The Final Chapter

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Becoming a nurse is not an easy task and being a nurse is not a walk in the park either. There are several pros and cons to being not just an RN but any type of nurse. It takes patience, persistence, and dedication to maintain an occupation such as nursing.

Many great benefits can come from being a nurse. Knowing that you are possibly saving lives is such a big deal to me. There is nothing I would love more than to know that someone saved my life due to the fact that they love their job so much. When I become a nurse I plan to love and care for each patient to the best of my ability. My life has been saved before and I want to give someone else the wonderful feeling I felt when the nurses assisted me.

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Also, good financial benefits come from being a nurse; depending on the type of nurse you are. Registered Nurses are the nurses known to make the highest amount of money. Regardless of the nurse ranking, any position taken in the nursing field is guaranteed to make decent money.

There is something I find difficult to put up with when I become a nurse. Working a twelve hour shift from day to day will be quite challenging for me. I am not used to being up on my feet for twelve hours a day. I guess that being in nursing school will prepare me for that. While I was working at the retirement home, I was very observant of the nurses and their schedules. They would have to work 12-hour shifts with only a thirty minute break. I am not saying it is impossible for me to do but it will be hard for me to adjust to. The bright side about it all is that although I may be working extended shifts a week straight, there is a great possibility that I will have the week after that completely off. I appreciate the fact that I will have the chance to have a flexible schedule so I can still have time for myself.

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I am extremely eager to become a Registered Nurse. I know that the road for me to travel to become one will not be easy. My first goal is to get accepted into nursing school. My second goal is to make it through nursing school, and my third goal is to be the nurse I can be for others.



Fun Facts All Over The World!

 

I know most people must think that being a nurse is absolutely boring. Considering the fact that you are doing just about the same thing everyday (except for when little unexpected things kick in) will probably enable others to conjure up in their minds just how boring this job may be. I feel that there is nothing uninteresting about nursing because caring for different people everyday, meeting new faces, executing new tasks could never get boring. I know I have discussed the typical aspects of nursing but now I want to enlighten you on some things you probably did not know about international nurses.

Nurses do not only exist in America of course. That is because people need to be taken care of all throughout the earth. According to this fun fact article I learned that in Japan, nurses do not have to renew their licenses. Basically, once you become a nurse there, you are always a nurse with no doubt or hesitation. On the contrary, it is possible to lose your license due to breaking the law or compromising the dignity of the profession.

If you are ever sick over seas and need to get to a hospital right away, I would not recommend going to a hospital in China. Due to the fact that their hospitals are not well-funded, the nurses have to recycle and reuse supplies such as gloves and sometimes syringes. This act is most definitely not safe or healthy for patients.

Can you imagine taking a class and not being able to have no contact whatsoever with your instructor? I can't but I know some people who can. In Vietnam, nursing students are not allowed to speak to their professors. Everything they learn through watching lectures, textbooks, and recitation drills. Also, they never get the chance to work with real people until they get on the real job. This is kind of scary. I don't think I would want someone to nurse me if they have never practiced on real people before.

If I were to become a nurse in Iraq there would be certain patients that I could not touch. Why? Because in Iraq, female nurses are NOT allowed to touch any male who is not officially their husband or their son. Here in the United States, a doctor never shows up until it is his/her turn to do what they are required to do but in Iraq it is very common for a doctor to a nurse's work simply because she is not allowed to.

There are many weird and wacky facts to know about being a nurse and nursing in general. The rules of nursing does not just consist of caring for other people. It all depends on your location's morals and values.

The Sequel

Nurse in ditress: www.scrubsformedicalassistants.com

Pushing your way through nursing school is tough. There is so much you have to deal with such as physical and mental stress, coming up with funds to pay for nursing school, and also accepting the lack of a personal life you will adapt while trying to graduate. Consequently, the difficult endeavors do not stop there. They continue as you move to the next stage in your nursing career. It is actually when the real obstacles begin.

Entering into the actual nursing world outside of clinicals and without the help of an instructor can be quite frightening for a first-time nurse. Most people may think that after graduating nursing school is when all the hard working and perseverance comes to and end. Wrong! The hard just begins after the diploma is received. Only because now you have t o deal with REAL LIVE patients and fate of their lives now lie in your hands. I believe that when you begin to encounter the real phases of being a nurse is when your true patience, persistence, and perseverance is revealed the most. A former nursing school student named Jenn shared her experience of what her career is like after graduating nursing school. She explains the ups and downs of being a full blown nurse. She explains simple things that can make a huge difference in the life of a nurse such as wearing a comfortable pair of shoes to run around the hospital in throughout the day. The road to being a nurse can take an extreme toll on your life. Once engaged, it may seem as if your whole life revolves around nursing and caring for others.

Although being a nurse may be rough at some times, there is also a positive outlook that can be taken from it. Since being a nurse means that you are working in the medical field, that automatically means that you are making a decent salary. It is only right to get paid a nice amount of money since you are saving people's live one day at a time. It is not only about the great finances that come from being a nurse but the spectacular emotional effect it can cause as well. I am sure that it warms nurses' hearts to know they are doing a good deed and making a difference in at least one person's life everyday.

The Ups and Downs

Being a college student is challenging. Especially when you have to juggle academics, extra-cirricular activities, and maintain a healthy social life. Although all majors are equally important, most majors require more focus and less leisure time with friends and personal events. One of those majors, in my opinion, is actually my major which is Nursing.

 

 
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Even though I am a Pre-Nursing major due to my college classification, I am well aware of the work I have to put in to become any kind of nurse I want to be. I have familiarized myself with the requirements I have to meet in order to successfully get in, get through, and get out of nursing school. The upside of being in nursing school, I feel, is knowing that the outcome will be for the betterment of not only my life but other people's lives as well. It probably will be a good thing to remind myself daily not to give up because it will pay off and be beneficial to me in the end. Also, it will warm my heart knowing that I will be working towards helping save human's lives and caring for their health the best way I can. The downside of being a nursing school student may be the effect it may cause on my personal life. I would not necessarily say that it will be impossible, but it will most definitely be difficult for partying, socializing, and even dating to play a major role in my life as it does currently. Only because I know that when you are enrolled in nursing school it is mandatory that I stay on top of my studies and remain focused on the main goal which will be graduating. I also know that one slip up could cause me to be terminated from the nursing program. Actions such as receiving a misdemeanor from the federals or even earning an average grade of a "C" in one of the nursing courses can be penalties to revoke me from graduating.

Credit to: www.minnesota.publicradio.org

 

Since I am not yet officially a nursing student, I do not have a personal experience of what nursing school is like. I only have the perception I have created based off of what I have been told by my major advisor and my peers. A blog post by Jaclyn Fields describes her own experiences about her first semester of nursing school. Her experiences are similar to my accusations of what nursing school may be like. She explains how it is difficult to balance her family, friends, and job on top of nursing school. There will be more obstacles to conquer while being a part of a nursing school. Being a student in a difficult field of study does not mean that the rest of life's problems are going to stop. Nursing school will just be another tribulation added to the rest of the bunch. That all comes with being a well-rounded, responsible person. I am sure that with confidence, faith, dedication, perseverance, and work that not only myself but anyone will be able to master the trials of nursing school and come out prosperous.

Your Life Is In My Hands

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I am almost positive that a great amount of people sometimes wonder about the care of their lives when they are admitted or are visiting a hospital. They may wonder do the employees really care about their health, safety, and well being as much as they should. Is it all a facade that nurses and doctors put on to show that they care? Or is it really genuine? I believe the feelings that are displayed from the workers in a hospital are real because to perform a job such as those it has to come from the kindness of someone's heart because it is their passion to save lives anyway possible.

I recently worked at a Retirement and Health Facility for senior citizens and there were many different sections that made up the building. I worked in the dietary department. This department distributed different types of meals that were specially prepared to fit each individual resident's meal plan according to their health charts. These charts were always prepared by the RNs with the help of their assistant LPNs. In order for them to decide what kind of meal plan each resident needs, they have to pay close attention to small things such as the resident's behavior, change in weight, health conditions, and even things they are allergic to. To do such a thing takes time, cooperation, and patience because it is somewhat difficult to try to figure things out for an elderly person when they are almost helpless to you. Throughout my time working at the retirement home, I quietly and closely examined my surroundings everyday I was there. I always saw a nurse helping a resident in need in some kind of way. There was never one time I saw a frown on their faces as if they were annoyed or agitated with the hard times the residents were giving them. They always kept a smile and a patient attitude about the situations. Which is something that should always be done when you have an occupation as challenging as those. Not everyone can keep their composure while dealing with a wiser person who has now lost their memory and sometimes think you are trying to hurt them because they have no clue where they are from time to time. A resident explains her experience in a Personal Blog about a time she was admitted into a rehabilitation center to due her addiction of drugs. She stated that the nurses did not treat her like a “junkie” but instead they treated her as if she was a regular person with a terrible illness.

 

Credit to: www.ouboces.org 

Nurses, in my opinion, never portray themselves to appear that they are better than anyone. They are just there in the hospitals, clinics, retirement centers, etc. to lend a helping hand and create the best health result possible for those in need.

What's The Difference?

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There has always been so much confusion about the subject of nursing. The main topic of confusion is being able to distinguish the difference between a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Practical Nurse. Although it is true that the jobs they perform may be similar in a way but they have a numerous amount of differences within the two occupations.

A Registered Nurse is at the top of the medical nursing chain. They perform many and the most difficult jobs in the medical field aside from doctors. An RN's job is to make sure that their patients are getting the most accurate help that they can and that their health is in the greatest condition possible at all times. Their most important job is conjuring up a patient care plan for their patients. Each plan is custom made for each patient to accommodate their problems that need to be focused on while under the care of an RN. An RN has to take precaution to a lot of different characteristics before completing this task. He/she has to take into consideration that patient's gender, religious preferences, level of independence, dietary needs, and financial/emotional support. Registered Nurses are also the nurses whose salary is the highest. On average, an RN receives a yearly wage that ranges between $48,000-$90,000 based upon location.

A LPN stands for Licensed Practical Nurse. It can also be known for Licensed Vocational Nurse which is long for LVN. LPNs can perform almost the same functions as Registered Nurses. The official assessment of a patient must be performed by an RN but an LPN is allowed to assist the RN in any shape, form, or fashion possible. Unlike RNs, LPNs are NOT allowed to give I.V. push medicines or start PIC lines. A Licensed Practical Nurse's job is mainly to help the Registered Nurses oversee caregivers and report back to them anything that changes or goes wrong with a patient. LPNs make less money than RNs of course, and their yearly wage ranges from $20,000-$50,000 based off of their location and level of experience.

Being an LPN does not make a person any less important due to the fact that they cannot perform as many duties or make as much earnings as an RN does. Each job in the medical field is fairly important but they are all distinct in their own ways. No two positions in any type of medical workforce have to demonstrate the same duties because there is plenty for each individual position to do on its own. Most importantly, people will continue to realize the differences between a Registered Nurse and a Licensed Practical Nurse.



Pediatric Nursing

My passion to become a nurse came about when I was 12 years old. Ever since I found the love for becoming a Registered Nurse my decision about it has never wavered. Even still today my choice has not changed but I guess I can say that it has advanced. I have been thinking that maybe I want to pursue becoming a Pediatric Nurse. Reason being is because I have always wanted to be a nurse and also I absolutely adore children. So what better job to persevere after than one combined with the two things I love. It is one thing to help people in general, but knowing that I could be saving the life of an innocent child is indescribable.

Since I am strongly considering taking the route to be a Pediatric Nurse, I have done a little research on what it takes to become one. I read in a blog self entitled "How To Become A Pediatric Nurse" that in order to become this kind of nurse I would have to of course attend a nursing school, gain a license and certification and also gain some experience before actually trying to execute the job. This is a kind of job that should not be taken lightly because you have the lives of others in your care. It is a scary thought when thought about but has a beautiful outcome when actually done.

Pediatric nursing consists of dedication to caring for or improving children's health. Having this job requires a lot of duties that need to be fulfilled. Pediatric nurses usually cooperate with pediatricians and other health care providers who are skilled in this field. They accompany doctors, other nurses, prediatricians etc. with physical examinations, record vital statictics, take blood and urine samples, order diagnostic procedures, test them and then analyze them, are responsible for starting medications, and design care plans for children recovering from illness. There are many responsibilities that go along with being a pediatrician but it is all for a great purpose; to help children from infant ages to adolescents.

Another reason I am so interested in being a nurse is because of the potential money I can make. “Pediatric Nursing is one of the most stable sub segments of the general nursing profession” says an anonymous author in a blog about nurses' salaries. Today, working in the medical field is one of the most guaranteed ways to make good enough money to be able to support any type of lifestyle. Whether it is taking care of yourself, family, or just trying to pay a bill, nursing is sure to strongly support it. But in order to make the type of money you desire, you will have to live in that type of environment. For example, the cost of living in California is high so of course employees will have to get paid more to fit and keep up with that cost; as opposed to living in Alabama the cost is not as nearly as high. Regardless of where you live though, being a Pediatric Nurse is always qualified as a great paying job.