Nurse and Nursing Nursing Nursing is a profession

Nurse and Nursing

Nursing �Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life.

�Nurses may be differentiated from other health care providers by their approach to patient care, training, and scope of practice. �Nurses practice in a wide diversity of practice areas with a different scope of practice and level of prescriber authority in each.

� Many nurses provide care within the ordering scope of physicians, and this traditional role has come to shape the historic public image of nurses as care providers.

� However, nurses are permitted by most jurisdictions to practice independently in a variety of settings depending on training level.

� Nurses develop a plan of care, working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient's family and other team members, that focuses on treating illness to improve quality of life.

�In the U. S. (and increasingly the United Kingdom), advanced practice nurses, such as clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners, diagnose health problems and prescribe medications and otherapies, depending on individual state regulations.

�Nurses may help coordinate the patient care performed by other members of an interdisciplinary health care team such as therapists, medical practitioners and dietitians. Nurses provide care both interdependently, for example, with physicians, and independently as nursing professionals.

Definition � Although nursing practice varies both through its various specialties and countries, these nursing organizations offer the following definitions:

What is Nursing? �Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations. (ANA)

Definition International Council of Nurses � Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles. Royal College of Nursing UK � The use of clinical judgment in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death.

Definition American Nurses Association � Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities; prevention of illness and injury; alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human responses; and advocacy in health care for individuals, families, communities, and populations. Virginia Avenel Henderson � The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge.

�Nursing is a unique profession concerned with all variables affecting clients in their environment. Nursing actions are initiated to best retain, attain, and maintain optimal client health or wellness using the three preventions (primary, secondary, tertiary) as interventions to keep the system stable.

What is a nurse? �A nurse is a highly skilled health care professional who combines the art of caring with scientific knowledge and skills developed through their education and career.

� Nursing advantage of an international nursing career. can be a life long career which is recognized world wide and which will enable you to take

� A nurse is involved in the education of patients around health and disease processes, health promotion activities, clinical procedures and management of nursing processes.

�A nurse is involved in the education of patients around health and disease processes, health promotion activities, clinical procedures and management of nursing processes.

� Nursing enables you to work in a diverse range of settings including hospitals, community settings, general practices, prisons, homes and residential settings.

What Does a Nurse Do? �There is also a diverse range of areas of practice which a nurse may choose to work in. �Nursing can be a life long career which is recognized world wide and which will enable you to take advantage of an international nursing career.

What Does a Nurse Do? �Nurses play significant roles in hospitals, clinics and private practices. They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients.

Registered Nurses Responsibilities: �Perform physical exams and health histories �Provide health promotion, counseling and education �Administer medications, wound care, and numerous other personalized interventions �Interpret patient information and make critical decisions about needed actions

Registered Nurses �Coordinate care, in collaboration with a wide array of healthcare professionals �Direct and supervise care delivered by other healthcare personnel like LPNs and nurse aides �Conduct research in support of improved practice and patient outcomes

Registered Nurses Settings: �RNs practice in all healthcare settings: hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, ambulatory care centers, community health centers, schools, and retail clinics. They also provide health care in more surprising locations such as camps, homeless shelters, prisons, sporting events and tourist destinations.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses APRN �Advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) is an umbrella term given to a registered nurse who has at least a Master’s educational and clinical practice requirements beyond the basic nursing education and licensing required of all RNs and who provides at least some level of direct care to patient populations. Under this umbrella fit the principal types of APRNs:

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Types of APRN �Nurse practitioner (NP) – Working in clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, or private offices, nurse practitioners provide a wide range of primary and preventive health care services, prescribe medication, and diagnose and treat common minor illnesses and injuries. �Certified nurse-midwife (CNM) – CNMs provide well-woman gynecological and low-risk obstetrical care in hospitals, birth centers, and homes.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Types of APRN �Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) – Working in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, private offices, and community-based settings, CNSs handle a wide range of physical and mental health problems. They also work in consultation, research, education, and administration. �Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) – The oldest of the advanced nursing specialties, CRNAs administer more than 65 percent of anesthetics given to patients each year.

Licensed Practical Nurses LPNs �Licensed practical nurses (LPNs), also known as licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) in California and Texas, complement the healthcare team by providing basic and routine care consistent with their education under the direction of an RN, APRN, or MD/DO in a variety of settings.

Licensed Practical Nurses LPNs �Nurse Types and Education administering medicine and supervising nurses' aides. �Among the most common nursing careers are licensed practical nurses (LPNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice nurses, who have different titles, such as clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or nurse practitioner (NP) �LVNs and LPNs are entry-level nurses who work under the supervision of RNs and have comparable job duties. They are typically required to have completed a 1 -year nursing program available through community colleges, technical schools, high schools and hospitals. They must also pass the National Council Licensing Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) and obtain licensure to legally work in the field.

�RNs must complete a diploma, associate's degree or bachelor's degree program in nursing and pass the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to obtain licensure. Advanced practice nurses typically need to have completed a registered nursing program, earned RN licensure and gained experience working as RNs prior to enrolling in Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.

�RNs who have not yet earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree can consider enrolling in RN-to-BSN programs or earning bachelor's degrees in other subjects since a bachelor's degree are required to gain admission to graduate degree programs. Combined programs that award both BSN and MSN degrees may also be considered. Graduate certificate programs are options for RNs and advanced practice nurses who would like to specialize in particular areas of nursing.

Nursing Job Duties Although degrees of responsibility vary between nursing levels, job duties are principally similar. Daily duties involve activities such as: �Administering medications �Managing intravenous (IV) lines �Caring for patients �Observing and recording patients' conditions

Nursing Job Duties �Communicating with doctors �Providing emotional support to patients and their families �Advising patients on how to selfadminister medication and physical therapy �Educating patients and the public on disease management, nutritional plans and medical conditions

Nursing Job Duties �Because nurses may choose to specialize in specific types of treatments, health conditions, patient populations or body systems, specific job duties can vary amongst specialties. Advanced practice nurses can work independently and have additional job duties, such as prescribing medications, examining patients and making diagnoses

Nursing Career Information �Nurses may work in a variety of health care settings, such as hospitals, private physicians' offices and nursing facilities. In some cases, they run immunology clinics, general health screening clinics, public seminars and blood drives, as well as working in emergency departments. Nurses can also have uncommon schedules, working long hours in numerous facilities, based on need as well as their understandings of care types.

Nursing Career Information �The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted that over the 2012 -2022 decade, employment of LPNs and LVNs will grow 25%, while employment of RNs will grow 19% in the same time period (www. bls. gov). Job growth is expected to be fueled by a growing aging population. �The BLS reported that RNs earned median annual wages of $66, 220 in May 2013. LPNs and LVNs made median salaries of $41, 920 annually, as of 2013

The Nursing Process Assessment � An RN uses a systematic, dynamic � The common thread uniting way to collect and analyze data different types of nurses who work about a client, the first step in in varied areas is the nursing process delivering nursing care. Assessment the essential core of practice for the includes not only physiological registered nurse to deliver holistic, data, but also psychological, patient-focused care. sociocultural, spiritual, economic, and life-style factors as well. For example, a nurse’s assessment of a hospitalized patient in pain includes not only the physical causes and manifestations of pain, but the patient’s response—an inability to get out of bed, refusal to eat, withdrawal from family members, anger directed at hospital staff, fear, or request for more pain mediation

Diagnosis � The nursing diagnosis is the nurse’s clinical judgment about the client’s response to actual or potential health conditions or needs. The diagnosis reflects not only that the patient is in pain, but that the pain has caused other problems such as anxiety, poor nutrition, and conflict within the family, or has the potential to cause complications— for example, respiratory infection is a potential hazard to an immobilized patient. The diagnosis is the basis for the nurse’s care plan. Outcomes / Planning � Based on the assessment and diagnosis, the nurse sets measurable and achievable shortand long-range goals for this patient that might include moving from bed to chair at least three times per day; maintaining adequate nutrition by eating smaller, more frequent meals; resolving conflict through counseling, or managing pain through adequate medication. Assessment data, diagnosis, and goals are written in the patient’s care plan so that nurses as well as other health professionals caring for the patient have access to it

Implementation � Nursing care is implemented according to the care plan, so continuity of care for the patient during hospitalization and in preparation for discharge needs to be assured. Care is documented in the patient’s record. Evaluation � Both the patient’s status and the effectiveness of the nursing care must be continuously evaluated, and the care plan modified as needed.