Nurses are one of the most vital professions in society today. As health care professionals they take care of people who are sick or have other health problems. Most nurses administer treatments and medicines under the supervision of medical staff in hospitals and clinics, although they also perform a number of other health-related services. In modern health systems, nurses with specialist training may function in many different areas. Because of this it is a profession with many opportunities for a variety of different jobs and a range of responsibilities. The nursing profession has changed so much in the past few decades, so it is worth considering the history of nursing before defining how nurses function today.
History of Nursing
Florence Nightingale is generally considered the founder of the modern nursing profession. Before the Crimean War nursing had been a haphazard business, generally carried out either by charitable nuns or, in war time, by lower ranks in the military services. However, the roots of professional nursing in the United States predate Nightingale by a century and a half to the Revolutionary War when nurses were needed to care for military patients. In July 1775, a system was established to provide a nurse for every ten patients. In the early twentieth century, hospitals assumed responsibility for training nurses. At that time nurses were seen largely as unskilled and cheap labor for hospitals and exploitation was common. Nurses were also seen simply as women who carried out the orders of the medical staff without question as a kind of specialized domestic servant. Both world wars in the twentieth century brought big changes in the nursing profession as large numbers of women were needed for supporting roles in health care and the shortage of doctors – and men generally – as well as the difficult conditions meant that nurses often had to act much more autonomously before. Soon after the Second World War, the emphasis on hospital training began to shift towards a more theoretically based training and nurses began to achieve recognition as health care professionals in their own right.
Modern Nursing
Today nurses are regarded as specialists within the health care services. They are also the most numerous of health workers. Nurses may specialize in a number of different areas, both during their training and in their subsequent careers. While many nurses still work in the traditional role of providing primary patient care within large hospitals and other medical institutions, many may operate as independent professionals, providing treatment and support to people with health problems, either in clinics or in the patient’s own home. Still other nurses work as health care educators, providing public health training in the community. Whatever their specialist role, nurses today are expected to exercise their own clinical judgment to optimize treatment regimes decided on by medical staff. In the United States, various levels of nurse training are recognized. Licensed practical nurses train for two years and must be licensed by registration boards. They are required to operate directly under the supervision of a more senior nurse or a physician. Registered nurses must first graduate from a professional nursing course, usually with a bachelor’s degree, and undergo long hours of clinical training before passing registration examinations. Advanced practice nursesare nurses who have acquired qualifications and clinical training to an even higher level. Most of them today are required to have a higher degree and additional certification. These nurses frequently practiced as midwives, or clinical nursing specialists. At this level, nurses may be the first point of contact for health care and be responsible for a limited range of diagnosis and prescription. They are frequently employed as nurse educators.
Qualifying as a Nurse
The best route for the trainee nurse to achieve registration is to complete an Associate, Diploma or Bachelor degree in preparation for clinical training. The more advanced the degree, the more career options will be available on completion of training. Registered nurses may also find employment in a wide range of fields including law, insurance, government agencies, private industry, schools and specialist clinics. Nurses may also choose to go into research where they are part of teams evaluating new drugs and medical procedures. Despite there being almost three million nurses in the United States today, the country is suffering from an ongoing shortage of nurses. This is often ascribed to difficult working conditions, the physical demands of some nursing positions and the high stress of dealing with health problems.
