The Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Save one life and you’ll be named a hero. Save hundreds of lives, and you’re a Nurse. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” (Gandi Mahatma) Nursing is a profession inside of the healthcare field that focuses on caring for individuals, families, and communities. Therefore, they maintain, attain, and or recover optimal health and quality of life. I chose Nursing as my future profession because I want to make a difference. I love to help others and i’m always up for a good challenge. Also, growing up I watched and learned from my mother as she followed her path through this profession. After endless stories and a few trips to shadow inside the hospital, my mom instantly became my role model and the hospital became my home. This field has great importance on me because I want to do more than be the standard Nurse. I want to save people’s lives and make an impact on the community around me. Having the ability to work with hundreds of people daily, and having an opportunity to make a difference in each and every one of their lives, is what truly matters to me. Another reason why this field holds such a vital place in my heart, is because of my family’s history with health. My close family has had many health related issues, risks, and problems. I want to have the ability to get someone back to a steadyhealth like others did for my own family. Overall, my future profession means more to me than just a person wearing scrubs.
There are many stereotypes involving this field. For example, a common stereotype is that Nursing is a job strictly made for woman. This stereotype is completely false as this field has both men and woman and is expected to continue in growth for the number of male Nurses. Another stereotype is that Nurses work for the doctors. However, Nurses and Doctors are coworkers. The two parties share a very professional relationship as their ultimate goal is to help the patient. After that, another common stereotype is that Nurses come in to write down information about the patient and just conduct the simple check-up process. There are hundreds of types of Nurses. Some can assist in Nursing homes all the way to working in a operating room during a surgery. Inside the Nursing field the types of Nurses are endless, which open up to many new jobs within the selected type of Nurse. Nurses are also stereotyped to be less intelligent and less skilled than Doctors. Majority of Nurses chose Nursing purposefully as a career because they wanted to. Nurses have to endure a rigorous degree program just to qualify. Nurses even have the pass the NCLEX, which leads into weeks of heavy studying. Majority of Nurses even decide to complete advanced education to further their degrees. A Nurse is just as intelligent and skilled as a physician. After that, society believes that Nurses only work three twelve hour shifts and then they are done. Most Nurses work 48 hours or more in a week. This can occur because of a shortage of staff, need for extra money, or just complications that happened on the job. Although you may be scheduled for a twelve hour shift, by the time you finish your final round and brief the incoming staff, your twelve hours can turn to a tiring thirteen to fourteen hour shift. Finally, my last conception that the public makes about Nursing is that “anyone can be a Nurse”. Many people believe that they can have minimal training and qualify as a Nurse. Facilities won’t hire just anyone. They look for people who have a desire to care for people. Those who are qualified for their field will be looked at more heavily. More and more everyday, organizations are forcing Nurses to get their BSN, which requires another year of training.
After researching my top three journals on Pediatric Nursing, I found the most popular journals were JAMA Pediatrics, Pediatrics, and Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. All of these journals share a common theme and background. All three of these journals brush over the topic of Pediatric Nursing and any trends that seem to be occuring within the field. Each of these journals briefly inform on the process of becoming a Pediatric Nurse and what it takes to be apart of the field. The purpose of these journals are to inform the public on the field and what the job consists of. The top three journals are called by their titles because the field revolves around the health and the caring for young children. JAMA pediatrics along with many individuals are apart of the publication staff. Those who write the journal are doctors who have very well respected degrees such as a PHD or MD. The writers are real life doctors who work in this field everyday. The number of views this journal receives is currently around 5,000 and is exponentially growing. Just by looking at the titles of the articles, you can learn that Pediatric Doctors or Nurses have to deal with the health of children. Some topics include the essentials of the field, accuracy of clinical judgement, safety and implications for care, and acceptance of Pediatric Nurses. They address their question or topic providing evidence from reliable and real life sources. Most use sources from doctors or health related facilities. Some of the most popular trends of these articles are about childhood obesity and childhood health.
Although becoming a Nurse is a time consuming process, it is also vital for Nurses to have sufficient reading and writing skills. Members of this field are required to be able to read and write in patient’s files along with any labels or tools used in the office. Pediatric Nurses exchange their work by monitoring and assessing a child’s health through the use of tools. The information that is wrote and read is used to help the patient restore or maintain basic health. When it comes to writing for each other, Nurses will typically use abbreviations or symbols that other healthcare workers can understand. When dealing with outsiders, Nurses will typically write out full words and sentences so the patient or customer can understand what is being said. Some questions that Pediatric Nurses may ask or address would include; Are you having any pain or problems? How would you say your diet is? etc. Information that is exchanged from Nurses to patients include the status of the patient and any other important health related topics that deal with the child. They will typically update the parent on the vaccinations completed or needed and any intended progress they are looking for in growth, weight, or general health. When communicating with doctors Nurses will typically relay the health problem or the background of the patient. Information that can be labeled as most authoritative would have to deal with any medical problems or risks that the individual patient has. Some stylistic features that distinguish their formal writing could be using full sentences followed by a proper format and signature. Less formal writings will use stylistic features such as symbols or abbreviations to get straight to the point. Overall, the field of journal relates to sustaining or resuming the basic health of a child.
I learned that Nursing can have a very tedious route prior to becoming certified. I also learned that there are over hundreds and hundreds of Nurses who all work in different places and conduct many different things. After that, I also took away that in order to stand out when applying for Nursing School, you should have many clinical and volunteer hours to make yourself different from all those who are applying against you. Finally, I learned that a understanding of a second language in the field can lead to a greater pay rate and a faster rate of being hired compared to normal applicants. My interviewee wished she would’ve continued her education to earn a better pay rate and position in the field. Something that is unknown to many before they enter the field, is the patient to nurse ratio. Also, the demand of the patients, families, and long hours can truly be blinding. However, I was affirmed that the job itself is very rewarding and life changing to those who go down this path. Finally, I learned that to build your way up in rank you have to take some of the worse positions first. My interviewee first started out in the ER working horrible hours and driving an hour and a half everyday just to work. After years of work, she was able to find a better job closer to home, that offered more convenient hours.
To sum it up, I wish I would have taken more health related classes in High School in order to give me a slight idea of what to expect in the field. I also wish I would’ve gotten CPR certified and spent more time shadowing a Nurse at a local hospital. In order to prepare for my future, I want to gain my certification in American Sign Language to make my resume stand out against others. I also need to spend some time in a hospital earning clinical hours to show that I have taken this field seriously and that I believe it’s important. Finally, I will have to get involved in more volunteer opportunities and gain a respectable amount of hours to be considered for the College of Nursing. Overall, the interview process helped me to gain a greater understanding of the field and what it takes to be a successful Nurse.
In the end, Nursing isn’t all that it seems. Through all the stereotypes and realities, I learned through research and interviews that Nursing is so much more than a major to study in college. As an individual you need to be passionate, hardworking, and dedicated to making yourself stand out against others. You need to be willing to put your best effort into anything and everything you do. “Becoming a Nurse is more than just the work you put into school. Being a Nurse isn’t about grades. It's about being who we are. No book can teach you how to cry with your patient. No class can teach you how to tell their family that their parents have died or are dying. No professor can teach you how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath. A Nurse is not about the pills or charting. It's about being able to love people when they are at their weakest moments.” (unknown)