Over the years, Nursing has become one of the top demanding professions in the workforce. The demand has increased students interest in the field. It has also increased Nurses benefits such as their salaries and education/training. Nurses are often taken for granted and their work unappreciated. Nurses are an important part of the health care system.
Nursing did not develop as a profession until Florence Nightingale influences it in the nineteenth century. The first school of nursing was established in Boston in 1873. Since the opening of the first school of nursing, the nursing field has grown tremendously through education, technology and growing interest.
The field of Nursing serves an important role in the health care system. It is extremely challenging physically, emotionally and mentally. Physically it requires strength, stamina, and speed. Emotionally it causes stress when friendships are grown with ill or dying patients. Mentally nurses must pay close attention to detail and must have ready knowledge of techniques and procedures needed everyday. Nurses administer medicine to patients, change their bedding when its messed up, check patients vital signs and much more. They are nurturing, caring individuals that take pride in aiding others while they get well. They often serve as a spokesperson between a patient and the doctor. Nurses do more than just assist patients physically, they provide comfort in their time of need.
In the field of nursing there are a variety of careers. Opportunities in nursing range from being a nursing assistant to a registered nurse. A nursing assistant requires the least amount of education. It requires basic on the job training as well as a diploma. Most colleges offer two or four year programs for potential nursing students. Colleges that offer two year programs usually require a continuation of training mostly done at a hospital or a nursing school. In order to become a registered nurse, after completing the required schooling nurses must pass a liscencing examination to acquire an official state nursing liscence.