Nursing As A Career
An old recruitment poster for the nursing profession depicts a nurse wearing a heavy dark blue cape, white uniform, and a cap with a large red cross. The nurse is reaching out her right arm with the by-line for the poster being "Nursing Needs You!" Although the nurse depicted in the poster does not represent the professional of the twenty first century, the slogan is so applicable for this generation of high school students. Nursing Needs You!
Across our nation, the healthcare industry is experiencing a severe nursing shortage. According to the latest projections, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, published in the February 2004 Monthly Labor Review, more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. The positive side of the nursing shortage is that nurses who are accepted and graduate from a nursing program are almost guaranteed a position in a hospital, clinic, or other agency providing health care. Future nurses can anticipate having a job soon after graduation as registered nurses are in demand.
So, why is it so important to have an adequate number of nurses? Well, the nurse plays many important roles in improving the health of the community. The nurse is a caregiver or practitioner and delivers care to meet the physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual needs of his/her patient. This direct care can occur in hospitals, clinics, schools, homes, businesses, camps, and more and is typically considered the primary role of the nurse. However, the nurse achieves their health promoting goals by being a good communicator which helps to establish and maintain effective relationships with the client. One of the real advantages of being a nurse, over other health care professions, is having the time and opportunity to develop close interactions with patients. No other health care professional spends as much time directly with the client.
The nurse, as a teacher or educator, is significant in encouraging patients to improve their health. Using the steps of assessing, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation, the nurse develops individualized teaching plans to meet the learning needs of the patient and their family. Advocating for the client and assisting them to reach their individual goals allows the patient to reach their optimal state of health. These nursing interventions must be congruent with the cultural, religious and personal values of the client, which are sometimes in contradiction with the values of the nurse. However, nurses must be accepting of patients and their families who are different than themselves.
All nurses are involved in the arena of scholarly endeavors with some nurses actively being involved in developing new knowledge and improved ways of assisting patients. Others are consumers of research, reading and using the newly developed information as they carry out their professional responsibilities.
You may become a nurse through several different types of programs. Licensed practical or vocational nurses (LPN or LVN) are typically educated in a vocational school with the usual period of education lasting 12-18 months. Following the completion of the program, prospective LPN's must complete a national licensure exam which allows them to practice. LPN's are responsible for direct client care and some treatment procedures and may give medicines, depending on the state's nurse practice act.
In order to receive the RN credential, students may enroll in a diploma, associate, or baccalaureate program. Diploma programs are typically offered through a partnership with a hospital and usually last three years.
Associate degree programs educate more nurses than any other type of educational offering. These programs may be found in community colleges or vocational programs and last two calendar years. Similar to diploma and baccalaureate degrees, associate degree nursing programs integrate classroom learning and clinical experiences. Students will learn foundational nursing concepts and appropriate ways of caring for patients within the classroom, typically located on a school campus. While learning these principles, students will simultaneously gain familiarity with direct client care by participating in hands-on experiences at a variety of clinical sites.
Baccalaureate nursing programs are typically located on college campuses and extend across four academic years. The nursing major may begin during the sophomore or junior years with the earlier years in the program being spent on science, other support courses and general education. Nurses who graduate from this type of program are generalists who have been educated on a wide spectrum of nursing knowledge, with specialization occurring in the work environment following graduation. Licensure is required to practice as a RN with graduates sitting for the NCLEX exam.
Individuals wanting to pursue further study in nursing may enroll in a variety of graduate nursing programs. Graduate degrees may be sought in the areas of family nurse practitioner, adult nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, physician assistant, and others. Many nurses seek doctoral degrees in nursing or other specialties in order to prepare themselves for nursing research, academic instruction, or advanced nursing practice.
Nursing is hard work but provides multiple opportunities to serve others in your community. It will offer an avenue to enable you to meet your humanitarian interests while giving you a deep sense of fulfillment. The scholarly work of nursing allows you to search for new areas of knowledge and improved ways of doing care. NURSING NEEDS YOU! Won't you join us in the nursing profession?
Editorial provided by Andrea Koepke, Anderson University.
