Being a nurse is a dream career for many members of society. Children often choose to pick nursing as their goal career when they’re in school and take advantage of resources to search travel nursing jobs. It takes a lot of work, time, and dedication to become a nurse, but those who persevere come out on top. There’s a variety of different roles within the nursing industry, so there will always be a role that suits your needs and qualifications. Nursing can be one of the most fulfilling careers out there, due to the fact that you are making a positive difference in the world. You are the helping hand that people need, and you can offer effective support to those who require it.
District Nurse
District nursing is the role of visiting patient’s homes or care homes. These nurses visit patient’s homes once a day or multiple times a day, depending on the patient’s requirements. Individuals who require a nurse often have the same nurse or a combination of two or three nurses. Being a district nurse means you will be keeping an eye on the patient’s wounds and health issues, while helping to manage and treat them. They will also help the patient with their medication and offer them any advice that is needed. This often means a check-up to see if their medication is effective or causing any troubling side-effects that need to be sorted as soon as possible. Another part of a district nurses job role, is covering the bases of healthcare, such as checking temperature or blood pressure.
Certified Nursing Assistant
A certified nursing assistants (CAN) can be found within the hospital and other medical facilities where patients will stay. These nurses check the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and other vital health signs. A nursing assistant also helps to bathe patients who can’t manage to do it themselves, and also dress them. In short, they help to assist the patient with everyday tasks within the hospital. If the patient is away from their bed, due to physiotherapy or from visiting the bathroom, the nursing assistant can help the patient get back into bed safely and will assist them in getting into a comfortable position. A hospital nursing assistant also aids patients with their walking, whether this is a short walk for exercise, or a trip to the bathroom. These nurses are there throughout the day within the hospital wards to offer support and stability to patients.
Licensed Practical Nurse
A licensed practical nurse (LPN) can work in a variety of settings such as a hospital, nursing home and can even visit patient’s homes directly. The responsibilities of a licensed practical nurse are helping to change the bandages of patients and ensuring that the wounds are healing properly and safely, with no risk of infection. A practical nurse also monitors the blood pressure of patients and works to collect blood and urine samples, either from hospital facilities or the patient’s homes. They also inform doctors about any concerns they have about the patients, or concerns that the patient has themselves.
Registered Nurse
A registered nurse can be found in a hospital, nursing facilities and can even work in ambulance services. Their work responsibilities involve assessing the overall health and wellbeing of a patient, this could be in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, or throughout the patient’s stay in hospital. A registered nurse also aids with the medication side of things too, helping patients to take medication and other various types of treatments. They also work together with patients and their families, offering them advice and support. As they’re trained and educated within healthcare and nursing, they can provide health education to those who request a deeper explanation into health issues and treatments.
Surgical Assistant
A surgical assistant registered nurse works directly inside hospital walls and works alongside surgeons in the operation theatre. They are the members of staff that provide surgeons with the tools they need during the surgery and assist with anything that may come up during the procedure. Surgical assistants also help to prepare the patient for surgery beforehand and is there to support the patient post-surgery too. They are there to answer any questions and offer support to patients and their families. Surgical assistants are a key part of the surgery procedure, without them the surgeon would be under a lot more pressure.
Home Care Registered Nurse
A home care registered nurse works directly with patients in their own homes. They assist in the maintenance and preparation of healthcare equipment around the patient’s home. Some examples of this are:
- Stairlift
- Adjustable bed
- Adjustable chair
They also work with patients to maintain wound dressings and monitor how the patient is doing overall. Homecare registered nurses aid the patient with medication too and are there to offer advice and make sure the patient is taking the correct medication daily. In short, homecare registered nurses work directly with the patients and focus on care inside the home. They assist in making sure the patient’s home is safe enough for them, and that they are receiving the correct care for their health issues.
Emergency Room Registered Nurse
An emergency room registered nurse works in the emergency rooms of a hospital. They are the nurses that you will come in contact with when visiting any emergency room. Emergency room registered nurses are trained to work under pressure, due to the fast-paced nature of emergency room issues. They have to work fast, and thoroughly, to assess patients and what treatment they need as soon as possible. They must examine the patient’s condition and perform health checks, while deciding what the best course of action will be moving forward.
The emergency room registered nurse must also check patient records to see if any health issues have been raised in the past with the hospital. This is important as the emergency room nurses need to assess if those past health issues are connected to their visit to the emergency room at that moment. Due to the nature of an emergency room, patients are often put into the emergency room wards. The emergency room nurses must monitor and keep track of the patients progress throughout their stay and do multiple checks during the day. They then pass on any updates to physicians and doctors to assist in deciding what the next stage will be for the patient.
Labor and Delivery Nurse
A labor and delivery nurse works with mothers throughout the labor process, before and after the birth of their new baby. They assist and support the mother during the tough labor stages and offer advice to deal with the pain and strain of labor. Once the baby is born, the labor and delivery nurses work together to perform tests on the newborn baby to ensure the baby is healthy and safe. They then offer support to the parents of the newborn baby to answer any questions or concerns they may have. New parents often aren’t sure about the next course of action once the baby has been born, especially after the stress of pregnancy and labor. Even after birth, the newborn baby and new parents will need support in the early stages after labor and birth. The labor and delivery nurse works directly with the mother and newborn baby to provide care and monitoring their individual wellbeing.
Family Nurse Practitioner
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) work directly with families, and specifically first-time mothers or young mothers. In fact, those who wish to become FNPs can join an MSN to FNP certificate program. They offer support and care for the families and provide education and advice around the subject of childcare. Being a mother for the first time can be a stressful period in your life, so having a nurse there to offer a listening ear and a helping hand can make the world of difference. A family nurse practitioner guides the new mother through the stages of bonding with their new baby and ensuring that they make positive decisions in life for the betterment of their child. This can be making sure they have a stable job and income, to be able to provide for their child. Young mothers often feel out of their depths, so having someone there to offer them the support and guidance throughout those first few months is vital.
Clinical Nurse Specialist
A clinical nurse specialist works together with patients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to provide the best course of action for the future of patients’ lives. They work with individual patients to improve their care plan moving forward. A clinical nurse specialist also works alongside social workers, to see if the next step for the patient is to go into a care home or other rehabilitation services. Due to the nature of their job, they can even offer bedside care to patients sometimes. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know their patients personally and assess the care that would be best for the patient in the future.
Nurse Educator
A nurse educator works within hospitals, specialized clinics, and sometimes even educational buildings such as schools and colleges. They work to provide future nurses with the correct education to prepare them for their future careers. A nurse educator works directly with nurses in training and can provide them with the advice they need. They work hard to ensure that future nurses know exactly how to provide the best care to patients and how to properly assess and monitor them.
Forensic Nurse
Forensic nurses work directly with victims of crimes that involved physical violence and injuries. They have an extremely important role and must provide support and help the victim deal with the traumatic experience. They assess the patient to find any evidence that could be used in a court hearing and can even appear in court to give testimony for the victim. A forensic nurse works with the individual and assesses their overall physical and mental wellbeing to provide them with the best care. The information and evidence they collect during the assessments are key during the procedures of arrest and investigation into the crime that had taken place. The evidence is then presented in court, thanks to the hard work and thorough nature of the forensic nurse.
Geriatric Nurse
A geriatric nurse specializes in taking care of older patients and can be found in hospitals, nursing homes, and can even visit their patients directly in their own homes. The exact responsibilities for a geriatric nurse may differ depending on the needs of their individual patients and environment. The main overlapping role of a geriatric nurse is to provide care and support for patients of the older generation, and work with other healthcare professionals to ensure the safety and wellbeing of said patients. They help to provide medication for the patients, organize their daily medications and help them take the medication. A geriatric nurse must monitor the older patient and keep track of their blood pressure and other vital signs throughout their treatment. They also assist in hygiene care for their patients such as helping to bathe them and dress them. It all depends on the health issues of the individual patient, but due to the older age range there can be overlaps in responsibilities such as catheter care and medication.
There is a wide variety of nursing roles out there in the big wide world, and if you are interested in becoming a nurse, there’s bound to be a role just for you. Being a nurse is a fulfilling job, and with such a range of roles within the nursing industry, you can choose the role that will suit your qualifications and the care you want to provide for those in need. Whether you work in a hospital, specialized clinic, doctors’ surgery, patient’s homes, or an operation theatre, the world of nursing is vast. Each role comes with its own responsibilities and hardships, but if you can persevere, you will realize that it is the perfect job for you. If you want a career that provides those in need with the best care possible, and you believe that you can offer this high standard of care, then go for it, you won’t regret it.