Whenever people are sick or have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, nurses are always there to comfort them. Nursing is a fast growing occupation here in the United States and makes up the vast majority of the healthcare industry. Nursing is a career that allows people to care for others.
Aside from the greatness of helping others, it also comes with stressful situations that require plenty of responsibility because the medical field is always evolving. There is a high demand for nurses.Nurses play a huge role in the medical field, particularly nurse practitioners. Although doctors tend to get the most recognition for patient care, the reality is that nurses are the ones caring for the patients and making sure they are always comfortable. Being a nurse practitioner comes with a variety of jobs to do because they are qualified to do more procedures than other lower level nurses.
The most important job of a nurse practitioner is to tend to the physical and emotional needs of patients.The position of a nurse practitioner requires one to be patient and understanding. Some patients can be unpredictable and can have mood changes including anger, sadness, and depression. It is crucial for nurse practitioners to handle them with extra care both physically and emotionally.
Nurse practitioners can empower patients to make the right decisions when it comes to medical issues and personal health. They can communicate with patients therapeutically by making eye contact and by speaking to them in a calmly manner.The article “Advanced Practice Nursing” published on the Cedars-Sinai website states, “A nurse practitioner provides direct care to a specific population of patients. In addition to their traditional registered nursing skills, nurse practitioners can perform comprehensive physical examinations, order and interpret diagnostic tests, request specialty consultations, perform and prescribe therapeutic measures and furnish medications.
” Which means that nurse practitioners are at a higher level than registered nurses and are certified to preform more procedures.Nurse practitioners can also take the place of a doctor if and when they are allowed to since they are trained to handle emergency care and primary care. Nurse practitioners have plenty of reasons to feel satisfied with themselves, since they are helping people and giving back to their community, their job can still come with stressful situations. They can become easily stressed because they have the lives of people in their hands. Working as a nurse practitioner can be emotionally draining for some people, they have to deal with sickness and death on a daily basis, which can be very stressful to some people.
They can feel as if they have the weight of the world on their shoulders because they still have the potential to make mistakes no matter how much training they have gone through. Simple misdiagnoses can harm someone very badly and could possibly cause someone’s death and they would be responsible for it. While this job can be very stressful, people have their methods of coping with it. Many nurse practitioners find the best coping method to be exercising and talking out their problems with someone.My interviewee Demetra Bastas who has been a nurse practitioner for over six years admits to finding talking to her husband or girlfriends really helps her cope with all the stress that comes with the job. My second interviewee Nancy Kazan who has been a nurse practitioner for five years also finds one of the hardest parts of her job is being liable for someone’s life.
Regardless of the stress, nurse practitioners find the positives in what they do and continue with their job. As the world progresses and technology advances, so does the medical field.The medical field is continuously evolving and it helps nurse practitioners stay informed of the new information that is being released. With there always being something new to learn everyday and having the benefits of expanding their knowledge of medicine even deeper, nurse practitioners are becoming sharper than ever. Medicine is always changing and there are new things to learn everyday, which is why there is a high demand for nurses. As stated by a anonymous nurse practitioner on the Midlevel U website, “I enjoy working as a nurse practitioner for the challenge of continued learning.
No two days are exactly alike. I learn more everyday. When I don't know how to diagnose a certain problem I do further research - I am constantly learning. ” Which proves that it is crucial for nurse practitioners to be informed of new medications, diseases, and possible curses. In order to have a successful career as a nurse practitioner they have to be willing to sacrifice down time to expand their knowledge even further.
Many nurse practitioners find the challenge pleasing because it benefits them to be educated on medicine so they will not prescribe old medication to their patients.Nurse practitioner Demetra Bastas also finds the challenge benefitting because she does not like to get bored nor dumb so it helps her to stay sharp and on top of the advances in medicine. Even with changes being something normal in the medical field most nurse practitioners enjoy the challenge of expanding their knowledge. Many people tend to confuse nurse practitioners for doctors or confuse them for just any other nurse, which is why nurse practitioners are not often given the credit they deserve.
When doctors see patients they often just do what is necessary to be done and leave, they rarely stay to comfort the patient and make sure they are fine. According to the Discovering Nurses website, “Most Nurse Practitioners work alongside doctors in a hospital or outpatient facility. ” Which means that nurse practitioners work a lot with doctors but unlike doctors nurse practitioners are the ones who mostly care for the patients. Nurse practitioners have a more holistic taking on patients and help them reach their full potential.Although nurse practitioners are not the ones who fully treat patients as much as doctors, they are the ones who are there before and after the treatment.
They are the ones who are there for the patients to brighten up their days and make them feel at home. There is nothing wrong with being confused for a doctor or a regular nurse but nurse practitioners have a degree of their own that is not often recognized because people do not know the difference between them.With all the schooling, training, and hard work that nurse practitioners have gone through to be where they stand, they deserve to be given the recognition they have worked so hard for. Having any career in the medical field can be tough but it can be rewarding as well.
A job as a nurse practitioner is definitely for people who enjoy helping others and the study of medicine. Regardless of the tough responsibilities nurse practitioners come with in the end, the job is always rewarding. Although nursing is a career that requires great amounts of dedication and responsibility, anyone can be successful in this career if they set their mind to it.
