Among the jobs that are very popular nowadays, being a nurse would surely be one of the top of the list. United States is known now as a melting pot of nurses because of their aging population. There is drastically high demand of health care professionals to take care and look after their elderly people. Because of this, career prospects for nurses in United States continue to look brighter and more people would choose nursing as a career option and not as a passion. Nevertheless, one who desires to become a nurse by profession should carefully consider the bulk of responsibilities and have to prepare accordingly.
General Job Description of a Nurse
A nurse should always conform to the standards of giving health care. Each nurse is entitled to his or her own responsibilities and duties. Among the general duties of a nurse are treating patients, giving health teachings on various medical conditions, and being a patient advocate. A nurse should always be client-centered. Giving emotional support to patients and family members is also an ideal trait of a nurse. Moreover, the technical duties of a nurse includes recording the medical histories of patients and their symptoms, performing and analyzing the results of different diagnostic exams, and also contribute in the recuperation and rehabilitation of the patients.
Aside from the things mentioned above, RNs or registered nurses have a main responsibility which is to educate patients and their significant others on how to manage the illness. They should be unique for each patient, otherwise known as case to case basis. Nurses can also play the role of being a counselor especially for those families who may have a critically ill loved one. In addition, nurses also take part as leaders in conducting health screening, immunizations, donation of bloods, and public health seminars and conferences.
Specialization (Fields of specialty)
In order for a nurse to have a specialty, one must be registered first, acquire years of experience, and be an advance nurse. A nurse can specialize in one field. There are different types of specialization which are divided into four categories:
- specialization which is based on the work setting or kind of treatment,
- specialization on a specific disease condition,
- specialization on a certain organ system and,
- specialization on a certain population.
It is also possible to combine two or more specialization types so long as the nurse can. Each specialization has different standard duties and responsibilities that a nurse must perform. For instance, a nurse who specializes on a work setting, such as a dialysis nurse works on a dialysis center which is an outpatient basis.
A nurse is a noble profession. To become a nurse is not that easy. One must want it; develop in him or her values and ideal traits of a good nurse. Surely, a lot of people out there want this profession for a greener pasture. They must also instill in them the spirit of compassion, care, and love. For without those, they would just be a mere nurse in profession but never a loving nurse at heart.
