Career on nursing - Research Paper Example

Career Research Paper on Nursing As a career, nursing has enjoyed immense popularity. Nursing is an extremely dynamic and an interesting career, because every day is a new challenge (Nazarko, pp.1). Illustration is possible by the core definition of nursing, “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury… and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (Timby, pp. 6). In addition, there are different types of nursing as well.

Nursing is ‘infinitely varied’. Although all nurses receive the same amount of education, the work they handle may vary because their placement in hospitals is different. For example, a nurse on duty in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has to know the use of sophisticated machinery. A nurse in charge of patients who are well on their way to recovery has to be skilled in the way he/she talks; the nurse has to be polite, friendly, and exuberant. Therefore, it emphasizes the fact that nursing is a very ‘people’s’ profession (Sacks, pp.5). Nursing is a profession that was started by Florence Nightingale in the mid-nineteenth century and it has undergone radical changes (Sacks, pp.6). There has been a debate over the fact whether nursing is a ‘full profession’ or a semi professional one.

Researchers (Timby, pp. 23-25) state that nursing cannot be regarded fully as a profession, because people in it do not possess full characteristics that are required to achieve a full profession status. However, students of the nursing field remain adamant of the fact that most of the required definition of a profession is met by nursing, therefore, qualifying it as a full profession (Hiscott, pp.4). However, nursing as a career provides many opportunities, especially part time. Women who have to manage families can actually become part of this profession.

In addition, nursing provides countless opportunities because healthcare is adaptive to changing technology, and therefore the nurses have to adapt themselves as well. Nursing, in essence, is also important because it provides various opportunities for both part time and full time. Nurses can actually practice as either generalists or specialists in almost every health care place (Huber, pp 70-72). One of the most important aspects of nursing is that the person has to be extremely at ease with patients.

The nurse should have the capability to interact well with the patients because that is one of the primary requirements (Santiago, 2010). Nurses are not only bound to hospitals although more than half of nurses work in hospitals according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. They also work in doctors’ offices, clinics, emergency rooms, government agencies, corporations etc. They might also work where doctors primarily do not work such as schools or at home (Santiago, 2010). In the United States, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) have introduced a new program of nursing which requires a coursework of only one year after high school.

Therefore, as a student and as a profession, nursing has remained a highly flexible profession (Santiago, 2010). A very common misconception about nursing is that it is mainly associated with women. It actually comes as quite of a shock that the first nurses in the world were actually male. Nursing is a profession, and not a gender. In the United States, about 6% of nursing workforce consists that of men (Quan, 2010). Nursing requires a very responsible, compassionate and a passionate person for the job, therefore if these qualities are present in an individual, then nursing is an extremely viable option (Santiago, 2010).

Works Cited Hiscott, Robert. D. "Key Concepts and Framework." Career Paths of Nursing Professionals: A Study of Employment Mobility. Canada: Carleton University Press, 1998. 4. Print. Huber, Diane. "Professional Practice and Career Development." Leadership and nursing care management. Philadelphia: Elsevier, 2006. 70-72. Print. Nazarko, Linda. "Introduction." Careers and Jobs in Nursing. London: Kogan Page Limited, 2004. 1. Print. Quan, Kathy. "The Role of Men in Nursing." The Nursing Site. Retrieved on April 09, 2011: www.

thenursingsite.com/Articles/role%20of%20men%20in%20nursing%20today.htm Sacks, Terence J. "Nursing Today." Careers in Nursing. New York: Mc Graw Hill Companies, 2003. 5-6. Print. Santiago, Andrea. "Nursing Career Profile - Overview of Nursing Careers." Health Careers. Retrieved on Apr 09, 2011: http://healthcareers.about.com/od/healthcareerprofiles/p/Nursing_Career.htm Timby, Barbara K. Fundamental Nursing Skills & Concepts. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008. 6. Print.