Discover Nursing

In discover nursing I reflect on my own background as a person who studied the discipline of nursing for several years in order to assist others who may be asking themselves the question,

"How do I become a nurse ?"

Nursing isn't for everyone. Even the ability to complete years of education does not guarantee a job in the health care field. But knowing the pitfalls of investing time, money, and energy into a process of preparing oneself to become a nursing professional might come in handy and could save one much long term pain.

I personally cannot look at a health professional with reverent respect today. I hope this information will lead you on the right path. There are great nurses who genuinely care for people. There are others who simply administrate laws that govern the financial end of the nursing profession.

Know thine own self is due diligence that I wish I'd done before choosing to pursue a career in the health care field.

Due diligence is the first step in choosing any career.

Nurse is just another word in the vast library of English words. I just wrote an article on the origin of that word. Nursing is nourishing the healthy, the sick, the elderly, the poor, the misguided, the newborn, the unborn, the dying, and the dead one's family and friends. In schools they classify it as a caring curriculum which they claim to be an art form and a science that can be learnt. What is knowledge and what is wisdom is an opinion.

Due diligence. Integrity, professional ethics, responsibility, respect for hierarchy...all part of the curriculum of nursing schools.

The entry level nurse is not overly educated. In fact some schools will offer an entry level position in the health care field to people who have little scientific educational background. These courses generally are less than one year in duration and the student receives a certificate that allows them to practice.

People with these certificates are your health care aides. They are sometimes called Personal Support Workers. To complete the PSW course successfully the student must learn to perform CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The health care aide also must learn the codes of ethics that are generally accepted practice in the health care environment as well as how to perform range of motion exercises with the client...etc.

Mostly it is a minor study that is achievable by almost anyone who has the ability to read and write.

I should know I did the course twice.

To practice as a PSW or entry level nurse one must not have a criminal record.

The practical nurse achieves one level of education higher than the PSW or health care aide. The rules and regulation that govern the practice of providing care at this level varies from territory to territory. Generally the practical nurse has about two years of post secondary education and can perform all of the duties of the PSW but is expected to be able to administer certain medications. Usually medications that are non narcotic. The practical nurse as to have a good base of science knowledge before entering a learning academy.

Why ?

Because the practical nurse will be asked a lot of question about the anatomy and about the physiology that is at play when medications are introduced into the body.

The practical nurse answers to the Registered Nursing Staff and is sometimes called the licensed practical nurse .

The RNA was the registered nursing assistant. The RN is a fully accredited nurse who is licensed through a governing body. While all health care staff must meet high standards by rule, the RN is monitored under much stricter rules of conduct. The registered nurse is the gatekeeper who is called upon when extremely serious health concerns present themselves.

The RN is responsible for administering the activities of the lower echelon of the health care team as well as of administering extremely toxic concoctions of medication that could cause severe injury or even death if not administered properly and to the strict orders of the doctors.

This means that to achieve an RN Bachelor Degree from an accredited College or University one must be very committed to studying.

To enter into such a course one must have advanced knowledge of sciences such as chemistry, math, physics, and sometimes even business administration.

These Bachelor of Nursing courses are usually four years in length and to practice one must pass the licence of the territory in which they plan to practice.

It isn't all that hard if you commit to it.

I should know I've been there.

The path to becoming a fully accredited nurse might be more involved than the lower disciplines but it is also a path that offers much more professional flexibility. A career as an RN could have you working in any of the following fields.

The Short list of what the Specialist RN might choose to be :

• Case Management
• Clinical Research
• Community Health
• Emergency Triage
• Geriatric
• Home Health Nurse
• Maternal Child
• Nurse Anesthetist
• Neuro Surgical Nursing
• Military Nurse
• Nurse Educator
• Medical/Surgical

And that is just the short list.
After achieving the necessary Bachelor of Nursing Degree that allows a student to write the entry exam with the regulating body there is yet more that can be had by continuing education in Nursing.
The MSN is the Master of Science in Nursing Program. Never been there, never done that, don't even want to go there.............
But the MSN opens up all kinds of new doors for the professional nurse. Many of the above mentioned specialist positions require the more advanced MSN degree. Usually a professional RN must have a proven track record in practice before even being accepted into the MSN course.
The MSN Nursing Degree also allows a nurse to write the license of Nurse Practitioner.
At this level the Nurse is generally doing the duties of what the General Practitioner. or the basic level Doctor was doing a few years ago.
The Nurse Practitioner might be a specialist in anesthetics, or a midwife, or might have a business such as a clinic.

The field of nursing is a great career choice for the right person. But it is not for everyone.

Due diligence will tell you if you have the right personality for a career in nursing.

You might start by asking a few questions like:

Can I work in a very stressful environment ?

Can I put up with authority ?

Can I stand by and watch the political games that often put the wrong people in positions of power over other more deserving people ?

Those are just a few question that will get you "in the know" about yourself before you commit time, money, and energy to a personal cause that is called your life.

Is there money to be made in Nursing ?

Plenty. But where there is money being made or where there is mention of money there is bound to be a thief or a person willing to push the buttons of corruption not to far in the area.

Don't be a sucker for money. Nursing is about caring.

At least that is part of the curriculum that the administrators drive into your head while they teach you the art and science of nursing.

The truth is in the practice of the words.

I've been there.