Transcript 01. Introduction to Nursing

Introduction to Nursing
Nursing Today
“Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health
and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of
suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human
response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families,
communities, and populations.”
Nursing as a professional discipline is concerned with human
responses to actual and potential health problems. Current
research in nursing is focused on human responses to acute
and chronic health problems, health promotion, health
maintenance, and nursing interventions.
There are several levels of educational choices for nurses,
including the Licensed Vocational Nurse (L.V.N.), the
Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), and the
Registered Nurse (R.N., often obtained through a bachelor’s
degree). In addition, nurses can earn advanced degrees in
their field, such as the Master’s of Science in Nursing
(M.S.N.) and/or a doctoral degree in nursing.
Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
Program
An associate's degree in nursing is a two-year degree that is
obtained from a community college or vocational school. An
associate's degree is the minimum requirement to become a
Registered Nurse - however, be advised that many employers
are requiring a bachelor's degree for many RN nursing roles.
Bachelor's Degree in Nursing - Bachelor of Science
in Nursing (BSN):
• A bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) is required
for many, but not all, nursing careers. A BSN, like
most bachelor's degrees, a BSN is typically a fouryear degree from a university or college. Like most
other nursing degrees, a bachelor of science in
nursing combines classroom learning with hands-on
training called "clinicals", which allow students to
obtain first-hand experience working with patients in
a clinical setting. A BSN should be obtained from an
accredited nursing program.
Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Degree:
• You must have a bachelor's degree in nursing or related field
in order to obtain your MSN, unless you opt for one of the
combined bachelor's/master's programs. A master's degree in
nursing is required to become an advanced practice nurse
(APN or APRN). Advanced practice nurses have more clinical
authority and autonomy, and typically earn more than
"regular" registered nurses. Some master's nursing programs
may have a special focus or "track" for certain medical
specialties or types of nursing, such as a focus on forensic
nursing or a clinical nurse specialist track.
Doctorate Degrees in Nursing:
• The highest degree one can earn in nursing is a
doctorate level degree. You must first have a
bachelor's and then a master's degree before
completing the doctorate degree in nursing and
becoming what some refer to as "Doctor
Nurse".There are two types of doctorates in nursing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) which focuses on
the clinical aspects of nursing, and a Doctor of
Nursing Science (DNSc, also a DSN or DNS). The
latter is the more common choice for those who wish
to be professors at nursing programs, or researchers.
Types of Nursing Careers..
Clinical Study Observer (and Interviewer) Nurse
Have you ever taken part in a clinical study for a new
medication or healthcare procedure? Odds are the person
looking after you is a specially trained clinical studies
nurse.
Educator Nurse
Found in hospitals, post-secondary schools and travelling
around to small communities, an educator nurse teaches
new techniques and processes in healthcare to others.
Geriatric and Retirement Nurse
The aged need more healthcare, more often, than younger
Canadians. Fortunately geriatric nurses are uniquely
qualified to deal with medical and emotional challenges of
our elders.
Intensive Care Nurse
For the seriously ill or injured, intensive care nurses can
literally be life savers. They generally provide hands on
care in hospitals. Some late night and weekend shift work
may be required.
.
Mental Health, Psychiatric and
Addictions Nurse
According to the Canadian Mental Health
Association, 20% of Canadians will
personally experience a mental illness in
their lifetime. More will have a drinking,
gambling or drug addiction. Nurses who
are trained in these matters provide
support in clinics, hospitals and schools
throughout the country
Occupational Health Nurse
You’ll meet these nurses when applying for
a job and have to take a pre-placement
medical. They also run workplace
healthcare programs. And assist if you
injure yourself at work and need
immediate treatment.
Nurse Midwife
Thinking of having a home birth? You’d do well to have a
nurse midwife on hand. They can help if the mom or new
baby needs on the spot healthcare assistance.
Nurse Practitioner
Provides comprehensive assessment of patients including
diagnosing diseases, disorders and conditions. Initiates
treatment including healthcare management, therapeutic
interventions and prescribes medications.
Oncology (Cancer) Nurse
Whether you are getting diagnosed or treated for
cancer care, oncology nurses are with you every
step of the way. They help you look after your
health while managing the condition.
Palliative Care Nurse
For people who need healthcare in their final stages of
living, a palliative care nurse can be a blessing.
They ensure that their patients endure less
suffering, and maintain quality of life, as the end
nears.
Hospital Based Nursing
• Acute care is where
largest group of
nurses practice
• Different Staffing
Patterns
• Skill Mix Changing
• Increase in skilled
nursing facilities due
to aging population
and increase in
chronic disease
Community Based Nursing
• Focus on health promotion, maintenance,
education
• Community Health Centers, Clinics
• School Nursing
• Occupational Health
• Home Health
• Physicians Office
• Managed Care Organizations
• Forensics Nursing
Roles and Function of a Nurse
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Caregiver
Clinical Decision Maker
Client Advocate
Rehabilitator
Comforter
Communicator
Collaborator
Teacher
Caregiver
The caregiver role has traditionally included those
activities that assist the client physically and
psychologically while preserving the client’s dignity.
Caregiving encompasses the physical, psychosocial,
developmental, cultural and spiritual levels.
Communicator
Communication is an integral to all nursing roles. Nurses
communicate with the client, support persons, other health
professionals, and people in the community. In the role of
communicator, nurses identify client problems and then
communicate these verbally or in writing to other members of
the health team. The quality of a nurse’s communication is an
important factor in nursing care.
Teacher
As a teacher, the nurse helps clients learn about their health
and the health care procedures they need to perform to restore
or maintain their health. The nurse assesses the client’s
learning needs and readiness to learn, sets specific learning
goals in conjunction with the client, enacts teaching strategies
and measures learning.
Client advocate
Client advocate acts to protect the client. In this role the
nurse may represent the client’s needs and wishes to other
health professionals, such as relaying the client’s wishes
for information to the physician. They also assist clients in
exercising their rights and help them speak up for
themselves.
Counselor
Counseling is a process of helping a client to recognize
and cope with stressful psychologic or social problems, to
developed improved interpersonal relationships, and to
promote personal growth. It involves providing emotional,
intellectual, and psychologic support.
Change agent
The nurse acts as a change agent when assisting others, that is,
clients, to make modifications in their own behavior. Nurses
also often act to make changes in a system such as clinical
care, if it is not helping a client return to health.
Leader
A leader influences others to work together to accomplish a
specific goal. The leader role can be employed at different
levels; individual client, family, groups of clients, colleagues,
or the community. Effective leadership is a learned process
requiring an understanding of the needs and goals that
motivate people, the knowledge to apply the leadership skills,
and the interpersonal skills to influence others.
Leader
A leader influences others to work together to accomplish a
specific goal. The leader role can be employed at different
levels; individual client, family, groups of clients, colleagues,
or the community. Effective leadership is a learned process
requiring an understanding of the needs and goals that
motivate people, the knowledge to apply the leadership skills,
and the interpersonal skills to influence others.
Manager
The nurse manages the nursing care of individuals, families,
and communities. The nurse-manager also delegates nursing
activities to ancillary workers and other nurses, and supervises
and evaluates their performance.
Case manager
Nurse case managers work with the multidisciplinary health
care team to measure the effectiveness of the case management
plan and to monitor outcomes.
Research consumer – nurses often use research to improve
client care. In a clinical area nurses need to:
Have some awareness of the process and language of research
Be sensitive to issues related to protecting the rights of human
subjects
Participate in identification of significant researchable problems
Be a discriminating consumer of research findings
Expanded role of the nurse
Clinical Specialists
Is a nurse who has completed a master’s degree in specialty
and has considerable clinical expertise in that specialty. She
provides expert care to individuals, participates in educating
health care professionals and ancillary, acts as a clinical
consultant and participates in research.
Nurse Practitioner
Is a nurse who has completed either as certificate program or a
master’s degree in a specialty and is also certified by the
appropriate specialty organization. She is skilled at making
nursing assessments, performing P. E., counseling, teaching
and treating minor and self- limiting illness.
Nurse-midwife
A nurse who has completed a program in midwifery; provides
prenatal and postnatal care and delivers babies to woman with
uncomplicated pregnancies.
Nurse anesthetist
A nurse who completed the course of study in an anesthesia
school and carries out pre-operative status of clients.
Nurse Educator
A nurse usually with advanced degree, who beaches in clinical
or educational settings, teaches theoretical knowledge, clinical
skills and conduct researc
Nurse Entrepreneur
A nurse who has an advanced degree, and manages healthrelated business.
Nurse administrator
A nurse who functions at various levels of management in health
settings; responsible for the management and administration of
resources and personnel involved in giving patient care.
Healthcare Team Members
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nurses
Physicians
Physician Assistant
Therapists and Technicians
Pharmacist
Nutritionist/Dietitian
Case Manager/Social Worker
Pastoral Care
Nursing Assistant
Unit Secretary
Ancillary Staff
Professional Nursing Organizations
Created to deal with issues of concern within profession
• American Nurses Association
• National League of Nursing
• State Nurses Association
• National Student Nurse Association
• Organizations specific to specialty
Nursing Theory and Process
Nursing practice is the actual provision of nursing care. To
achieve this, nurses implement the nursing care plan using the
nursing process. This is based upon a specific nursing theory
that is selected based on the care setting and population
served. According to the American Nurses Association, the
nursing process determines how a nurse approaches each
patient encounter, and includes five steps: assessment,
diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. The
nursing process is the common thread uniting different types
of nurses who work in varied areas, and is the essential core of
practice for the registered nurse to deliver holistic, patientfocused care.