From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
- This article focuses on
the practice of nursing. See the
article
Nurses for more information
on the education and regulation
of nurses. For the activities of
a
wet nurse, see
Breastfeeding.
Nursing is a discipline
focused on assisting individuals,
families and
communities in attaining,
re-attaining and maintaining
optimal
health and functioning. Modern
definitions of nursing define it
as a
science and an
art that focuses on promoting
quality of life as defined by
persons and families, throughout
their life experiences from
birth to care at the
end of life.
History of nursing
In premodern times,
nuns and the military often
provided nursing services. The
religious and military roots of
modern nursing remain in evidence
today. For example, in Britain,
senior female nurses are known as
"Sisters". In recent times in the
US and Canada many nurses are
flowing back into working in a
"religious" field through "Parish
Nursing". These nurses work within
a church community to perform
health education, counselling,
provide referals to community
support agencies, and connect
volunteers from the church
community with those in need of
assistance.
Florence Nightingale is
regarded as the founder of modern
nursing, which flourished in
response to the
World Wars.
New Zealand was the first
country to regulate nurses
nationally, with adoption of the
Nurses Registration Act on the
12th of September 1901.
For more information on
prominent nurses, both historical
and contemporary, see
articles on individual nurses
Nursing as a profession
Nurses acknowledge that the
nursing
profession is an essential
part of the
society from which it has
grown. The authority for the
practice of nursing is based upon
a social contract that delineates
professional rights and
responsibilities as well as
mechanisms for public
accountability. The practice of
nursing involves
altruistic behavior and is
governed by a code of
ethics.
Nursing has developed an
extensive body of knowledge and
associated skills that require
extensive study to master. There
are a number of
educational paths to becoming
a professional nurse but all
involve extensive study of
nursing theory and practice
and training in clinical
skills.
In almost all countries,
nursing practice is defined
and governed by law. Entrance to
the profession and nursing
practice are regulated by
national, state, or territorial
boards of nursing.
For more information on
educational paths and regulation,
see the article on the occupation
of
Nurse.
Nursing practice
The
American Nurses' Association
(1980) has defined nursing as "the
diagnosis and treatment of human
responses to actual or potential
health problems." Just as medical
diagnoses help in the
planning, implementing, and
evaluation of medical care,
Nursing diagnoses help in the
planning, implementing, and
evaluation of nursing care.
Like other maturing
disciplines, nursing has developed
different theories that are
aligned with diverging
philosophical beliefs and
paradigms or
worldviews. Nursing theories
help nurses to direct their
activities in order to accomplish
specific goals with people.
Nursing is a knowledge based
discipline committed to the
betterment of humankind. Nursing
has not only developed into a
profession, but an art as well.
Nursing specialties
Nursing is the most diverse of
all
healthcare professions. It is
a universal role appearing in some
form in every culture.
Nursing may be divided into
different specialties or
classifications.
UK
The
Nursing and Midwifery Council
in the
UK is the regulatory body for
nurses, midwives and specialist
practitioners. The regsiter is
split into three parts:
- Nursing
- Midwifery
- Specialist Community Public
Health Nurses
Prior to the creation of the new
three part register on 1st August
2004, nurses and midwives were
divided into a part of the
register they held a qualification
in. This may be now described as a
'sub-part' of the nursing
register:
- Part 1 - First level nurses
trained in general nursing (RGN)
- Part 2 - Second level nurses
trained in general nursing
(England and Wales)
- Part 3 - First level nurses
trained in the nursing of
persons suffering from mental
illness
- Part 4 - Second level nurses
trained in the nursing of
persons suffering from mental
illness (England and Wales)
- Part 5 - First level nurses
trained in the nursing of
persons with learning
disabilities
- Part 6 - Second level nurses
trained in the nursing of
persons with learning
disabilities
- Part 7 - Second level nurses
(Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Part 8 - Nurses trained in
the nursing of sick children
- Part 9 - Nurses trained in
the nursing of persons suffering
from fever [obsolete]
- Part 10 - Midwives [all
midwives are now on the Midwives
register]
- Part 11 - Health Visitors [now
on the Specialist Community
Public Health Nurse register]
- Part 12 - First level nurses
trained in adult nursing
(Project 2000)
- Part 13 - First level nurses
trained in mental health nursing
(Project 2000)
- Part 14 - First level nurses
trained in learning disabilities
nursing (Project 2000)
- Part 15 - First level nurses
trained in children's nursing
(Project 2000)
All newly qualified nurses, now
register in 'sub-part' 12, 13, 14
or 15 showing their branch
qualification. However, nurses
still practising and holding
qualifications in 'sub-parts' 1-9
are registered as such.
US
In the
US, there are a large number
of
specialties within nursing.
Professional organizations or
certifying boards issue
voluntary
certification in many of these
areas.
There are many different
nursing specialties,
encompassing care throughout the
human lifespan and based upon
patient needs. Many nurses who
choose a specialty become
certified in that area,
signifying that they possess
expert knowledge of the specialty.
There are over 200 nursing
specialties and sub-specialties.
Certified nurses often earn a
salary differential over their
non-certified colleagues, and
studies from the Institute of
Medicine have demonstrated that
specialty certified nurses have
higher rates of patient
satisfaction, as well as lower
rates of work-related errors in
patient care.
Practice settings
Nurses practice in a wide range
of settings from
hospitals to visiting people
in their
homes and caring for them in
schools to research in
pharmaceutical companies.
Nurses work in office and
occupational or industrial health
settings, free-standing clinics
and physician offices, nurse-run
clinics, long-term care
facilities, and camps. Nurses work
on cruise ships and in military
service. They act as advisors and
consultants to the healthcare and
insurance industries. Some nurses
are attorneys and others work with
attorneys as
legal nurse consultants,
reviewing patient records to
assure that adequate care was
provided and testifying in court.
In many cities, nurses can even
enter their names in a "registry"
and work a wide variety of
temporary jobs.
