Nurses can be found throughout our society working in many different areas of healthcare and although specialization allows a nurse to focus on a specific area of medicine. All nurses are required to have extensive knowledge of the medical profession and the various specialties, such as Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Surgery, Pharmacology, and many more complex areas. You would typically find a nurse working in a hospital setting or a clinic, although, as stated earlier, nurses can be found in corporate America, the military, clinics, and almost anywhere dealing with healthcare and patient wellness. Nursing is a 24-per-day profession with nurses on the front line in emergency rooms, hospitals, clinics, and emergency response. Nurses are responsible for keeping accurate records, giving medications to patients, advising patients on wellbeing and how to care for themselves, and monitoring all patient care to insure consistency, accuracy, and safety. There is a lot of documentation required and these days, most of that is done electronically so nurses must also have technology skills that enable them to utilize computers, monitors, and various pieces of medical equipment that is becoming more and more complex to learn and use. Nurses must always strive to continue learning new techniques and advances in order to remain relevant. (Details Report for Registered Nurses, 2018)
The nursing profession is truly a profession that does not discriminate. You can find male nurses, female nurses, gay nurses, large nurses and small nurses from every country around the world. RN’s and LPN’s are required to complete several years of college and nursing school in order to practice their profession. Nursing aides must also take classes to learn their duties, but the training is much less than what is required of an RN. Once a nurse has obtained their education, they must still register with their state and take a test that determines if they have the required knowledge to treat patients. Currently, this is growing profession with demand outstripping the supply of nurses graduating from school. Once a nurse is certified, they can generally find a good paying job and they also have the option of continuing their education and becoming more specialized or move into another area of medicine, such as Physician Assistants, EMT’s, or actual Physicians. In fact, it has been said that nurses actually make the best doctors because of their reputation for compassion and patient care. In my case, I would like to attend nursing school and then evaluate my options. I really like the idea of forensic nursing, possibly healthcare management, or even going to medical school and becoming a doctor. There are currently many more nursing and medical profession jobs than there are qualified people to fill them, so I feel that my future would be secure and I would be able to find a specialty that interests me. You can look at the job listings for any hospital, many corporations, clinics, or almost any health-related operation and you will find openings for qualified, certified nurses. There are currently over 7300 openings for RN available on the job site Indeed. (RN Jobs, Employment in Washington State, 2018) These available roles encompass many different companies and skills, ranging from hospitals, community services, insurance companies, and school districts.