Nursing is a huge, and growing, part of healthcare. There are many misconceptions about what nurses do, and many people don't know just how much they matter.
A common misconception about nursing is that all they do is take temperatures and wipe people's butts. Or make really great (adult) Halloween costumes.
Let me tell you.... that is so WRONG.
There are so many responsibilities and interventions that nurses implement everyday to help save lives. To start: nurses are truly the patient's advocate. They are the ones in the room all the time, they are the ones assessing, doing interventions, reassessing, and documenting everything going on with the patient. They are the first to catch something if it isn't right, and they are the one's who manage care truly based on the patient's needs.
Nursing as a profession, and a science. I didn't realize just how unique and scientific the art of nursing is. There is a nursing process developed to help nurses do what they do best: client centered care. I didn't really understand it before I started nursing school, but contrary to the popular belief, every time something doesn't look right or goes wrong the first option is NOT to call the doctor. No, there are many other interventions to be done. I always thought nurses were just an extension of the doctor's hands, there to administer medications and carry out orders to the T. Now I realize it's almost the other way around. As a nurse you are present with the patient. You are the on who gets the background info, you are the one who assesses and reassess vitals. YOU, are the DOCTOR'S hands, eyes, ears. You know what's going on with the patient at every moment. You are the one who goes back to your textbook to review the pathophysiology of a disease to realize that the patient's head of the bed should be elevated to decrease the risk of increased intracranial pressure. You are the one who looks at the medication prescribed and realizes that it is contraindicated in this patient. You are the one who sees the patient short of breath, so you put on a supplemental nasal cannula. You are the one who sees non-reassuring fetal heart tones, so you reposition the mother and give a bolus of fluid. The list goes on and on. You are also truly, the patient's eyes, ears, feelings, pain, everything. You could make a world of difference just by sitting down and listening to someone get something off their chest.
Nursing is a selfless profession, and it isn't for everyone. It is a constant learning process, and that I know from my mother, who is an ER nurse. She learns something new each day, and though she may have had to skip her lunch break and didn't get to go to the bathroom at all, and her feet are killing her - every day she comes home with a smile. This is such a self-gratifying role, and to see the smile on a patient, to see a patient go home - knowing you had everything to do with their recovery, is priceless. And nursing is not just about medical care. It is equally, if not more, about interaction and patient teaching, and psychosocial support. You are the ones who will field their questions and concerns, you are the one who will teach them how to breastfeed their baby, and what to do if they are crying. You are the one who will tell them what to do if their child gets a fever and shows signs of infection. You are the ultimate caregiver. To those pursuing this career, you are truly admirable. So remember, just four years of this schooling and then a lifetime of one of the most rewarding careers to follow.