education , and training are now grouped together .
Registered Nurses ( RN ) held about 3.1 million jobs in 2020 , with hospitals and ambulatory healthcare services representing nearly 80 percent of these employers . Ambulatory healthcare services include physicians ’ offices , home healthcare , and outpatient care centers . All registered nurses provide general medical care and carry out medical treatment plans prescribed by physicians ; administer medications and treatment ; observe , evaluate , and record symptoms , reactions , and progress of patients . Because of this , they oversee licensed practical nurses , nursing assistants , and home health aides .
Licensed Practical Nurses ( LPN ) held some 688,000 jobs in 2020 , with the three largest employers being Skilled Nursing Facilities , Home Health Care Services , and Offices of Physicians . These LPN certifications do not require the professional training of a Registered Nurse but do require technical knowledge needed to assist the RN or physician in the delivery of care . For example , in physicians ’ offices and clinics , an LPN helps physicians by preparing patients for examinations , making appointments , and recording patient information . In hospitals and nursing facilities , they perform duties like taking temperatures and blood pressures , changing , dressing , bathing patients , and administering certain prescribed medicines , the exception being opioids .
Home Health Aides ( HHA ) held about 3.4 million jobs in 2020 , with more than half working for individual and family services as well as home healthcare agencies . HHAs usually work in shifts so that the client always has an aide , and they sometimes stay with one client on a long-term basis or for a specific purpose , such as hospice care . Under the supervision of a registered nurse or other healthcare practitioner , HHAs may be allowed to give a client medication or to check the client ’ s vital signs . They monitor the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and help them with activities of daily living , such as bathing and dressing .
The authors have demonstrated that the definition of “ nursing ” has evolved since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting , processing , analyzing , and disseminating essential statistical data to the American public over the last 137 years . From 1940 to 1960 , the basic structure of the industry classification system remained unchanged . In 1970 , only “ 075 Registered Nurses ” and “ 923 Health Trainees ” were listed . There was no specific mention of Licensed Practical Nurses or Home Health Aides . On the other hand , the 1980 format listed “ 095 Registered Nurses ,” “ 207 Licensed Practical and Vocational Nurses ,” and “ 447 Nursing aides , orderlies , and attendants .”
16 x The Trial Lawyer
“ Because the 2000 SOC format lists specific data for all three RN , LPN , and HHA occupations of professional attendant care , the year 2000 and beyond will provide the most precise data regarding the cost of professional attendant care within a life care plan for patients . This is exactly what the authors intended to prove with this research article : namely an evolution into the occupational classification for attendant care , beyond that of a Registered Nurse .”
This version was more specific regarding professional attendant care , but Home Health Aides were excluded from both the 1970 and 1980 SOC formats . The 2000 SOC format listed nursing professionals according to the following “ Detailed Occupation ” codes : “ 29-1111 Registered Nurses ,” “ 29-2061 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses ,” “ 31-1011 Home Health Aides ,” and “ 31-1012 Nursing aides , orderlies , and attendants .”
Because the 2000 SOC format lists specific data for all three RN , LPN , and HHA occupations of professional attendant care , the year 2000 and beyond will provide the most precise data regarding the cost of professional attendant care within a life care plan for patients . This is exactly what the authors intended to prove with this research article : namely , an evolution into the occupational classification for attendant care beyond that of a Registered Nurse . In short , a chart of the historical costs of professional attendant care will not be 100 percent accurate prior to the year 2000 because the 1980 Standard Occupational Classification criteria did not have the specific data for all three RN , LPN , and HHA occupations listed separately .
Because the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification system is a federal statistical standard , this will allow the most recent wage and salary information provided by the BLS to be very precise in future life care plans created nationwide . This was not possible before , as the definitions of attendant care had to be evolved from
1940 until the present day , as explained herein .
Personal injury attorneys may question the implications of our findings . Given the evolution of the occupational classification for attendant care , it is not feasible to compare compensation prior to January 2000 versus the cost of attendant care today . In any continuation of care or life care plan in all catastrophic injury cases , there is an element of damages that makes up for two-thirds to ninety percent that represents the cost of professional attendant care in a 24 / 7 all year round for the remaining of the patient ’ s life . When forensic economists project future professional attendant care costs , the standard practice is to extrapolate the future costs from historical trends ( past equals prologue ). The tendency is to look back the same number of years that will be extrapolated forwards into the future . If a patient is projected to live in excess of 20-plus years , they will be confronted with the dilemma explained above : that nursing care costs comparisons are incomparable if they go prior to January 2000 .
Citations available on request