More and
more people are choosing to return to school and study nursing at a later
age. If you have always had a desire to
be a nurse, why not consider it, regardless of where you are in life.
Nursing is
a blend of science and technology with the art of caring and compassion.
Nursing professionals provide preventative and restorative health care to
patients in a variety of settings. Every day on the job nurses use the science
they learned in nursing school, and when employed, they take continuing
education courses on a regular basis to keep up with the latest in the medical
and nursing sciences. Nurses work to promote health, prevent disease, and help
patients cope with illnesses. Nursing is a science that requires in-depth
knowledge, skills and understanding. Nursing deals not only with a person's
biological needs, but their psychosocial and cultural needs as well. Nurses
work closely with doctors and other health care professionals, and serve as the
advocates for patients and families.
What Do Nurses Do?
Overall,
nurses can address patient health problems and needs, develop and implement
nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. They also administer nursing
care to sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients and may educate patients
on health maintenance and disease prevention or provide case management.
Related: Working with Family as a Nurse
Nursing Jobs
- Nurses help bring babies into the world, and they take care of new moms.
- Nurses help sick and injured people, and they help healthy people stay healthy.
- Nurses give medications and treatments ordered by doctors.
- Nurses are concerned with the conditions of their patients.
- Nurses teach and counsel patients, as well as family members.
- Nurses provide health care teaching and counseling in the community.
- Nurses observe, assess, evaluate, and record patients' conditions and progress.
- Nurses help patients and families determine the best course of treatment.
- Nurses design and contribute to patient care methods.
- Nurses help terminally ill patients die with dignity, and help family members as well.
Nursing Opportunities in Hospitals
Where do nurses
work in hospitals? Practically everywhere! They work in:
- Patient care units at the bedside
- Operating rooms, trauma centers, and emergency rooms
- Medical records or other hospital offices
- X-ray and other diagnostic units
- Intensive care units
- Surgical and recovery units
- Same-day surgery centers
- Pediatrics, caring for children
- Hospital nurseries or neonatal intensive care units, caring for newborns
- Obstetrics, helping new moms give birth
- Psychiatric and drug treatment centers
- Laboratories
- Helicopters and ambulances, caring for patients in transport to hospitals
- And in many other places!
Will Nursing Be a Fit for Me?
You must be
able to- (common considerations)
- Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
- Monitor, record and report symptoms and changes in patients' conditions.
- Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
- Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.
- Consult and coordinate with health care team members to assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care plans.
- Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.
- Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
- Direct and supervise less skilled nursing or health care personnel or supervise a particular unit.
- Prepare patients for, and assist with, examinations and treatments.
- Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.
Tools and Technology
Nurses must
be adapting to computers and electronics.
These devices are used for
- Calendar and scheduling software — Per-Se Technologies ORSOS One-Call
- Medical software — Electronic medical record EMR software.
- Office suite software
- Spreadsheet software
- Time accounting software
Related: What does a Cardiovascular Nurse Do?
Required Skills for Nurses
- Medicine — Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Biology — Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
- Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Sociology and Anthropology — Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
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