Ask a group of nurses this question: what is a day like in your profession? And you will receive a plethora of answers so diverse that you will be left flabbergasted. Yet, this is the reality of the nursing profession. No two days are alike; in fact, no two minutes are the same. Each day, a nurse sees people come and go; people who are sometimes at their most vulnerable and people who are at full of high spirits, that recovery brings. Each day is a roller coaster ride for the great souls employed in this noble profession.
Job role
It indeed takes a lot of grit to choose nursing as a profession. These unsung heroes are almost as responsible as a doctor for your life, and whether you recover well from a serious injury or illness, depends as much on the skill of your nurse as the doctor. You are entrusted in the care of the nurses from the minute that you are admitted to the hospital; the nurses will be responsible for making sure that your wounds are dressed and bandaged at regular intervals, give you food and medicines at the right time and amount, and be on call all the time to ensure you are not facing any discomfort. They are the constant companions of doctors, acting as eyes and ears for the doctor and keeping them up to date with the patient’s progress.
Skillsets
Nursing is one of the oldest professions in the world. Even before we had registered doctors and medical practitioners, we had nurses everywhere. That is because even patients with undiagnosed and untreated illnesses need to be taken care of, and that is the very job of the nurse. Today, depending on where you are located, you will need to take a degree or diploma in order to start working as a registered nurse. Also, there are certain life-saving skills needed in order to achieve a successful career in nursing. Since they are required in cases of emergency on a daily basis, being prepared at all times is key to saving lives. In a hectic working environment, they tend to look for training that is flexible and fast. Attending courses in CPR, ACLS and BLS provide just that – learning anywhere and anytime. These online courses provide certification and recertification accepted nationwide based on the latest standards. According to NHCPS, hundreds of healthcare professionals have been able to receive an instant digital certificate after completing their exams successfully. In some parts of the world, however, things can be a little more lenient; especially in the underdeveloped regions of the world, you don’t always have to be formally trained as a nurse to get the job. This certainly raises concern over the ability of these men and women who take up job that entrusts them with the lives of countless people.
Amazing facts about nurses
- Incredibly, did you know nurses on the average walk over three miles a day?
- Over half of medical students are training to be nurses.
- 59% of nurses don’t work in hospitals. Approx 14% of nurses work in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Others work in home health care, private practice, and other areas.
Gender equality
Even in this age of proclamations and demands for gender equality, there seems to be this prevailing notion that nursing is a profession for women only. While it is true that for a very long time, this profession had been taken up exclusively for women, things have started to change a lot now. Even though the numbers are not quite at par with women, more and more men are taking up this as their profession.
We need nurses everywhere, in the smallest of instances. Right from the moment we are born, till we draw our last breaths, we are all dependent, at some point or the other, on the care and compassion that a nurse provides us with. Yet, these men and women and the part they play in our lives go largely unnoticed in the bigger scheme of things.
