Development of Nursing Profession
Nursing is a dynamic career that has experienced a lot of changes in the past fifty years. However, the nursing career has been structured to paths leading to senior clinical responsibilities and management (Buckis, 2011). Recently, the demand for nurses has risen than any other point in time. It is projected that there will be a shortage of 260,000 nurses by the year 2025 in the United States (Roux and Halstead, 2009). This calls for the government and all other stakeholders in the health sector to provide motivation to students to undertake the career. The nursing professional is has become technologically orientated which has helped nurses to address challenges in the health sector.
Registered nurses act independently and can run their own health centers, prescribe medicine and also order for tests. This process of changes forms the basis of an in depth analysis and evaluation of the career and the roles played by nurses in the health care system.
The development and advancement of the nursing profession has a link with historical influences during the ages, commencing in antiquity. In the olden days, the decision to become a caregiver was assigned to the female members of the society. Traditionally, women gave care to their own children and this act of compassion was assumed that it would be extended to the sick members. In other communities, the role of care giving was assigned to medicine men. Lack of formal education on giving care to the sick, care givers learnt on how to undertake their roles through observation and oral education. This was passed from one generation to another. The process of identifying the best method to give care to the sick was trough trial and fault. This discrepancy resulted to the loss of many lives prompting the development of nursing professional. It was necessary to create a curriculum of education people on how to provide specialized care (Roux and Halstead, 2009).
Florence Nightingale is accredited for laying the foundation for the transition of nursing as a professional career. She established the first sectarian school of nursing. In the past, nursing schools were the reserve of the military or religious groups (Nightingale and McDonald, 2012). She used her prowess in mathematics to analyze the effectiveness of public policy and allocation of resources. She also used statistics to research on mortality rates. Her theory of nursing ascertains that the patient must be positioned in the best conditions for the purpose of environmental adaptation which remains the foundation of holistic nursing care. These thoughts have significantly influenced nursing.
War among nations caused a lot of casualties. This prompted the need of educating people to cater for the many challenges that were experienced when providing care to patients. Hence the idea of developing nursing professionals was created. People were employed and trained as professional nurses in the army during the first and the second world wars.
Roles and Responsibilities of Nurses
The role of nurses is to provide care to the patient. Nurses help people in need of their care to achieve the maximum possible well being. Nurses have the responsibility of providing information to the client regarding their health so that they can make informed choices.
Nurses have expanded roles for instance, nurses with master’s degree in a certain specialty provide act as clinical specialists. They provide specialized care to patients and offer themselves for research and consultation (Ellis and Hartley, 2010).
Nurses are counselors to clients with social and psychological problems. They promote the personal growth of the patient by developing interpersonal relationships. This helps to provide emotional and psychological support that will yield a sense of control.
Registered nurses have the responsibility of leading the patient’s well being team. They perform an in-depth analysis of the patient’s physical conditions and gather information regarding their history. Registered nurses differ from doctors because nurses work with nurse’s diagnosis while doctors work with medical diagnosis. The doctor’s aim is to cure the disease while registered nurses cure the problem causing the disease (Kelly, 2010).
Career Opportunities
The nursing curriculum prepares nurses for direct roles in advanced practices. These programs prepare nurses for careers such as, certified registered anesthesia nurse, clinical nurse professional, nursing informatics, forensic nursing, holistic nurse, radiology nurse, preoperative nursing, home healthcare nurse, rehabilitation nurse, critical care nurse, oncology nurse, pediatric nurse, Cardiac Catheterization Lab Nurse and transplant nursing. The nursing profession offers limitless and flexible careers. When choosing this career it is fundamental to note that it is a vocational career that involves giving and taking care of people.
Reason for Interest in Nursing
My reason for becoming a nurse is because I am a natural care giver. I have provided home care to people for many years and owing to this initiative I have decided to take it to the next level by becoming a registered nurse. My inspirational is to see people recover after receiving care from nurses. Nursing is a profession that has may rewards than other jobs, even if they are not in monetary terms. People in the career derive personal fulfillment from making positive contributions towards the lives others. This comes from the individual aspiration to improve the lives of others by taking away their suffering through medication.
References
Buckis, C. (2011). Nursing: Australia. Ultimo, N.S.W.: Career FAQs.
Ellis, J., & Hartley, C. (2010). Nursing in today's world: challenges, issues, and trends (8th ed.). Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Kelly, P. (2010). Essentials of nursing leadership & management (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Nightingale, F., & McDonald, L. (2012). The collected works of Florence Nightingale. Waterloo, Ont.: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Roux, G., & Halstead, J. (2009). Issues and trends in nursing: essential knowledge for today and tomorrow. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Sacks, T. (2013). Careers in nursing (2nd ed.). Chicago, Ill.: VGM Career Books.
