A Complete Nursing Career
Overview
by Trevor Marshall
With almost 2.6M registered nurses (RN) in the
United States, nursing is now the largest health
care profession in the country. If you think that
hospitals are the only place a nurse could be found,
you are certainly misled. Public health agencies,
communities, ambulatory care centers and other
places where health care services are rendered also
commonly have nurses employed.
1. The Nursing Practice
Nursing covers a wide area of practice. It
includes
- Childcare - Elderly care - Services for
pregnant women - Services for newborn infants -
Specialty area - injury nursing - Specialty area -
cancer nursing - Specialty area - forensic nursing
2. Choose Your Nursing Program
The first step to be a nurse is to graduate from
a nursing program. This would enable you to take a
state licensure examination. In the US, more than
1500 nursing programs are offered. Three of these
programs prepare you in assuming different tasks
once you graduate.
A. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) This is
a four-year curriculum offered in colleges and
universities. A graduate of this course has the
advantage of learning health care settings that
includes leadership and management. A degree in BSN
is preferred and often required in many fields of
nursing.
B. Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) This is a 2
to 3 year program offered in community college as
well as in junior collages. This program prepares
the student in handling direct patient care.
C. Hospital Diploma This is a 2 to 3 year program
that is based in hospitals.
3. Nursing Positions
Now that you've covered the basics, let's take a
closer look on some of the nursing positions you can
occupy. These positions are based on your experience
and education.
A. Entry-level nursing position This is the Staff
Nurse Position. The nurse takes on making judgments
based on scientific knowledge. You have to rely on
procedures and standardized care plans.
B. Certified Mid-wife This is a specialty nurse
position where the nurse aids childbearing women. It
starts during the preconception stage and goes
through the prenatal, labor and delivery. Postpartum
period care is also included in her duties. The
nurse also provides family planning counseling as
well as gynecological care for women.
C. Case Manager Over time, a nurse can become a
nurse case manager. In this position, the nurse will
be involved in the process of organizing as well as
coordinating the resources and services of an entire
group of nurses, such as an entire hospital.
D. Nurse Educator This is also a position a nurse
could get involved with. Educating people about
proper health care needs and procedures would be the
basic tasks for this position. A Nurse Practitioner
on the other hand conducts physical exams on
patients, conducts diagnoses and provides
treatments. A nurse practitioner could also write
prescriptions and could also manage patients with
chronic conditions such as diabetics and those with
hypertension.
E. Nurse Anesthetist A Certified Registered Nurse
Anesthetist assists during operations. They give
anesthesia to the patients before and after the
operation.
There are also various specialty nursing programs
that would help you specialize in a specific area.
Radiology Nursing, Rehabilitation Nursing, AIDS Care
Nursing, and Forensic Nursing are few of these
specialty areas. Radiology Nurses are concerned with
patients that undergo diagnosis in radiology imaging
environments. It also includes Ultrasonography,
magnetic resonance and radiation oncology.
Rehabilitation Nurses or Psychiatric Nurses takes on
providing physical and emotional support both to the
patient and their families. They deal with patients
having mental incapacities. An AIDS Care Nurse
manages the physical, psychological, spiritual and
social needs of a patient suffering with AIDS. A
Forensic Nurse works in a different environment with
other nurses. They work with the law enforcement
officials to help in the investigation of crimes
like sexual assault and accidental death. They also
help in the treatment of the victims of these
crimes.
About the Author
For more great nursing
career related articles and resources check out
http://www.nursing-school-advisor.com
