Nursing

By: Christian Paranada

Nursing

Do You Want to Become a Superhero? 

Nursing is a job that takes care of many around the world. Simply said, nurses are superheroes. Nurses have many duties such as taking care of people, interacting with medical professionals, giving medication, and monitoring vital signs. Nurses play a crucial role in healthcare institutions and have access to many work options, making them the largest healthcare occupation in the U.S. 

To pursue a profession in nursing, you must complete formal schooling requirements. An undergraduate degree is the starting point. At hospitals, nurses either serve in basic nursing roles or pursue specialties like nurse anesthesia, mental health, preventive care, or labor and delivery. You must have completed a nursing program and have a nursing license in order to become a registered nurse. It is a bonus to have high communication abilities and strong interpersonal skills are essential for RNs. As an RN,  you should also be able to function well under pressure. A registered nurse is a nurse who has obtained a nursing degree, passed the license test and met all state licensing requirements. An associates degree is still the bare minimum requirement for taking the Certification exam, despite the fact that businesses increasingly prefer applicants with bachelor's degrees or above. 

Yes, there are many other specialties rather than RN’s such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).  Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and many other special roles that involve medical surgeons. Many of these specialities work in many different places and not just a hospital or clinic. Some other communities they work in are, offices, schools, pharmacies, ambulances/ helicopters, and home health care. Ke’ ali'i interviewed a nurse from Kaiser Permanente and had her personal opinion about some questions I asked about   “A clinic would be one of the best places to work because it has more flexibility as far as taking off and not working on the weekends and holidays. If you work in the hospital you have to work at least every other weekend.”-Ednalyn Ibay

Taking a part of this job is life changing for some, many suffered from the start and others continued to suffer in pain to become a part of the medical state. In the beginning, you start your career by choosing a nursing program to help you get a taste of what you are going to be doing with anything medical. It teaches you how to provide direct services to your patients. The nursing program helps you for your future and these courses help nursing students develop a mindset that enables them to treat patients with empathy and compassion, better understand their patients, and use their specialized expertise to assess potential scenarios. After this first step, you need to earn a nursing degree to mark that you have been in medical state for 4 years. Lastly, to become a nurse, you need to be licensed to work in a hospital, clinic, or anywhere that needs a nurse for a specific place. The purpose of being licensed is to show other industries that you meet the requirements or state approved quality standard. 

At the end, you will realize that you went to hell and back. Coming from Ednalyn Ibay from Kaiser Permanente.  “In the beginning of nursing school, it's stressful but in the end, it all comes together.”.  The struggle to become what you want feels great when being accomplished. It’s not all fun and games in the end, but you get rid of some stress knowing that you got into this industry and became a superhero for all.