and work conditions for years to come.
The median salary for RNs in 2006 was $57,280 and for LPN/LVNs the median salary was $36,550. The median is a statistical term indicating half of the nurses made more and half made less than this number. The lowest 10 percent of LPN/LVNs earned $26,380 and the highest 10 percent of RNs earned more than $83,440.
So what is the difference between an RN and a LP/VN? Read more...
