Nursing as a Profession - Essay Example

Table of Contents Nursing as a profession 3 Why I want to study and join the Nursing profession? 4 Diploma of Nursing 6 Prerequisites and preparationfor the Nursing diploma 7 References 7 Nursing as a profession Nursing is a highly prestigious profession that focuses on the care of individuals, families, and communities so that they may attain and maintain optimal health and also recover from illnesses in order to improve their quality of life. The best definition of the word ‘nursing’ comes from the American Nurses Association (ANA) which is a professional organization founded in 1896 to ‘advance and protect the nursing profession’, it states: Nursing is an aid to shelter, encourage and sustain health and well being. It provides a way to treat disease and wounds. It aims at improving the physical and mental harms by the identification and treatment of the harmful symptoms and responses. Nursing does not only concentrate on the well being and healthiness of individuals but instead, concentrates on family care, communal health and larger populations (ANA, 2009). Nursing as a profession has the power to make a huge difference in today’s health care system. It advocates for the protection of human rights and the securing of adequate care for people of all ages and cultural backgrounds who have the right to access and attain good health care services according to their needs. Florence Nightingale once said that nursing is “the finest of the fine arts”. Nursing requires total devotion to patient care not just through science and medicine, but with the soul, mind and a caring and sensitive spirit. According to the Wisconsin League for Nursing, nurses needed for the future will be responsible for the following: 1. To manage care of clients along a continuum of health and age 2. To work with other health care professionals and team members 3. Integrate clinical knowledge with knowledge of community resources And for these activities, individuals will require to have the following attributes: 1. The capacity to adapt to change 2. A sound formation in basic, behavioral, social and management sciences 3. The ability to communicate effectively 4. Critical thinking and problem solving skills (Wisconsin League for Nursing, n.d). Why I want to study and join the Nursing profession? My reason for choosing to pursue a diploma of nursing and wanting to join the nursing profession is that it will allow me an opportunity to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. There is a sense of great achievement and self-fulfillment in caring for others to help them recover, improve and attain good health and have a better quality of life. I will also get the opportunity to work alongside a variety of people some of them being my seniors, mentors, and professionals in the field, to promote health and wellness. Nursing is a challenging profession and offers many kinds of nursing to be done including in pediatrics, surgery, medical nursing, the operating room, the emergency room, home care, etc., all of which I am eager and willing to get experience in once I finish my educational program. Nursing is a worldwide recognized, valued and demanded profession, that offers equal employment opportunity to all, around the world, in every continent, city or country where ever there is a hospital or a healthcare center. So even if the market is completely saturated, there are still many places where you can find a job. In order to be a part of the nursing profession, an interested candidate must attain one or more credentials depending on the scope of practice and education. I would like to pursue a diploma of nursing at the Ohio Valley General Hospital School of Nursing as it offers the best two year length diploma/degree program providing both clinical and educational environment for students which will challenge and motivate them to achieve their best. My career aspiration is to become a Registered Nurse (RN) that provides scientific, psychological, and technological knowledge in the care of patients, families and communities in many healthcare settings. I will be able to attain the title of an RN after completing a 2 year undergraduate academic degree awarded by an established and recognized bachelor’s degree granting college or university. I will also have to sit for a licensing examination to become a nurse, and before I can secure a job in a hospital or healthcare institution. Diploma of Nursing The traditional nurse’s education is a diploma-styled, hospital-based program awarded by an established and recognized nursing school or university. A diploma of nursing is usually a one to three years course of academic study, depending upon the institution, which prepares a student nurse for an entry-level nursing position. Generally the curriculum covers prerequisite courses prior to start of the nursing specific coursework. According to the Nursing School.Org, the nursing specific courses may include any or all of the following: Clinical practice Basic pharmacology Nursing informatics Elements of patient care Introduction to patient care specialties Psych nursing Lifespan nursing concepts (infant, child, adult, family, geriatric) Psychology/sociology, etc. (Nursing School, 2009-2012). The Ohio Valley General Hospital School of Nursing offers one of the best diplomas of nursing that provides the educational and clinical environment where prospective nurses are challenged and motivated to achieve their best. They offer small classes that allow for individualized attention, where students are offered a balanced accelerated curriculum that provides both theory and practical skills. The school is affiliated with many of Pittsburgh’s best hospitals through which students get the clinical experience that gives them hands-on advantage. The diploma of nursing course is for two years in length and provides students with 27 college credits and 45 nursing credit equivalents. “The Ohio Valley Hospital School of Nursing is approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and is accredited by the National League of National Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).” “The overall curriculum provides the nursing student with a comprehensive professional nursing education while providing a variety of clinical experiences at Ohio Valley General Hospital and other affiliated institutions.” (Ohio Valley Hospital, 2009). Prerequisites and preparation for the Nursing diploma There is a lot of competition to get into a nursing program, prerequisite classes and preparation prior to joining the specific nursing program is necessary. Many nursing schools have specific requirements and prerequisite classes mentioned for admission to the program, but most schools generally have a similar list of prerequisite classes required, including Maths; algebra, probability, and statistics, Science; biology, microbiology, and chemistry, English and Psychology, and various other classes are available for prospective nursing students which I will be looking to join in order to enhance my admission application and which will aid me during my nursing school. References American Nursing Association (ANA), 2009, Considering Nursing, [online] Available at: , [Accessed 14 March 2012]. Nursing School, 2009-2012, Hospital Nursing Programs: Traditional Diploma, [online] Available at: , [Accessed 14 March 2012]. Ohio Valley Hospital, 2009, School of Nursing, [online] Available at: , [Accessed 14 March 2012]. Wisconsin League for Nursing, Why Nursing?, [online] Available at: , [Accessed 14 March 2012]. Read More