WASHINGTON, May 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Some people may ask -Why is Nursing Important?
Nurses were once thought of as doctor's assistants. Today however, they are a group of university educated healthcare professionals who work along side doctors as part of the patient's healthcare team. They not only command more responsibility, but more respect in their work places and communities. Nursing is considered to be one of the most trusted professions internationally.
Nurses are the first line of defense that patients frequently come into contact with when they are ill. As the nurse performs an assessment, they listen, gather information, make nursing diagnoses and also make recommendations to the doctors for the care of the patient. They look at the whole patient, their support system, and the environment they are living in to address any relevant issues in an effort to improve the quality of life of the patient.
Nurses advocate for health promotion, educate patients and the public on the prevention of illness and injury, provide care and assist in cure, participate in rehabilitation, and provide emotional and physical support. No other health care professional has such a broad and far-reaching role.
Nurses help families learn to become healthy by helping them understand the range of emotional, physical, mental and cultural experiences they encounter during health and illness. Nurses help patients and their families realize the impact illness has on their lives, deal with it, and if necessary live with it, so that other parts of their lives can continue.
It has been often said that nurses treat the patients, and doctors treat the disease.
Some experienced nurses know more than new medical interns when it comes to patient care, disease pathology and treatment. Once a nurse becomes trusted by a physician, the nurse may frequently request what she wants for the patient in the form of treatment and medication, and the doctor will then prescribe it. For this reason, nurses must have excellent assessment and communication skills. They must also continually strive to be well informed on the latest research in medical science and base their work on evidence-based practices. Education does not stop after receiving your diploma, but must be a life long pursuit!
Nurses do more than care for individuals. They have always have been at the forefront of change in health care and public health.
Take Florence Nightingale for example
Prior to Florence Nightingale's work, hospitals were places to be feared. Nurses were women who were paid in Port Wine and worked 20-hour days carrying slop buckets and then delivering meal trays or changing bandages. Ms. Nightingale along with Dr Ignaz Semmelweis, on the medical side, brought the simple idea of cleanliness equals health to the public. The simple act of hand washing and circulating air by opening windows made dramatic changes in a patient's chance of survival. Prior to that era, doctors would go from autopsy to surgery to office hours and never wash their hands or change their bloody coat. (Nasty isn't it?)
The Nursing Profession since that time has continued to focus their efforts on promoting Infection Control, Patient Confidentiality, Patient Safety, proper documentation, nurturing respect and dignity, and patient advocacy.
Nurses, in their day-to-day work, provide an ongoing assessment of people's health in various settings. Their round-the-clock presence, observation skills, and vigilance allow doctors to make better diagnoses and propose better treatments. Many lives have been saved because an attentive nurse picked upon early warning signs of an upcoming crisis like cardiac arrest or respiratory failure.
So please remember each day:
As you travel your long commute to work
As you think about all of the responsibilities that await you at home
As you spill coffee on your uniform
As you become frustrated or unhappy because of something someone said or did
As you struggle to keep a patient alive
As you provide comfort for a patient that lays dying
How good you feel when you help someone
How much your patients depend on you
How much you are valued
How truly important your job is!
Contact: Ralph Foster, rfoster@americanhospitalmaanagement.com, 210-744-1172
SOURCE American Hospital Management Company
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