Nursing Degree, Requirements, Tuition Cost, Jobs and Salary

What is Nursing?

The term nurse first occurred in English in the early thirteenth century, derived from the Latin nutrice” which means "a wet nurse" (the one hired to breastfeed an infant). Etymologically in our modern world Nurse means “nourish” i.e. to feed.

Nursing, one of the most vital professions which indulge in protection, promotion, and optimization of general health and abilities. It promotes facilitation of healing and prevention of illnesses by alleviating the sufferings through medical care of individuals, families, and communities. The most vital role of a nurse is to be a patient advocate by protecting the interests of their patients while they are not in a state to protect themselves.

In modern world, nursing is just not all about care to the ill, but it also enables them to empower and guide the patients to be educated and responsible towards their individual and societal health by following healthy lifestyle and learning basic knowledge of how to eat healthier, medications, changing wounds dressings and manage and use healthcare equipment.

Nurses take an oath, a promise to themselves to treat others with respect and care, without any prejudice, adhering to the principles, helping patients with a sense of dignity and maintaining a high set of standards to promote human connection and community welfare.

Online Education in Nursing

• Online courses in the US offer us with associates, bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees

• Universities have a flexible timing and curriculum for distant learning students

• Online programs allow students to gain supervised training in hospitals, healthcare centers and other workplaces where nursing majors tend to find employment

• Online degrees allow students the flexibility of studying on their own time and from any location with an Internet connection.

Why study Nursing?

In any setting, nurses use their theoretical and evidence-based knowledge to diagnose, assess, plan and implement to help patients with their needs. Nurses use the process of evidence-based practice to provide quality patient care and to evaluate the effectiveness of care in correlation to the identified outcomes.

In general, a responsibility of nurses are-

• Nursing promotes and provides health and wellness, education and counseling

• Nurses evaluate and record patient’s symptoms

• Assist doctors in patient’s examination and surgeries

• Nurses also review patient’s treatment plans and progress

• Nurses coordinate care in collaboration with a wide range of healthcare professionals

• Nurse promote and perform physical health examination and health histories

• The nurse at times needs to make critical decisions and take a course of actions by interpreting patient’s information

• The nurse also indulge themselves in research to improve medical practices and healthcare outcomes

• Nurses observe and record patient’s conditions to take personalized interventions and administer medications and wound care.

Specializations of Nursing

• Family Nurse practitioner

• Clinical Nurse Specialist

• Gerontological Nursing

• Occupational Health Nursing

• Forensic Nursing

• Obstetrical Nursing

• Pediatric Nursing

Where can you work?

Nurses practice in healthcare settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, care centers, schools, private clinics, and community’s healthcare centers. Surprisingly nurses also do practice in homeless shelters and prisons. Nursing is seen as an act of service, every professional nurse is trained to develop their own philosophy and apply it to his or her job to meet their personal goals by being accountable, professional and compassionate.

Responsibilities of a Nurse do vary depending on their job designation and the setting in which they practice. Nurses may choose to specialize in various types of treatments such as traumatic emergencies, organ transplants, psychiatric care, intensive care for serious conditions, infants care, addiction, surgeries.

Conclusion

This Nursing discipline offers students various options to specialize in an academic discipline and even gain employment training. A bachelor’s or masters degree in nursing gives employment opportunities and benefits. This course also provides you with good paychecks and people who like social service can take up nursing as their career option.