A Career in Nursing

Kaitlyn Clegg

English III Honors Pd. 1

Mr. Piatak

February 23, 2017

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Nursing, a career and profession that takes many years of schooling and passion for

success. Once making the decision to become a nurse, many years of schooling becomes

necessary. This can cause a tremendous amount of stress that can lead to much more than taking

classes or stress. The key to becoming a nurse includes determination and hardwork. For many

years, nursing has become necessary in society for many reasons.

The career of nursing has existed for more than a century, but first founded during the

Crimean war which took place in Great Britain. The mother of nursing, also known as Florence

Nightingale, helped setting the standards for nursing as a profession. She had several nicknames

such as, the Lady with the Lamp or the Angel of the Crimea. People involved in the war and

or helping with the care of soldiers referred to her by these names due to her accomplishment of

gathering other people to create a team of nurses to cure the soldiers who became ill or injured.

The nickname The Lady with the Lamp came from when she would go out at night with a

lamp to attend to wounded soldiers. The Angel of Crimea came about when the death record

decreased by approximately two thirds because of the efforts from her and the rest of the nurses

she gathered to keep the soldiers alive or bring them back to health. As healthcare developed,

nursing showed promise in making adjustments to the needs of healthcare as a whole (Bisk).

This became a crucial part of nursing school because modern nursing programs have increased

the difficulty level as well as the requirements for attendance. Interprofessional education

initiatives, an organization that allows healthcare professionals the opportunity to learn about the

profession from other professionals as well as collaboratively learning with them. The nursing

field has many different traits that make the work day go more accordingly.

The trait of teamwork in the nursing field helps make the process move smoother than
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with those who lack the trait. Nowadays in the healthcare field, a noticeable difference appears

between those who have good communication skills and who received a degree in nursing and

those who have made the decision not to complete the necessary steps to become a successful

nurse. The number of nursing students who fall under the financial restriction has increased

which leads to the decrease of educational budget. Due to the massive amount of hours to

complete the needed courses, students tend to lose time for work and other activities they may

want to participate. Even though the important skills for nurses includes teamwork, knowing the

skills required becomes much more important. Doctors do not want someone with little to no

training, but someone with the correct assets to become the successful nurse every doctor desires.

Since the nursing attitude, skills, and all around knowledge has become better thus the education

required to become a nurse (Eslamian, Morini, Soleimani). The success rate of nurses comes

from their ability to achieve the goal of not only having a safe environment for patients, but also

their ability to keep their focus on the patient at the time of service (Kear). The profession of

nursing uses a technique known as patient handoff. This refers to a nurse in one field or office

handing the patient to a different off or another team through communication (Kear). The

process involves transporting patients from hospital to hospital, or if the patient needs to see a

different doctor before discharge or for any other reason, such as surgery. This results in the

nurses having to handoff confidential information about the patient amongst one another.

Many different types of nurses use the handoff method to get the patient the help needed.

Ever since the availability of nursing assistance, many different areas in the medical field now

require the help of a nurse, such as to help doctors. For instance, a pediatric nurse assists

pediatricians in their daily duties. This nursing profession primarily spends each day working
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with children who range from the age of six months to eighteen years. Nurses require specific

healthcare knowledge of children because their bodies continue to grow and develop. Therefore

children need more attention than adult patients.The main quality needed for a successful career

as a nurse includes fulfilling the personality of cheerful and friendly, and able to communicate

effectively with both children and their parents (Becoming a Pediatric). A pediatric nurse can

find employment in nearly any medical facility in which they would assist doctors with

newborns, children and teenagers. Such as in hospitals, private practices or clinics. The nurses

can work alongside a pediatrician or may have the opportunity to specialize in a specific area.

Some special areas include anesthetics, oncology, neurology and others. Some of the regularly

duties include recording weight, height and other things that may have changed since the last

visit. Infants should visit every couple of weeks, months and once a year when children grow

older than two years. The nurses have the responsibility of vaccines and making the

appointments needed for necessary vaccines.

Another type of nurse also plays a crucial role in the stability of a patient, known as a

critical care nurse. ICU nurses provide care to those who need more assistance because of poor

health charts; including if the patient becomes too unable to breath on their own, lose

consciousness, or show extremely unhealthy signs. Nurses in this field typically have two to

three patients, but if assigned someone who becomes extremely unstable they will just have the

one patient (Thompson). These patients may have little time left which leads to to need for

specialized nurses and higher education as well as training. Although other nurses can provide

help with patients in critical care unit, the ICU nurse provides the best care because they have to

attend to the patients daily. This specific type of nurse needs a mental and physical strength due
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to the amount of challenges and stress that this career may cause. The important assets to

becoming a successful ICU nurse do not just include the education and training.

All nurses need to have communication skills beyond expectation as well as having the

ability to make decisions quickly for the health of the patient. The career of nursing can become

extremely emotional and sad due to the loss of patient. The key to success includes having the

skill to deal with loss in a quick manner (Eslamian, Morini, Soleimani). This remains important

due to nurses losing patients every once in awhile even though they have tried their hardest.

Critical care nurses do much of the same things and have the same responsibilities as

other nurses. Due to the critical care the patient requires the nurses must record data that includes

vital signs and blood oxygen levels every couple of hours. Any change whether good or bad,

goes on record in the patients data. If anything bad should happen, each nurse goes through

training to learn lifesaving skills, resuscitation and to have the correct equipment to best help the

nurse and patient. Not only do the nurses have to have the knowledge of the equipment, but even

more important, the procedures continuously change. This leads to an emotionally exhausting

career due to all the changes and needing to learn them in a timely manner. According to

Thompson, the job of an intensive care unit nurse has not only an effect on the body, but also on

the mental health of the nurse (Thompson). Throughout the day nurses have patients they are

constantly needed to roll around or switch beds which can become very exhausting.

The path to becoming a nurse may become difficult because of the different ways to

reach the goal. An institute known as the American Medical Institute that exhibits the skills and

education nurses need to ensure upcoming nurses have the proper training (Eslamian, Morini,

Soleimani). The challenges of higher education, lack of motivation, and an increase of better
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nursing programs and schools still exist, though. In the state of North Carolina, many of the

schools offer nursing programs. Several different colleges require students to complete certain

courses, such as the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which requires the completion of

several different courses including global healthcare, chemistry, primary care management,

nursing leadership courses, and many more. Many different courses have become more popular

to help students earn a nursing degree. These courses include chemistry, human anatomy,

physiology, nutrition, and the foundations of nursing (Gateway for..).

A bachelors degree, became the most common degree nurses earn. To earn a bachelors

degree, it takes an average of four to five years. Earning a bachelors degree requires 120 credit

hours in which one must complete and pass their required courses. Professors strongly encourage

students to pursue a masters degree once the student receives a bachelors degree (What is

the..).

After completing their undergraduate degree, many students further their education by

earning a master's degree, also referred to as a graduate degree. Many people who receive a

masters plan to specialize in a specific field. To receive a masters degree, students must

commit to additional schooling. The additional classes take approximately two years to receive a

masters degree after completing courses and earning a bachelors degree. Future nurses

planning to earn their master's degree would typically strive to receive their Master of Science;

M.S. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2009, fifteen percent of the population held a masters

or doctoral degree (What is the...).

The next step to a higher education consists of a doctoral degree, which leads to a higher

opportunity in the medical field. Many people refer to this degree as a Doctoral Degree in
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Nursing (DNP). The extra four to six years to obtain a doctoral degree for nursing gives students

the opportunity to go further in the nursing field, and focuses tremendously on the specific area

the student chooses. If the student has the ability to become a full time student, they have the

option to possibly finish the program sooner, but this requires an abundance of motivation and

self discipline. Although this degree has not yet become a requirement, many people encourage

current students to do so. While taking the extra few years it takes to complete a doctorate, it

provides more opportunity in the future. These opportunities can help those who foresee

themselves moving into a nursing leadership position. Taking on a leadership role may lead to

the chance of becoming a manager or executive. Current nursing students should take advantage

of earning a doctorate due to the need of more highly trained nurses. Another reason to consider

taking the extra time to earn a higher degree because in the long run it will increase the overall

salary (Why get..). Earning a doctoral degree becomes a great way to earn more opportunities

and offers from different employers. The positives to the doctoral nursing degree would have to

be the small class sizes because of the commitment that becomes required as well as the

advanced courses. This degree gives the opportunity to build on the skills students have already

acquired as well as going further than the typical hands on nursing schooling (Why get..).

Employers usually accept any education or degree higher than a Registered Nurse (RN).

The career of nursing involves earning a nursing diploma or degree, and required to pass a nurse

licensure exam. They advise earning a bachelor's degree which usually takes around four years to

achieve. When looking for a school to acquire all the courses needed find a college that offers a

nursing program. Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing, BSN preferred. Earning a

degree higher than a bachelors of science in nursing does not decrease the chance of getting the
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position. Once the bachelors degree is completed, the next step becomes earning a Master of

Science in Nursing (MSN). The process and requirements to become a nurse have made it more

difficult to achieve this goal. The employers suggest having a higher degree because of the

competition involved (What is the..).

Earning the degree comes along with learning all different types of treatments and how to

diagnose each and every patient. The knowledge one may have of a patient can determine

whether or not the student has the ability to become a successful nurse. Doing a thorough

examination, knowing the patients symptoms then having the knowledge of how to diagnose the

patient accurately becomes a huge part of being a nurse once out of school. Becoming aware of

any allergies or medical issues that nurses must put on record. Not only knowing the medical

treatments or how to diagnose the patient, but the nurse also needs the skill of creating a

relationship with each and every patient. Getting to know patients becomes important, especially

due to children having more fear than adults. This can have a big effect on not only the nurse, but

especially on the children. Not only do nurses have to diagnose or cure the child, they also have

the responsibility to satisfy the parents of the patient.

Having good people skills comes in handy because of many patients having the fear of

needles and need the comfort of the nurse. When it comes to the daily life of a registered nurse

who works in the hospital, nurses refer to the word busy as an understatement. Arriving to work

before eight o'clock in the morning to complete reports and get a feel for how the day might go

before walking around to check on each patient to make sure everything has gone accordingly.

The process of checking in on a patient involves the following; documenting all medication,

check on previous orders, and organize everything for the day. After 6 PM, the new assessments
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come in, which means the nurse must complete and follow up on all notes to handoff to the night

shift nurses. At the end of the day, one may feel successful due to having accomplished so many

different tasks which may vary from keeping a patient from becoming frustrated to saving a

patients life (Narog). The feeling of pride and joy comes to each and every nurse if they

continue to enjoy every moment and smile through the tough times (Thompson).

The past few decades have needed nursing because the doctors need assistants and the

patients and community need their help as well. Over the years, nursing as a career has improved

and grown. The need for nurses today has become essential, as they help many of our doctors

and specialists. Nurses do not only have the option of working with children; they can also work

with young adults and older people. The medical field has many different positions to offer, but

to get involved in this profession one must graduate from college to become successful. Anyone

has the option of receiving either a bachelors or masters (as well as many other options), but

nurses obtain these degrees as well as any other person. Working as a nurse can lead to high

stress levels, but also an extremely rewarding career having the opportunity to help people.
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Works Cited

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Bisk. "The History of Nursing as a Profession." Villanova University. Villanova University,

2017. Web. 2 Feb. 2017

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02 Feb. 2017.

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