Nursing Career Search

Archive for January, 2009

What are the daily responsibilities of a nurse? It will depend on what kind of nursing you are in. But whatever it is, the truth is that this career requires a lot of passion to fuel your energy and last in the field.

This truth can be applied in all professions. You cannot excel and definitely you cannot last in any field if your heart is not into it. As a nurse, you are accountable not only for yourself but also for the people who need your help.

Too much stress, they say, can cause a person to gain weight. Can it be that because nursing is a stressful career, that one will gain weight once they are into it? It can actually be. If you are always on the go and you no longer have time to eat, you will definitely grab not just a bite but bigger bites once you afford that luxury.

Too much eating at once will disrupt your body’s ability to regulate your weight. This will result in additional pounds. But of course, this can be solved by being vigilant with the issue.

You already have an advantage because you are into the health industry. You will know what foods are okay and what types contain a lot of fats, calories and all those contributing factor for a person to gain weight.

Aside from watching what you eat, you must also treat yourself with regular exercises. This will not only keep the weight down but it will also keep your brain functioning well. Nursing requires you to be physically as well as mentally capable to execute your tasks.

The Tasks
Practicing nurses can be assigned to different responsibilities. Some are assigned to visit hospital in different places, visit nursing homes or orphanages. They must attend personally to the needs of the patients. This is for the reason that the patients can no longer afford to go to them. That is why the nurses are being set up to be the ones to come personally to the people who need their expertise.

Some nurses are being tasked to conduct researches on different places. They do this for some pharmaceutical companies for the development of some drugs or some forms of treatment. They act as aides to the main people who are doing the research. They lend their expertise in the field for the research to be good.

Some nurses are assigned on cruise ships and other mobile industries. They treat the people who may have incurred sudden sickness or injuries while on the road or at the sea, whatever applies on the situation presented.

Nurses can work on a temporary period like those on the travel nursing career. They can also acquire the service of agencies to get jobs for them. They can also be paid per output basis.

Nursing is a hard profession but one that is worth the hard work. People in this field must be attributed with respect for the amount of quality time they have given into the profession.

So the next time you ask yourself what is the daily responsibility of a nursing career, you must think the abovementioned. There are many tasks and all those require the person involved to be responsible.

There is vast option for careers with nursing experience. But before you even think about it, are up for it? Oh well, the pressure and hard work is present in every career. But is especially true in nursing.

Just like any careers in the health industry, you always have to be present in situations body and mind. You can’t afford to commit minimal mistakes. This can lead to potential harm to yourself and to your patients.

Gaining Weight
People have been concerned about the amount of weight that they will gain once they go into nursing. They think that because the environment is too stressful, that they might vent out that stress into overeating.

That all boils down on you. You can make it happen or you can also choose another path. While caring for others, you must also learn to prioritize yourself at times. By eating right and getting the proper exercise, you can avoid gaining unnecessary weight.

The Nursing Profession
This profession requires a lot from you. It cannot be helped at times that you will give in your personal time to be able to serve others and to function better. There are shortages of nurses so you must work doubly hard. Through time, this issue will be resolved. But even there is already enough numbers, the quantity of patients can’t also be helped.

As an expert in the field, you must do everything in your capacity to act out your responsibilities as a nurse even if you weren’t the one who has the duty to do so. This can take a toll on your personal life. But in time, you will learn to adapt in the stress and also the perks of the profession.

Besides, you are earning well as a nurse. It will not hurt if you treat yourself at times to lessen the burden and the pressure off your back.. You just have to be careful about eating too much. The added weight might also cause you to be stressed. And you don’t need any more of that.

Careers
There are a lot of specialties that you can prefer in the nursing profession. This is said to be a diverse field among all the professions in the healthcare industry.

You can go into psychiatric or mental nursing if you’d like to help patients with such disability. You can also go into nursing people with developmental disabilities. Go to pediatrics or neonatal if you love children. If you have a soft spot for the older people, then geriatric nursing is the one for you.

You can also be of service on the homes of the patients by being a home health nurse, district nurse as well as offer health visiting. You can also opt to be a live in nurse in this situation.

Whatever you choose, select the one that is closest to your heart. It is already an advantage that there many to choose from. All you have to do is to be wise. You need to aim to be in service to other people more than anything else.

The careers with nursing experience are vast. You can even setup your own clinic for first aid treatments and be a volunteer if you want to. Just hear what you heart says and follow through it. That way, you will never get lost.

There is a shortage of nurses in the United States. While this has allowed foreign workers to apply for jobs, this is not sufficient to fill the gap as some states are still understaffed.

For people who want job security, to earn a decent wage and the satisfaction knowing that they have helped somebody, perhaps a nursing career is the right thing to do. To give you an idea, here are some of types of nursing jobs you can get into.

One of the most common jobs to get into is that of a registered nurse or RN. Their job is to assess the needs of the patient, develop and implement the plan and maintain medical records. In some cases, they also inform the patient and others about disease prevention.

For those that want this job, they have to graduate from nursing school and pass the state licensure exam. This is different for each state so if you plan to work in another state, you have to check if your current license allows you to work there.

Another job is that of the licensed practical nurse. This person works under the direction of a registered nurse or a doctor. If you have ever been confined in the hospital, they are the ones that come in your room and check on your blood pressure, temperature. At times, they may even get a blood sample from you.

The licensed practical nurse is also the one that greets you when you arrive at the doctors office. They make sure everything is running smoothly as well as take care of paperwork and the filing of the patients medical records.

The nurse practitioner is another and their primary function is to act as a care giver. These professionals are the first ones that diagnose a patient and treat their illness or injury. They can prescribe certain medications but this varies per state.

They also have secondary responsibilities that include anesthesiology, midwifery and other clinical responsibilities.

You dont become a head nurse overnight. This happens after years of experience which will enable you to set up work schedules, assign different duties to the staff and make sure that each member of your team is trained to do their job. They are the ones in charge of a hospital wing that make sure all the files are updated and there is sufficient stock of equipment and other supplies on hand.

The nursing aide otherwise known as nursing assistants are the ones who clean the room when the patient has left, serve meals, deliver messages, bathe, feed and dress the patient. They also do some of the work done by a nurse practitioner and escort the patient to the operating room, recovery room until they are sent back to their own room. This person may also be called upon to assist in some procedures.

Apart from helping around in the hospital, they should keep an eye on the patient so any emotional or physical conditions can be reported to the nurse of the doctor.

The kind of nursing career you choose depends on what type of nursing education you get. You can go for a two to a four year program then obtain your license. For those that want to go farther, they should take further studies like a masters or a doctorate degree so they can work as educators, consultants or instructors.

The type of nursing course you take will determine your career because of the kind of training you get. For instance, those who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing will automatically become resident nurses once they also pass the state licensure exam or NCLEX.

Resident nurses straight out of college will report to a resident nurse preceptor. This person is the one that will give them their respective assignments and the RNs in turn will show them their skills in assessing the needs of the patient so a plan can be developed and implemented.

After years working as an RN, you can go back to school and attain a higher degree so you too can become a resident nurse preceptor in charge of a wing or find work elsewhere like working as an instructor in nursing school or as a researcher for a private company.

Students who dont want to study for four years can earn a degree in half the time by getting an Associate Degree in Nursing also known as AND or a hospital diploma.

For the associate degree, you can soon find work in a health facility as a licensed practical nurse or as a licensed vocational nurse. In the chain of command, this person reports to the registered nurse whos task is to do the rounds and check on the patients blood pressure and temperature. They may also be called upon to get a blood sample.

Depending where you decide to work, you may also be employed as the personal assistant of a physician. At this job, you welcome patients that visit the clinic, handle clerical duties and other things that may be ask of you by the doctor.

The salary difference between an RN and a LPN is quite big. If you want to earn more, you can go back to school part time or full time so you can graduate with a BSN.

Those who take the hospital diploma can find work as a nursing aide. Your job is to escort the patient when he or she needs to be examined by the doctor, serve the meals, bathe and dress the patient as well as clean the room. You dont need a license to do that kind of work but if you want to earn more, perhaps after a few years you can go back to school and work for a BSN or AND.

When you get your nursing degree, you can either work full time or part time. Full time nurses work 40 hours a week while part timers work 20 hours a week. Resident nurses who have a lot of opportunity may even find employment on a contractual basis which allows them to travel at the same.

Nursing is high demand for a lot of reasons and one of them happens to be due to the shortage of qualified personnel. If you think that nursing will be good for you in the long term, get into it for the right reason and money is shouldnt be one of the motivators as this will come in later.

You must have the desire to help those who are in need because if you are happy with what you are doing, you will be successful regardless of your position in the healthcare system.

Theres always been a demand for nursing, especially in developed countries. This is why labor migration on the field of nursing is always high from developing countries like those in Asia. Although, nursing does offer a lot of benefits the downsides of a career in nursing may not be always known or are not highlighted for people, like college students, to consider.

There are a number of reasons why people get attracted to becoming a nurse. Those in developing countries chose a nursing career to find jobs in the US, Canada, or Europe where the pay is a lot higher than what they will be receiving if they stayed on their home country. That is one of the ultimate goals of people who take nursing courses: to get rich, as fast as possible. Or at the very least, have more than enough money to support themselves, and their families back home.

Others chose nursing as a career because they get to help people. They love the interaction with people, with their patients, and even their colleagues. They love that feeling of personal satisfaction every time they help a patient. The bonding they get is what they see as one of the fulfilling benefits of the job.

Another, issue is job security. Because nurses are in demand, one will have the opportunity to work practically anywhere provided, of course, that they pass whatever licensure exams required. The employers themselves are becoming more liberal and flexible in treating nurses schedules, and employee benefits. They know they need good nurses so they make the schedules as flexible as possible and provide great health benefits especially if youre working in a hospital.

Theres also always an opportunity to learn more, because nurses can specialize in various fields like doctors as well. This means you can always more to another field if you feel stiffened by your current specialty or if you just felt bored.

However, depending on where youre coming from, you might want to quit or not continue nursing because of several downsides that fail to agree with your values, standards, and work ethics.

Although, the schedule in hospitals is quite flexible, nurses are always required to come in during the holidays. The hospital doesnt sleep and doesnt close. The number of staff should always be adequate enough to meet the hospitals demands. Your holidays will often be spent in the hospitals with the patients rather than your own family. You can be assigned on days and nights and weekends, so be prepared for that.

Another thing, even though nurses do have fun with colleagues and patients alike, the scenario is not always like that. Being around with sick and even the dying might get to you causing some psychological or emotional trauma which will take time to heal. Thats another thing that you need to be prepared for.

Also, dont think that getting there is easy. Nursing courses are often difficult and require medical knowledge, keen sense of observation, ability to react decisively and logically for oftentimes they are part of a team whos responsible for peoples lives. The responsibility is huge and should not be taken likely.

Some hospitals and even doctors provide the downsides of a career in nursing. Hospitals and doctors treat nurses like their secretaries, not acknowledging their efforts. There are doctors that act like that, unfortunate as it may seem.

But that the reality that nurses have to face in attending their everyday duties and responsibilities.

The Different Benefits of a Career in Long Term Nursing

Every profession has its advantages but likewise disadvantages to the people involved in it. There are different benefits of a career in long term nursing as well. So if you are pondering about going into the field of healthcare, there are many doors open at every avenue.

If you are concerned about the issue of gaining weight when you already are into nursing, there is actually no relation. The weight issue is per person to person case only. Some people can’t tolerate the images that they will be subjected to once into the field of healthcare that they lose, instead of gain weight.

While some people may believe that the tasks of nurses are too much that the person on this profession will tend to eat a lot to compensate for the hard work. This really depends on the person.

If you don’t want to gain weight whatever your profession is, you have to be vigilant. First, you have to watch what you eat. You have to be very careful with your calorie intake. If you are into nursing, you will be able to understand this better. You will gauge how much fats you are getting into your system if you know how much of it every food that you will eat contain.

You can also avoid the risk of adding up on your pounds by monitoring your weight. Nurses are often busy. But they must still include on their daily task exercising. This will be beneficial so that their body fats will not stock up.

Now that you have settled your weight issues, you might want to look at the other benefits that a long term nursing career can give you.

The Benefits
The first benefit is that this field actually pays well. This is especially true when you are into travel nursing. This way, you also get to see the sights. One thing that you must be very careful with this is how you handle your money. You must learn how to save in order to see in the future where all your hard work went.

The idea of helping other people is another considered benefit. In time, you will look back and appreciate the fact of how many old people have you made to laugh, or how you were able to stop children from crying. Helping out is one big factor why you should consider, first and foremost, a nursing career.

Another benefit is that you will get to learn a lot as you go along. The field of science has many rooms for discovery. It can be thrilling to feel and know that you will be a part of that evolution.

If this is your passion, then another benefit is that it will make you happy and fulfilled. Those factors are very important in choosing one’s career path. You will only last and can only make it a long term career if you are satisfied with how things are going the day you start plunging in. This can also be called a calling, like those of the priests and nuns. You will not last if you weren’t really called for the profession.

Considering all those benefits of a career in long term nursing, you should be able to gauge whether you can fit in. Forget about gaining weight. There are more to nursing than being concerned with the extra pounds.

If youre going to take up a career, why not choose a career in healthcare. Okay, being a doctor may not be your thing but what about being a nurse? There are a number of benefits of a nursing career. If you join the nursing field, you will be joining a career that is the largest in the field of healthcare.

Probably one of the most notable advantage of having a career in nursing is the opportunity to work practically anywhere in the world. Nurses are always in demand. Developed countries like the US, Canada, countries in Europe and Japan, needs health care professionals to man the needed posts in their hospitals and clinics. And job opportunities abroad seem to be always increasing and is continuous.

The demand for nurses is not limited to medication facilities like hospitals and clinics. There are demands for nurses in other areas, such as in schools, colleges, universities, as well as companies and corporations. Nurses are also being hired to join non-government and inter-government organizations. They are being sought after as private home nurses, nurse midwives, clinical nurse practitioners, and even nurse anesthetists.

With the right license and certification, nurses can diversify their field, going from one area of specialization to another. Theres chance a nurses life will be boring. The opportunities are very spread out and the number needed is quite significant, so nurses in general will always have a high level of job security for they are always needed.

In terms of employment, there is always a need for nurses. Then lets go to another important aspect of being a nurse: the pay. A career in nursing pays well, at least that remains true in developed countries. Nurses that came from developing countries like in Asia and in Africa are more engaged to having a rewarding and fulfilling.

There are different kinds of study program available to would be nurses. There are vocational training schools which offer short nursing education which lasts for more than a year or so. Those who want to be included in the registered nurse list of passers need to have a diploma showing that they have finished an associate or baccalaureate program.

Nurses also function as educators and can take on the responsibilities of such, having to explain the details to the disease to the family of the patients and their immediate community. As nurses, you will be able to interact with families and people in their community. Unlike any other health care profession, nurses are perhaps the only ones that are able to form bonds with their patients. The rest of the medical community, even the doctors, does not establish such close personal bonds between the nurses and their patients.

However, those who decide to enter the career of nursing needs to be prepared for shifting schedules, holiday work, and working around sick and dying patients a lot. It you cannot take any of these situations then a nursing career is probably not for you.

You can learn more about the career by browsing the Web, looking at career websites, brochures and newsletters. You can even talk to actual nurses and get their say about the matter. But in a nutshell, the benefits of a nursing career include career flexibility, a chance to grow career wise and as a person especially with the satisfaction one receives from helping people out.

Since the 1980s, there has been a shortage of nurses in the United States. One way the government has tried to fill the gap is by hiring nurses from abroad. But instead of offering this job to foreign workers, why dont you consider a career being one? A career in nursing is very broad. Before getting into this, it is best to understand the different types around and then deciding what you want to pursue.

Critical care nursing is one field you can get into if you can handle pressure of working with patients inside the intensive care unit or ICU. They may also find work in cardiac catheter labs, telemetry units, progressive care units, emergency departments and recovery rooms.

Lately, critical care nurses have also found there way working in clinics, home healthcare, nursing schools and outpatient surgery centers.

After working as a critical care nurse for many years, you career can move to elsewhere as you may become a nurse manager, educator or researcher. Some may even be acute care nurse practitioners or ACNP after they get a masters or doctorate in nursing.

Those who are good with computers may pursue a career in nursing informatics. Basically, these individuals write and modify programs and assist in the training of hospital personnel who will also be using such systems. Their career may go another step forward once they develop enough skills to manage these systems instead of just being an encoder.

Those who love babies may find a work in neonatal nursing. This branch of nursing is relatively new and you may find work either in a level 1, 2 or 3 nursery.

The level 1 nursery is where healthy newborn babies are placed until it is time for them to go home. The level 2 nursery is for infants that were born prematurely and will require some care before being discharged from the hospital. The level 3 is the intensive care unit for infants which, means they need special equipment like incubators or even surgery.

Nurses who want to work with cancer patients may start their career in oncology nursing. These individuals are there to help a patient during all stages of treatment. They may even provide counseling and help those who want to prevent cancer by telling them how to avoid it.

The advanced practice of oncology nursing may even make you become an administrator, caregiver, consultant, coordinator and researcher.

Pediatric nursing is another field you can consider since you are able to work with children of different ages. Since they are prone to sicknesses, the nurse may help them further by specializing in either immunology or oncology.

Whatever field of nursing you want to pursue, you need to go to school to earn that degree. With a few years of experience and perhaps a master or a doctorate, you may soon qualify for a higher position and become a better practitioner that you were before.

Nursing is high in demand and the various positions mentioned just goes to show that there is a lot you can do to help those who are sick regardless of age or gender. Just be sure that this is something you want to get into because only those who have the passion will be able to stay in this field for a long time.

Nurses work hand in hand with doctors so they can help treat a patient. Given than medicine has evolved into different fields, it has created so many nursing career opportunities and here are some of them.

Oncology is a field of medicine that deals with patients who are suffering from cancer. Nurses who decide to specialize here may administer chemotherapy, counsel patients and work with doctors to create the right treatment plan depending on what stage of development is the cancer.

Nurses who are interested in perioperative nursing otherwise known as OR nurses assist the surgeons both directly and indirectly during an operation. They help prepare the patient before and after the operation as well check on the equipment to be used by making sure they are sterile. Given that there are different types of surgeries done on patients, nurses will have to specialize again to be part of the working team.

Sickness is not the only reason that a patient may end up in the hospital as accidents take place in the work area or on the road. If the person has a neck or a head injury, it is up to the otorhinolaryngology nurses to help the patient. To get this job you must have a resident nurse with a diploma or have a degree either in AD or BSN. These individuals may find work also in hospices, clinics and home care agencies.

Kids get sick and it is up to the pediatric nurse to help them get better. But pediatrics also has other specializations such as oncology and hematology if ever the child is either suffering from cancer or a blood disorder.

Anesthesia is given to a patient prior to surgery. For that, you will a nurse that specializes in perianesthesia to help the patient go to sleep and slowly bring them back after the operation. The difference between an anesthesiologist is that he or she will be the one to administer the anesthesia. The nurse simply helps the patient to make sure they are comfortable.

Soon to be mothers need the help of prenatal nurses in preparation for motherhood. This is done by telling them what to anticipate especially if this is their first child and giving them general health advice for them and the baby.

Cancer prevention is important so this can be detected and removed during its early stages. For that, you will have to undergo a few tests and the ones work these machines are called radiology nurses. They are the ones who operate the x-rays, sonograms, mammograms, ultrasound and a bunch of other machines.

There are mental health disorders and problems that patients face. Aside from the psychiatrist who will help you out, you can also see psychiatric nurses. These individuals are trained to handle patients suffering from anxiety, addiction, physical and sexual abuse, personality disorders and depression.

Close to cardiac and otorhinolaryngology nurses is rehabilitation nursing. The job of those who are in this field is to work with patients that have either been temporarily or permanently disabled. They help the patient deal with the fact that they now have a handicap and the only way to live is with the help of wheelchairs, crutches and prosthetics.

A career in nursing opens a lot of opportunities. You just have to specialize in something in order to make the most of your profession.

If you want to be a nurse, you need to have good study habits as well as excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills. This is so that when push comes to shove, you will be able to help the patient.

Those who want to become nurses should first have a high school diploma. If the grades, your SATs and NLN pre-admission exam is okay, you can choose what type of training program you want to pursue as this will prepare you for the role you will play after you graduate.

There are three programs available.

The first is called a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or BSN. This is a 4 year program that and this is offered at most colleges and universities.

The second is the Associate Degree in Nursing or AND. This can be completed in two years and is offered in community and junior colleges.

The third is called a Hospital Diploma which lasts about 2 to 3 years. This program is usually affiliated with junior colleges.

Given that nursing is such a diverse field, there are more than 1,500 nursing programs which you can choose from here in the US with some that can be completed by studying online.

The cost of tuition varies depending if one you are going to is a private or public college. For those who cant afford it, they can apply for financial aid or see if they can obtain a scholarship. Your guidance counselor should be able to help you and if not, you should check if the school you are applying to gives out financial aid or scholarship to qualified applicants.

Tuition varies widely depending on whether you attend a private or public college and whether you are a resident or non-resident of the state. Financial aid is available from numerous sources, as are scholarships. Check with your guidance counselor to determine which sources are right for you, and visit the Financial Aid/Scholarship section of this site.

Nurses can only work after they obtain their license. The basic one is called the LCN or licensed practical nurse that can only be obtained after you pass the state administered exam known as the National Council licensure Examination for Practical Nurses or NCLEX-PN.

For those who are aiming for an RN or registered nursing license, you have to take the NCLEX-RN. This exam is also taken by those who are working towards a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Once you get your license, you may soon find work in patient care units at the bedside, in operating rooms, emergency rooms, X-ray units, intensive care units, surgery centers, pediatrics, hospital nurseries, the records department, the laboratory or assigned to an ambulance or helicopter wing.

Just to give you an idea, an entry level nurse earns an average of about $45,000 which is much more than what professionals in other fields receive straight out of college. This figure could almost double or even tripe when you specialize and have gained years of experience.

You should be prepared to work flexible hours because you will be required sometimes to work the dayshift or the nightshift. This may last between 8 to 12 hours long including holidays and weekends. Some will have to work 36 hours or 40 hours in 4 days then have the next 3 to 4 days off as someone else will take your place.