Author: Glossary
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Health nurse
A community or visiting nurse whose duty is to give information on hygiene and prevention of disease.
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Graduate nurse
A nurse who is a graduate of a state-approved school of nursing but has not yet passed the National Council Licensure Examination.
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General duty nurse
A nurse not specializing in a particular field but available for any nursing duty.
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Flight nurse
A nurse who cares for patients being transported in an aircraft.
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Epidemiologist nurse
A registered nurse with special training and certification in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections in patients.
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Dental nurse
A dental auxiliary trained to provide oral hygiene instruction and dental health care to school children. Formerly, the term applied to dental hygienists, but now it refers to persons trained according to a program developed in New Zealand.
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Community health nurse
A nurse who combines the principles and practices of nursing and public health to provide care to the people in a community rather than in an institution.
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Circulating nurse
A nurse who participates in surgeries by (for example): taking a preoperative history; educating the patient about the upcoming operation; monitoring the patient’s vital functions; assuring the sterility of instruments in use; and making certain that operating room equipment is both available for the procedure and functioning well.
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Charge nurse
A nurse who is responsible for supervising the nursing staff on a hospital or nursing home unit. This nurse reports to the nurse manager.
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Certified emergency nurse
A nurse who has passed the examination administered by the Board of Certification of Emergency Nursing. To maintain certification as a CEN, a nurse must recertify every 4 years; a formal examination is required every 8 years, and continuing education credits can be submitted as proof of professional competence during alternate 4-year cycles.