Becoming A Nurse, Caring For My Stuffed Animals

Nurses play a vital role in healthcare. They are the patient’s advocate and act as the patient’s “eyes and ears”. Pictured here, is Mark, a Registered Nurse working in the Schulich Heart Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, preparing medications for his patients. Making sure the correct medication is administered at the right time is an integral part of a patient's recovery. On his unit, patients are primarily admitted under three services: cardiology, cardiac surgery, and vascular surgery. His ward in particular only has registered nurses as the patients are very acute and registered nurses have more education and training than a registered practical nurse. His daily activities include administering medications, tracking vital signs,

“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” (ICN 2010)

In today’s healthcare system, nursing is a challenging field as a result of rapid technological advances and changes in healthcare policies. As a dedicated nursing professional, with a great passion for learning, I strive to stay on top of these changes. I am determined to increase my knowledge to be an instrumental part of providing quality healthcare. The demands of nursing are high; however the rewards are even higher. Nursing requires both a supreme understanding of the science of health, and a caring bedside manner befitting only those who seek a position of such a personal involvement in the well-being of a patient. Academically, I will put forth all of

There is a shortage of all health care professions throughout the United States. One shortage in particular that society should be very concerned about is the shortage of Registered Nurses. Registered Nurses make up the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A registered nurse is a vital healthcare professional that has earned a two or four year degree and has the upper-most responsibility in providing direct patient care and staff management in a hospital or other treatment facilities (Registered Nurse (RN) Degree and Career Overview., 2009). This shortage issue is imperative because RN's affect everyone sometime in their lifetime. Nurses serve groups, families and individuals to foster

When people think about nurses, many ideas come to mind. They think of the hideous old starched, white uniforms, a doctor’s handmaiden, the sexy or naughty nurse, or a torturer. The media and society have manipulated the identity and role of nurses. None of these ideas truly portray nurses and what they do. Nurses are with the patients more than the doctors. People do not realize how little they will encounter the doctor in the hospital until they are actually in the hospital. People quickly realize how important nurses are. Because nurses interact with their patients constantly, nurses are the ones who know the patients best.

Nursing can be a demanding career, but the benefits far much outweigh the challenges. Most importantly, it’s the rewards it offers by allowing an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life through the provision of care when they need it. Just as Patricia Benner theorized in her book “Novice to Expert,” nursing encompasses both educational knowledge and extensive clinical experience acquired throughout one’s career. This far, I continue to acquire knowledge and clinical knowhow which will promote proper and efficient care to patients. Since I began practicing one year ago in a long-term healthcare facility, I have interacted with patients, families, physicians and other members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient’s care which has enabled me to gain confidence in myself. While I cannot deny that it was difficult to transition from a student to a licensed nurse, I learnt to overcome these challenges and focus on my strengths. Practicing as an LPN has provided a platform to learn and gain experience even though the duties and responsibilities are limited by the scope of practice.

I realized I wanted to be a nurse in 2010 when I was sitting by my grandfather as he was diagnosed with a stroke. As the physician explained to my family and I that the man we knew and loved would not be able to speak or walk again we were struck with heartache. The compassionate and holistic care that the nurses provided him solidified my determination to become a healer to patients who were not able to care for themselves. Today, I have the joy to work in an Emergency Department caring for acutely ill patients and their families, as they are vulnerable and grieving just as my family was. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that my journey will not end until I become more involved with patient care by earning a degree as a Nurse Practitioner. In this paper, I will discuss my educational and professional goals, short term and long-term goals, and how earning a Nurse

After more than a decade in his second career, aging registered nurse John Noble “knew as I got older, bedside nursing would potentially get harder.” He knew he eventually would need to move away from the bedside and took advantage of the hospital paying for further education. He chose a Master’s degree as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) as it allowed him the flexibility to decide during school if we wanted to go into management, teaching, or become a practicing NP. In school he really liked the NP role, and the rest is history.

Overview - One of the key issues in modern healthcare is not only advocacy and patient care, but keeping patient's safe and free from harm. Globally, there are skyrocketing costs due to technology, wages, research and development, and an aging population. Much of the responsibility for patient safety, though, goes to the clear and direct responsibilities of the contemporary nurse. Modern nursing is a rewarding, but challenging, career choice. The modern nurse's role is not limited only to assist the doctor in procedures, however. Instead, the contemporary nursing professional takes on a partnership role with both the doctor and patient as advocate caregiver, teacher, researcher, counselor, and case manager. Under the paradigm of quality health care, modern nurses should interpret this as "quality patient care" which comprises three important factors sound theoretical knowledge of the latest medical procedures, information and innovations; superior communication skills that are multi-culturally based; and the ability to empathize appropriately with the patient and family to buttress the role of caregiver. The necessity for modern nurses is to be far more than ever more of a multitasking professional with superior communication and organization skills and even more focused on the holistic model of the patient and the manner in which they, the nurse, affects the outcome of the patient's care experience (Brown 2007). One cannot say enough, moreover, about the ability to

“Sometimes I inspire my patients; more often they inspire me” (Medline University).” A nurse who has graduated from a nursing program or from a school of nursing and has passed a national licensing exam. Registered nurse are employed in a wide variety of professional setting, and often specialize in a field of practice. I am interested in this career because I love learning new things. Registered nurses (RNs) work in collaboration with physicians and members of other health care disciplines. Nursing is also a job that is in demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nursing is among the top 10 occupations for job growth between 2014 and 2024, expected to grow at 16%. RN’s make a total salary of $67,490 a year. In order

This poor image of the role nurses play in healthcare deters boys and girls from wanting to grow up and become a nurse. The public needs to be informed of the responsibility nurses have in healthcare and how the nurse-patient relationship is directly related with good patient outcomes. Increasing the in-flow of young nurses into the workforce is only part of the approach that the healthcare industry must take to avoid a nurse shortage crisis. RNs already working in the field must be retained so that new graduates and future graduates can benefit from their experience. Retention of RNs working presently will allow time for the influx of new blood to catch up to the numbers needed to maintain optimum nurse-patient ratios.

In today’s society, the medical field is constantly thriving with technological improvements and the growth of educated individuals that contribute to the well-being of others. Nurses make up the largest majority of the industry, and with that, nursing is the fastest growing occupation. Nursing is a job that allows people to not only take care of the sick but also to experience, learn, and further their interests of the human body.

Nurses are known as the heart of health care. Being a nurse is a demanding job that requires commitment, but does not lack rewards. A fact stated by the American Association of Colleges of Nurses claims that “Nurses comprise the largest single component of hospital staff, are the primary providers of hospital patient care, and deliver most of the nation 's long-term care” (“Nursing Fact Sheet”). With many roles throughout the healthcare system as a whole, nurses are a large, very important role that interacts with every other part of the health care system. They have great qualities that not everyone has. They are highly compassionate, caring, professional, diligent and understanding individuals. A nurse experiences people at their worst and still care for patients in a way that no one else would. All these honest points prove that nurses are the most important members of the health care system because, nurses spend the most time with patients, nurses are the managers of patient care; they are teachers and are great with conflict resolution.

Changes in the Health Care System and the Practice of Nursing have become complex. Technological changes, complicated client needs, short hospital length of stay, and departure from acute care to community based care, all these changes have underscore the need for professional nurses to think critically in order to provide safe and effective client care. A better educated nursing workforce can provide good health education to patients and their families. The affordable care of 2010 has required the need for nurses to expand their role of practice to meet complicated patient demands. This has prompted the Institute Of Medicine to review the “Future of Nursing, Leading change and Advancing Health”. {Creasia & Fribery,2011}

Nurse’s roles are expanding according to the need of the patient and society. A nurse has to play roles from bed side nursing to the prevention of disease and illness, educating patient, families and collaboration with different healthcare teams. Howell (2012) indicated