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Nurses are a vital part of the medical community. There are over 2.5 million nurses in the United States, and nursing is the largest employer in the healthcare field. As the population ages, it is expected that we will need more nurses than ever to fill these available positions. There are two reasons for the increased demand for nurses. An aging population is one that will have a greater need for medical care, and many nurses are reaching retirement age. At a time when teacher and nurse where the two traditional career paths for women, many of the nurses that are reaching retirement age now chose nursing as a career. As other fields of study opened up, fewer women chose to enter the nursing field. That is offset slightly by the fact that many men are entering the field once dominated by women. Men, lured by the promise of flexible schedules and high demand, are a growing segment of the nursing community.

The nursing community is vital to the structure of the entire medical community. Nurses are responsible for their patient’s well being, and must not only dispense medicine, but recognize early signs of complications, monitor the patient’s emotional condition, and help the patient’s family understand the diagnosis and treatment of a disease.

The Importance of Nurses in the Hospital Setting

Nurses receive specialized training in monitoring and assessing medical conditions. While a physician diagnoses a disease or ailment and prescribes a course of treatment, it is the nurse who is involved in the implementation of that therapy. Nurses work one on one with patients, monitoring their vital signs and observing any changes to their condition. Often a nurse’s instinct, honed by hours on the job, is the first clue that a patient may not be responding well to treatment or that there may be another problem.

A nurse will typically be responsible for many patients on each shift. She is responsible for making sure they receive their medications and any other prescribed treatments, as well as helping with basic needs and comforts. The nurse is often a liaison between the patient and their family and the physician. The nurse can often explain in layman’s terms what the doctor has diagnosed and, using knowledge from years on the job, comfort the patient and family members.

The Importance of Nursing in the Community

Nurses are an important part of the community. Particularly in under-served areas, a patient may receive a good deal of their primary care from a nurse. Immunization clinics and health screenings are just two of the ways that nurses serve the community. Without community nurses, many children would be unable to attend school, or be unable to see the chalk board, or older patients would be unaware of high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Community nursing is growing in importance as health care becomes unaffordable for many families. Community nurses often implement low cost programs that allow members of the community to receive help in losing weight, monitoring their blood pressure, or obtaining dental or eye exams for their children.

Nursing in the Home Care Setting

Nurses that work in home health care provide a valuable service to their clients. Often an elderly person is unable to live on their own, but does not want to give up their independence and enter a nursing home. Sometime, a child with a medical condition can stay home, but needs therapy daily. In situations such as these, a home health nurse is invaluable. The nurse makes up a schedule that is set up by the treating physician, and visits homes, administering therapy, checking on the client’s well being, and assessing the patient for any additional needs they may have.

A Higher Level of Care

One of the problems with the rising cost of health care is the lack of access to physicians. Many nurses are furthering their education in ways that help the entire medical community. A registered nurse that has completed his or her bachelor degree may continue on to one of many branches of graduate school. After specialization, she will graduate as a nurse practitioner, and specialize in midwife and delivery, community health, family care, or anesthetics. Although supervision levels vary by state, the nurse practitioner typically works under the supervision of a physician.

While the nurse practitioner must work under a physician, she has a great deal of autonomy. It is not a situation where the nurse is directly supervised. The physician is available for consultation, and may review charts and diagnosis on occasion, but the nurse practitioner can order tests, refer patients to specialists and has prescribing authority. Nurse practitioners have enhanced the level of care offered in many poor and rural communities. They also allow a hospital to reduce its costs by providing services that in the past were only offered by a physician.

Some things are simply a mystery and so goes the perceived role and importance that the Critical Care Transport (CCT) RN plays in the healthcare field. Other professionals seem to view us like mutts - a little bit of everything but certainly not a thoroughbred in anything.

I once heard a co-worker describe the job as something between a magnified EMT and a bench warmer. Such flattery - but what can you do?

Anyhow, I just wanted to set the record straight, so to speak, by pointing out the value and importance that the CCT RN brings to the table.

What’s so ironic about the perception is that most CCT RN’s are veteran nurses from the ICU or ER with certifications that give new meaning to the use of acronyms. Many hold certifications that consist of ACLS, PALS, CCRN, CEN, TNCC, PHTLS, ATLS and anyway - you get the picture.

Not to mention while other nurses were out frolicking in the sun on their day off; oftentimes, we sat in some hot, claustrophobic classroom in pursuit of greater knowledge. In addition, extensive training takes place before we are even allowed to come into contact with a patient, with classes ranging from airway management, advanced life support, managing portable ventilators, pharmacology, and trauma protocols.

As in all fields of nursing, the amount of information thrown your way is vast and at times can be a bit over-whelming. Of course, you must learn it all and then be able to repeat it verbatim, back to the instructor.

Of course, the rear confines of the ambulance is simply a mini ER. Believe me, there’s no such thing as a claustrophobic CCT RN. Standard equipment includes: IV pumps, pulse oximetry, monitor, airway equipment and a pharmacy of drugs. Pretty much all life saving procedures are provided here - CCT RN’s are trained to be prepared for anything.

Truth be told, to make it out there in the real world a CCT RN has to be intelligent, witty and quick on their feet. Murphy’s Law at hyper-drive is the norm and thus a solid foundation in the fundamentals of critical care along with extensive training prepares the CCT RN for anything and everything.

On the down side, regardless of training and experience, you can never be totally prepared but the key, irrespective of the circumstances is to always keep continuity of care from the sending to the receiving hospital. In most instances, patient care and outcome improves primarily due to this 1-to-1 ratio.

It’s an exciting and a personally rewarding profession that defines care one patient at a time. On the other hand; at times, it can be a thankless job but like our contemporary professionals we are all on the same team with the same goal - to care for the patient and get them to the next stage of recovery as quickly as possible.

Remember, we are not mutts, so the next time a CCT RN crosses your path throw us a bone in the form of respect - not a dog biscuit.

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