Nursing is one of the disciplines of the medicine sector. It focuses on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining their optimal health. Nursing is also termed as a science or an art, which focuses on offering quality healthcare to persons and their families throughout their lives.
In the past nurses worked in “religious” fields in United States. These nurses used to work within a church community to provide health education, counseling, provide medical appointments to community support agencies, and work as volunteers for those who needed assistance. Nurses played an important role in military. They also served in wars and worked on warfront for providing medical facility to injured soldiers. These religious and military roots of nursing remain in evidence even today.
Nursing evolved as a profession with the increased demand for the betterment of health care. People became more and more conscious about their health and started demanding medical assistance, which gave a boost to the nursing profession. Soon after, almost all countries defined nursing practice under the law. This increased demand of medical assistance incorporated nursing as one of the disciplines in medicine.
Florence Nightingale is regarded as the founder of modern nursing, which flourished in the Crimean War. The regulation of nurses was first formed by New Zealand with the adoption of the Nurses Regulation Act on September 12th, 1901. The first registered nurse was Ellen Dougherty.
Many organizations preserve evidence of the history of nursing. The American Association for the History of Nursing (AAHN) and The Museum of Nursing History are two of them. These organizations help nurses to know about pioneers in nursing history and their efforts. They also help people to foster the importance of history for a better understanding of the past, defining the present, and redefining the future of nursing.
Formerly female nurses were also known as “Sisters” and considered to be devotees towards serving other’s lives. Nursing history is a great tool for today’s nurses. It incites and inspires them to serve humankind selflessly while facing the steep and winding path of the health care system bravely.
You can earn your online nursing degree, but as with any online degree program, you must be self disciplined and motivated to succeed. These degree programs are offered at many accredited nursing schools throughout the United States that will prepare you to take advantage of the growing demand in the medical and health care industries. Demand for health care professionals, and professionals with a degree in nursing in particular, is expected to grow by 36 percent by the year 2010, with the need for nurse practitioners and other advanced practice registered nurses among the greatest. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Employment in home healthcare is expected to grow rapidly. Due to the ever growing response to the number of older persons with functional disabilities, as well as consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home, an online nursing degree can be in your best interest. The type of care demanded will require nurse degree graduates who are able to perform complex procedures. To improve operational efficiency and quality of care, employers are demanding nurses and managers with current expertise. To help you excel in this dynamic field, there are several programs geared to deliver accelerated online health care and a nursing degree to adult professions.
Benefits of Online nursing degree programs
There are many benefits in attaining a degree in nursing and if you have a strong desire and are highly motivated, you can accomplish this.
You can complete the course work to obtain a degree quickly and conveniently, and at your schedule.
Online degree programs are less expensive than attending a physical college location, not to mention the travel time.
Flexible online degree programs allow you to work around personal commitments as long as you complete your assignments on time.
You are able to tailor your curriculum to meet your specific goals; you’ll study an up-to-date curriculum that addresses the critical needs of the health care industry.
With computer experience, you have available In-depth exposure to online tools being widely used in today’s business environments.
You can complete your online health care or online degree in just 2 to 3 years. (Even sooner if you have qualifying credits or work experience.)
Is There Any Value In An Online Nursing Degree?
More and more employers are seeking nurses with a degree at the bachelor’s and graduate-degree levels who can deliver the higher complexity of care required across a variety of acute-care, primary-care, and community health settings, and to provide other needed services such as case management, health promotion, and disease prevention.
Since nurses comprise the largest single component of hospital staff, they are the primary providers of hospital patient care, and an online nurse degree can prepare you for this.
A degree in nursing can prepare you for employment at hospitals, as well as many other settings, including private practices, public health agencies, just to name a few.
A nursing degree can qualify you for a better than average salary. The average annual earnings of registered nurses employed in nursing was $46,782 in 2000, according to the federal Division of Nursing. Nurse practitioners, advanced clinical nurses prepared at the master’s-degree level, earned an average of $61,262, while nurses with doctoral degrees earned an average $63,262.
To summarize, an online degree in nursing can prepare you for an exciting and rewarding profession. Plus, the added satisfaction of helping and caring for others can be a big factor in your life. As with choosing any career, just be certain that this is what you really want to do. This can be a high pressure and demanding vocation. In addition, before choosing any nursing degree program, be certain that it has been accredited and will be recognized by your employer.
In 1996, the Knight-Tribune News Service reported, “thieves often use Vaseline to ease wedding rings off of the hands of sleeping patients in nursing homes. One case cited an eighty-six year old woman who awoke inconsolable one morning when she discovered her finger had been stripped of her last two life’s mementos: a diamond ring inherited from her mother and the engagement ring her husband slipped on her finger during a romantic canoe ride. She was heartbroken! Nursing home administrators often cover up for the employee doing the stealing by either denying that the theft occurred or by insisting to the victims’ families that their employees’ are honest; not dishonest. Because of this “hear no evil, see no evil ” policy police departments are hardly ever notified or asked to get involved in such trivial matters as a few missing blouses or pieces of jewelry valued under one hundred dollars. If caught, employees are usually fired, but they are not made to make restitution. As a result, neither the facility or the victim’s family criminally prosecutes them.
In July of 2001, CBS news reported a story about Helen Love, an elderly woman who was attacked by a caregiver at a Sacramento, Ca. facility because she soiled herself. “He choked me and went and broke my neck and broke my wrist,” said Love. According to additional reports, Love’s assailant received a year in the county jail. Further articles by the same newspaper revealed that three other employee’s employed by the same facility were convicted for abuse as well. Yet, none of them were ever kept from working in any nursing facility. So why has the nursing home network ignored the need for stiffer background checks? According to the CBS news report in 2001 and articles written by reporters employed by national and local newspapers, most reported abuses are physical, sexual, and verbal.
A congressional report written by Waxman, a top democrat on the house Government Reform Committee, which oversees spending and other operations, said he is introducing a plan that would require criminal background checks on nursing home staff and impose tougher standards on homes with violations. But, what do we call tougher standards when we allow older felons recently released from our prison system, with a history of sexual assaults or violent crimes to work and live in nursing homes, to victimize our senior citizens or disabled children? Congressional reports written between January 1999 and 2001 by Waxman report that over 30% of our nursing facilities were cited for abuse and, the violations were serious enough to cause actual harm, immediate jeopardy of death, or serious injury.”
Charles H. Roadman II, president of the American Health care Association (AHCA), a nursing home trade group that represents 12,000 non-profit and for-profit centers and homes for the elderly and disabled, stated to CBS news in an article written on July thirty-first, 2001 that he believes that “the great majority of long term care in our nation is excellent.” Reading articles such as these, makes me wonder if any of the congressional representatives, senators, governors, other than Jeb Bush, have ever taken time out of their busy schedules to personally visit any of the facilities that have been cited for these alleged abuses, or personally met any of the victims’ families screaming for justice and reform? When it is all said and done there are many simple warning signs that we should look for whenever we are faced with seeking short-term or long-term care. The list that I have provided in my booklet called “Nursing Home Do’s and Dont’s, by Brooke Jennings, is an easy read for the average layperson. Therefore, if you are considering placing your friend or a precious member of your family into the hands of strangers, I recommend getting a copy of Nursing Home Do’s and Dont’s @ brookesden.com
The medical scrubs what should it be? Simple: Dynamic, as characteristic as its wearer.
Schooling and on-the-job-training nurses, garb their nursing school uniforms as if they are already practicing the profession general dress-rehearsal so to speak, only that they wear their costume always. What is the purpose?
The expensive cost of the nursing school uniforms is just a minor factor. The nursing school uniforms are the same with the formal attires used in the practice of the nursing profession whether an RN-Registered Nurse or LN/VN-Licensed (Practical)/Vocational Nurse. Hence, the highest quality nursing school uniforms although also the most expensive ones could still be used until after graduating from the basic nursing course. And almost all nursing school uniforms are the same in the different nursing schools in the US. If the nursing student cross-enrolls then the only thing that he would have to change in his nursing uniform is the name tag/patch. The general uniformity in the pattern of the nursing school uniforms is because the uniforms more or less have the same purposes providing comfort, protection, and sanitation for the dynamic medical nurse, plus expert habitualization in the profession. This doesnt mean though that the nurses are disadvantaged with limited and boring nursing uniform styles that also dont fit the work-trimmed body perfectly. In fact, there are a range of choices for medical nursing uniforms.
Not only are medical nursing uniforms available in discount prices for wholesale/bulk-buying, but the uniforms are also available in various sizes, customized pattern, and personalized designs. Some nursing school uniforms even have fun-in-work-toony-form themes. The Cherokee uniforms and scrubs are designed for more comfort and looks-confidence in the nursing workplace. CREST scrubs and uniforms on the other have a comfortable fit and feel. Landau brand is also available for new trends of medical scrubs and uniforms, while the Barco uniforms has been an expert in the uniform business continuing their lead in the traditional medical, nursing scrubs, and corporate identity looks. Another designer for nursing school uniforms is the Dickies online scrubs. There are a lot to choose from. The nursing school uniforms are not totally restricted to such categories as top-pant scubs, warm-ups/jackets, white dresses, tunics, Oxford-shirt, maternity, smocks, unisex, 41coats or 30/32 jacket lab-wear. Medical scrubs-pants alone are available in different designs and patterns like basic pant, cell-phone pant, knit cuff & cargo pant, topstitch wide-leg pant, wide-leg drawstring pant, wide-leg side-vent drawstring pant, jean-style-flare leg-pant, etc. Some uniforms even especially have bar-tacked stitching at the stress points or dyed-to-match ring-snap closures.
Nonetheless, all nursing school uniforms feature impeccable tailoring and attention to detail, and have superior color-retention and stain-resilient against frequent dirt-washes. You can tell that a medical scrub uniform is of the finest quality as they are the brighter whites while also being wrinkle-resistant for frequent arduous movement. Crisp clean uniforms are essential for sanitation reasons as well as professional appearance in the medical nursing field. Nursing school uniform pockets are just as life-saving, and dont forget, the shoes.
Today nursing practices are performed in a wide range of settings, from hospitals to paying personal visits to peoples’ homes. Educational institutions, like universities and schools, summer camps , pharmaceutical companies, non-profit organizations, or international organizations like the World Bank, hire nurses to work in occupational health settings, clinics and physicians’ offices, elderly care facilities or cruise ships. This diverse medical profession can appear in diverse settings keeping its main goal identical in any situation; provide caring services to those in need.
In pre-modern times, nuns and military officers often provided nursing services. In fact, the religious and military roots of modern nursing remain in evidence until today. For example, in Great Britain, senior female nurses are called “sisters” probably due to the people association with nuns. In recent times, nurses work within churches and community organizations in order to perform health education, counseling, provide referrals to community support agencies, and connect volunteers from the church community with those in need of assistance.
Nursing flourished in response to the World Wars and New Zealand was the first country to regulate nurses nationally, with adoption of the Nurses Registration Act on the 12th of September 1901. Ellen Dougherty was the first Registered Nurse. In recent years, the American Nurses’ Association (1980) has defined nursing as “the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.” Just as medical diagnoses help in the planning, implementing, and evaluation of medical care, nurses’ diagnoses help in the planning, implementing, and evaluation of nursing care.
Like other maturing disciplines, nursing has developed different theories that are aligned with diverging philosophical beliefs and paradigms or worldviews. Nursing theories help nurses to direct their activities in order to accomplish specific goals with people. Nursing is a knowledge based discipline committed to the betterment of humankind. Nursing has not only developed into a profession, but an art as well.
As the world grew larger and larger a large number of specialties within nursing have developed. In fact, nursing has been divided into different specialties or classifications. With more than 200 nursing specialties and sub-specialties, a variety of professional organizations or certifying boards issue voluntary certification in many of these areas and nurses are interested in acquiring one of these accreditations, encompassing care throughout the human lifespan and based upon patient needs.
Overall, the nursing career structure varies considerably throughout the world. Typically there are several distinct levels of nursing practitioner, distinguished by increasing education, responsibility and skills. The major distinction is between task-based nursing and professional nursing. At the top of the educational ladder is the doctoral-prepared nurse. Nurses may gain the PhD or another doctoral degree such as Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), specializing in research, clinical nursing, etc. These nurses practice nursing, teach nursing and carry out nursing research. As the science of nursing has advanced, so has the demand for doctoral-prepared nurses.