There are many opportunities to shape the future of the nursing profession and nursing practice since the nurses improve the quality of the lives of their clients, community and society. Nurses provide care for the sick. Are the first providers of primary health care, wellness and self- care.
The uniqueness of nursing has its focus on the care of the client, the community and society. The basis for the profession is a theoretical body of information defining its skills, abilities and norms. A professional nurse provides a specified service and follows a code of ethics for practice. Professional nurse have authonomy in decision making and practice.
The role of the professional nurse has evolved from the days of Florence Nightingale (1880), when nurses were expected to provide care, perform housekeeping duties, wash the linen, prepare and serve the meals. Throughout history nurses have had many roles: direct care provider, client advocate , teacher counselor and researcher.
Nursing includes keeping people healthy; assisting them to adapt to lifestyle changes resulting from illness or injury; promoting confort measures; teaching and educating clients about their health and well-being; striving to improve confort, dignity and respect at the life´s end.
The role of a nurse meets client and family needs; guide, assist and teach the client and family and provide an environment that facilitates client and family growth and development.
Nursing roles
Direct Care Provider: the nurse assists the client to regain health through the healing process. The nurse provides a holistic approach to care which includes: asssiting the client/family in coping with the physical, emotional, social and spiritual impacts of the illness.
Protector and Client Advocate: the nurse helps maintain a safe environment for the client and takes steps to prevent injury and protect the client from possible adverse effects of diagnostic or treatment measures. The nurse protects client´s human and legal rights.
Case Manager: the nurse coordinates the activities of the other health care providers in collaboration with the direct care providers ( assisting with scheduling of tests and procedures etc).
Client/Family Educator: nurses provide clients and their family with the information and skills necessary to manage their illness independently.
Career roles
Nurse Educator: they are responsable for teaching nursing theory, clinical practice, technical skills to prepare the students to take the licensure examination and to asume the role of the nurses.
Advanced Practice Nurse: the nurse has a master´s degree in nursing and expertise in a specialized area of practice ( they may specialize in the management of a specific population such as pediatrics or gerontology or a client population such as oncology or pulmonary). They can be: clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Nurse Administrator: nurse manages client care and specific nursing services within a health care agency. Position range from : midle management, such as nurse manager or supervisor, to upper management, such as associate director, director or vice president.
Nurse Researcher: is a doctorally prepared nurse who investigates problems to improve nursing care, further defines and expands the scope of nursing, or validates nursing care practices.
So, why someone would choose a nurse profession: because nursing is so flexible, is so vast, means so much and everything. Because of its diversity of fields. Because the roles and responsibilities are expanding all the time and that can makes out of you a professional with unlimited skills and abilities.
