Nursing is easily the nation’s largest healthcare profession. There are around 3 million registered nurses working day in and day out to better the patients. Nurses outnumber doctors 3 to 1, and the demand for nurses is only increasing. They are the frontline workers responding to patients’ ailments and conditions. A doctor specializes in one area, but nurses are the ones that holistically take care of the patient’s overall health. For example, a patient might reach the hospital experiencing chest pains. They might get a cardiologist, an internal medicine specialist, and a nephrologist.
All these doctors will diagnose the patient according to their area of expertise and prescribe medications. The nurses will provide full care to the patient and make sure the medicines are delivered on time.
Their job is to make sure that the patients recover and ensure that they recover quickly. They make decisions about the diagnosis and treatment of patients critical to their overall health and wellbeing.
There are various ways that you can become a nurse if you want to serve and protect. You can obtain a nursing degree and pass the NCLEX-RN exam and get the license to practice. It would be best if you had at least an associate degree to sit for the exam. Still, more and more employers are asking for a bachelor’s degree or higher nowadays. You can also go for an online DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree and enter a career to help and guide patients towards good health.
As nurses, you will have the opportunity to go above and beyond for your patients.
How?
Here is what you can do.
Starting New Programs
There are some things that nurses are required to do. These are:
- Conduct physical exams
- Take detailed histories
- Analyze patients’ physical and mental wellbeing
- Provide education to patients and more.
But that doesn’t mean that it is all you can do. Nurses go way beyond these requirements to fulfill their patients’ needs. They often innovate and use out of the box thinking to find ways to foster patients and help them out of their misery. You can start various programs to reduce the stress levels of your patients. It could be a get together for patients where they can socialize. It could be a massage or help patients by involving them in different crafts and hobbies. They can do all these things without leaving their beds.
Dignified Healing
Diagnosing and treating patients is part of the job. Of course, every nurse has to do that. But nurses go beyond that to provide their patients with personalized patient care. It ensures that the patients keep their dignity and respect during the entire healing process. Nurses make sure that they know their patients’ spiritual beliefs, personal values, and cultural traditions, as well as other ways of comfort and understanding. Many hospitals nowadays have healing gardens, pet therapy, music therapy, and more that help the patients relax.
By honoring their patients’ religious, spiritual, personal values and beliefs, nurses earn their trust and respect and add to their value. Many people become nurses because they interact with some nurses and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Patient Knowledge and Education
Nurses go above-and-beyond for their patients by educating the patients and their caregivers about the ailments and diseases. They provide patient-centered care and help patients learn more about their conditions. When patients are moving to another facility or going home, nurses provide education to their caregivers and families so they will be able to better care for them. It not only ensures that patients feel less pain and suffering but also alleviates their fears. Patients’ safety is one of the most critical components of healthcare, and nurses provide that every day.
Another aspect of healthcare education and knowledge is informed consent. People need to know what they are consenting to, and that is where nurses help them out.
The internet has a lot of information, but unfortunately, not all of it is beneficial. Since everyone nowadays has a smartphone, many patients search for their symptoms and gain knowledge about it. Nurses go out of their way to inform patients about their ailments and remedies. They also recommend the correct sources of information so that the patients don’t suffer more.
Patient Information
Nurses inform patients about their diseases, treatment, and medication and extract information from the patients. Now that almost every hospital has electronic health records (EHR), doctors have all the information regarding the patients, or so they believe.
Some things might get missed during the notes, and that’s where nurses come into play. Apart from the health record information, the nurses also pay attention to the patient’s story and any information that they might have missed.
Mentorship
Nurses perform the tasks mentioned above, but they also ensure that they teach the younger nurses the importance of being compassionate and caring. It creates a legacy of genuine care and professionalism. All in all, they provide guidance and share their clinical experiences to help everyone gain confidence in their roles.
Conclusion
These are not the only ways nurses go above and beyond to enhance their experience and make sure that they recover quickly. Nurses are the most critical part of the healthcare system and what they do has a ripple effect that can be felt by patients, their caregivers, families, and more.
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