Nurse

Nurse
A nurse is responsible—along with other health care professionals—for the treatment, safety, and recovery of acutely or chronically ill or injured people, health maintenance of the healthy, and treatment of life-threatening emergencies in a wide range of health care settings. Nurses may also be involved in medical and nursing research and perform a wide range of non-clinical functions necessary to the delivery of health care. Nurses also provide care at birth and death.
Education and regulation
The nursing career structure varies throughout the world. Typically there are several distinct levels of nursing practitioner distinguished by scope of practice. The major distinction is between task-based nursing and professional nursing. Nurses throughout the world are increasingly employed as registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. At the top of the educational ladder is the doctoral-prepared nurse. Nurses may gain a PhD or another doctoral degree, specializing in research, clinical nursing, and so forth. These nurses practice nursing, teach nursing, and carry out nursing research. As the science and art of nursing has advanced, so has the demand for doctoral-prepared nurses.
In various parts of the world, the educational background for nurses varies widely. In some parts of eastern Europe, nurses are high school graduates with twelve to eighteen months of training. In contrast, Chile requires any registered nurse to have at least a bachelor's degree.
Nurses are the largest group of providers in the health care system--there are over two million registered nurses in the United States of America (U.S.) alone, comprising about 13% of the fifteen million workers in the health care and social assistance category tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor
Nursing is one of the most female-dominated occupations, but the number of males entering the profession is increasing. For example, in 2000 only 5.4% of registered nurses in the U.S. were male, however, that percentage represents a 226% increase over the previous two decades In 2007, internationally, 10.7% of registered nurses and 10.4% of licensed practical nurses were male. Although the rise in the number of males entering and working in the nursing profession is an ongoing trend, females continue to predominate in nursing, as well as in the health care sector as a whole.
Governments regulate the profession of nursing to protect the public.
v Other healthcare workers
Health care settings generally involve a wide range of medical professionals who work in collaboration with nurses.
Examples include:
Nursing assistants, orderlies, auxiliary nurses, medical assistants. These types of health care workers work both in acute and primary settings, with the supervision of registered nurses or licensed practical nurses (in the US). They assist nurses by giving basic care, taking vital signs, administering hygienic care, assisting with feeding, giving basic psychosocial care, housekeeping, and similar duties. See also hospital volunteers.
EMTs and Paramedics work closely with emergency and critical care nurses to stabilize life-threatening trauma and medical emergencies and to provide a seamless transfer of care from incoming ambulances to awaiting medical/surgical teams.
Technicians: for example, certified medication aides in the US, are trained to administer medications in a long-term care setting. There are also phlebotomy technicians, who perform venipuncture; surgical technologist (US), and technicians trained to operate most kinds of diagnostic and laboratory equipment, such as X-ray machines, electrocardiographs, and so forth.
Medical practitioners rely on nurses' ability to follow orders to ensure a continuity of patient care.
Pharmacists are responsible for the safe dispensing of medicine and offering of expert advice on drug therapies.
Allied health professionals such asrespiratory therapists, medical technologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, nurses operating department practitioners (UK) and physical therapists work with nursing staff.
v Education
Registration as a registered nurse now requires an associate degree at least, considered the foundation for any future specialization within nursing any other type of medical ways. Postgraduate diplomas provide further vocational training for specialist areas. Masters level courses are available in both research and course work streams; a specialist course has been developed to provide preparation for registration as a nurse practitioner. Professional doctorates are also available.
Australia has a long tradition of post-basic courses, usually of a six month (minor) or twelve month (major) duration, which included midwifery, maternal and child welfare, psychiatric, peri-operative ("theatre nursing"), intensive care, and coronary care in later years, as well as a myriad of other courses. They are now provided by the university sector as postgraduate diplomas or post graduate certificates, depending on the length and complexity.
Enrolled nurses are trained in the "technical and further education" (TAFE) sector of approximately twelve months duration. In some states, this length has been increased to 18 months to result in diploma level qualification rather than certificate 4. All Enrolled nurse training courses now include a module that permits enrolled nurses to dispense oral, topical, enteral medications, and intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. In some areas of Australia NSW in particular Enrolled nurses are also allowed to administer intravenous medications via a peripheral cannula up to a schedule 4d.
v Legal regulation
The practice of nursing is governed by state and territorial nursing regulation authorities. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) was established in 1992 and works with these authorities to facilitate a national approach to nursing and midwifery regulation.
Types of nurses
In all states other than Victoria, nurses fall into the following major categories:
Nurse practitioner (NP)
Registered nurse (RN)
Enrolled nurse (EN)
Professional titles
The professional courtesy title "sister" has fallen into disuse and disapproval, even though it was formerly used by both male and female registered general nurses. The title "nurse" was used when addressing enrolled nurses. The term "matron" is inadvisable.
In keeping with the relaxed attitude to formalities in Australia, most nurses are happy to be addressed by their first name and describe themselves either as "an RN" or "an EN". In Victoria, an enrolled nurse will commonly describe themselves as a "Div. 2".
Nurse practitioners
Nurse practitioners are being introduced into the Australian healthcare community, with Victoria having had nurse practitioners since 2000
In some instances, it could be argued that this is as a natural professional evolution and recognition of the outstanding clinical expertise some nurses have attained over the course of their careers in areas such as wound management.
Education
Most provinces in Canada prefer any registered nurse to have at least a bachelor's degree (preferably a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN)), although Quebec grants RN status to graduates from CEGEP. Many practicing nurses are still college graduates, but those entering nursing now are required or encouraged to enter at the university level.
Types of nurses
Registered nurse (RN).
Licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN), known as registered practical nurse (RPN) in Ontario and Quebec.
Registered psychiatric nurse (RPN) - are licensed to practice only in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the territories.
Legal regulation
The profession of nursing is regulated at the provincial and territorial level in keeping with the principles of professional regulation endorsed by the International Council of Nurses. The College of Nurses of Ontario regulates both RNs and RPNs in contrast to the other provinces and territories where RNs and LPNs are regulated by separate bodies. In the western provinces, psychiatric nurses are governed by distinct legislation.
All registered nurses and nurse practitioners in the province of Alberta are expected to maintain their clinical competence in order receive an annual practice permit from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta which also sets standards for scope of practice and provides practice support.
India
Main article: Nursing in India
The Indian Nursing Council is the regulatory body for the profession of nursing. A person practicing nursing must be registered with the nursing council. For a person to be registered, he or she has to undergo and pass the prescribed course stipulated by the council. In India, diplomas, bachelor degrees(B.Sc Nursing), postgraduate degrees(M.Sc Nursing) and Doctorates (PhD) are offered.
Some postgraduate nursing specialities include medical, pediatric, obstetric, surgical and community health nursing which are offered by a large number of colleges and universities throughout India. Some institutes such as the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS) offer specialization in psychiatric nursing, neurosurgical nursing.
The nursing staff at institutes and hospitals are segregated into teaching and clinical divisions. In the clinical division, the nurses' stages are- ward nurse, nursing superintendent grade 3, nursing superintendent grade 2, and nursing superintendent grade 1. And in the teaching section they are called nursing tutor grade 2 and grade Ireland
Nursing is selfregulated in Ireland. The regulatory body is An Bord Altranais (The Nursing Board). The board was established under the 1950 Nurses Act and currently operates under the 1985 Nurses Act. There are currently over 82,000 nurses registered by An Bord Altranais of which over 65,000 are on the active register ABA Statistics 2006.
There are seven divisions of the register; general, psychiatric, children's, intellectual disability, midwifery, public health and tutor.
Developments
Significant changes have occurred in Irish nursing since the publication of Report of The Commission on Nursing, A blueprint for the future.
Nurse education
Pre-registration nurse education in university and college based. All pre-registration programmes are at degree level (NQAI level 8). Nurse registration education programmes are governed An Bord Altranais Requirements & Standards.
Significant developments have occurred in post registration nurse education with a variety of programs available to nurses to support their practice and develop their career.
The nursing career structure varies throughout the world. Typically there are several distinct levels of nursing practitioner distinguished by scope of practice. The major distinction is between task-based nursing and professional nursing. Nurses throughout the world are increasingly employed as registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. At the top of the educational ladder is the doctoral-prepared nurse. Nurses may gain a PhD or another doctoral degree, specializing in research, clinical nursing, and so forth. These nurses practice nursing, teach nursing, and carry out nursing research. As the science and art of nursing has advanced, so has the demand for doctoral-prepared nurses.