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The American Nurses Association is the only largest full-service
organization that protects the profession of nursing and their welfare.
It is a professional group supporting United State of America’s two
million nine-hundred thousand registered nurses. They promote higher
standards of nursing practice and the economic and general welfare of
nurses through its fifty-four constitute member associations. They show
a positive and realistic view of nursing to the public.

The headquarters of the American Nurses Association is located in
Silver Springs, Maryland. By using their voice in Congress, on the
federal level, and in hospitals, they bring out issues affecting the
public. They are committed to helping nurses and to meeting their needs
as well as the health care consumers. The American Nurses Association
is aiming to expand the role of registered nurse and advanced practice
nurses in basic and primary health care. They are looking to obtain
federal funding for the education and training of new nurses to help
improve the workplace and quality of care given to patients. They are
working on reforming the healthcare on state and national levels as
well as Medicare, patient rights, appropriate staffing, and protection
for workers. The American Nurses Association wants to expand the
scientific and research base for nursing practice and gain better
compensation and benefits for nurses across the country. They also want
to implement new ways to deliver nursing service to help boost the
quality of care given to patients. The American Nurses Association is
also responsible for creating the Code of Ethics for nursing.

The American Nurses Association is for registered nurses placed all
around the country. After joining you can start helping the millions of
voices speak up on behalf of nursing and health care be heard. Be
involved with the hundreds of committees and boards representing nurses
at the national, state, and local levels to help shape the association.

Ask A Nurse is a triage of registered nurses available
around-the-clock with health care information accessible by phone and
e-mail. These specifically trained registered nurses will carefully
listen to and answer your questions. Ask A Nurse is a professional
service designed to help you make an informed decision about your
health. Although they can not provide a diagnosis they may assist in
the decision to take your loved one to the emergency room, to call a
doctor, or to use simple home care treatments. The nurses use a
comprehensive data base so they can provide accurate information and
fast and reliable facts. They may also refer you to a physician in your
local area for treatment. They always have the latest medical knowledge
available at the touch of a keyboard. The information is confidential
and guaranteed to be accurate. Ask A Nurse is accessible in the privacy
of your own home as long as you have a working phone line. This service
is also free of charge and is available in most hospitals.

As well as Ask A Nurse, many foundations and hospitals offer a site
where you may ask a nurse questions about your health. Registered nurse
consultants will answer questions about treatments and health care
through e-mail. They will answer a variety of questions ranging from
diagnostic tests, medications, chest pains, and even weight management.
All information will be accurate and confidential. Some places will
even offer counselors where you can ask a nurse advice about your
health problems. These nurses are certified in both nursing and
counseling fields. These information services are extremely
confidential and secret; they are all accessible from your own home if
you own a computer with internet access. The counselors will offer
personal advice on living with medical conditions such as breast
cancer, heart health, genital herpes, and many others.

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Florence Nightingale is undoubtedly the biggest influence working on one when one chooses to become a nurse. This, however, is not the only reason; people aspire to become a nurse as much for the respect they command in the society as for the stability and permanence the profession promises.

Nursing is not just like any career option. It is a job with a difference. Apart from rewards and salaries, a nurse gets the opportunity to play a role in restoring the health and life of the sick and the neglected. This is indeed an added benefit and such social causes often inspire you to become a nurse. 

What Should You Do?

Just liking the profession is not enough; you should have time, energy and resources to become a nurse. There are several Nursing Programs and educational options available for you. To join the profession, you will need to select the one suited to your needs and purposes.

Certificate Program – Such a program trains you to become a nursing assistant or a nursing aide. The program does not call for a solid educational base. Students of the nursing assistant program are asked to complete a 75-hours certified nursing assistant training course and then sit for a competency examination. Once you pass the exam, you become a certified assistant.

Vocational Training – Vocational Training program enables a nursing student become a licensed practical or vocational nurse, generally referred to as LPN or LVN. You can avail of such trainings at vocational schools, hospitals as well as community colleges. A nurse under a vocational training works under the guidance of a registered nurse (RN) or a physician. You need one year to complete a vocational training. After you complete the training, you have to sit for an examination, the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses.

Colleges or University Diploma – If you want to become a nurse, particularly a registered nurse, you should have a proper understanding of several college and university nursing programs. You need two to four years to complete such programs. After you go through a college or university diploma course, you have to clear the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

The Various Working Arenas Open To You As A Nurse

• You can work in hospitals and clinics
• You can work in physician’s office, schools, go for private duties and work with home health agencies
• You can work in the legal arena as consultants and lawyers with a nursing degree
• You can work for insurance companies
• You may perform as clinical researchers and sales reps for drug companies and medical equipment firms
• You may become a nurse and play the role of diabetic educator or wound ostomy nurse thereby educating other nurses in matters of innovative medications, treatments, equipment and treatment modalities
• After you become a nurse, you may also be a teacher in nursing schools at all specified levels
• As a nurse, you can also work in the military, especially when there is a war and lots of people are wounded and injured 

Become a nurse and then you can render great help to the society.

Since most people are extremely busy these days, we don’t always
have time to go to the doctor or sit in a waiting room to be examined
for non life threatening illnesses or injuries. The medical world is
aware of this fact and has begun to develop a niche for something
called call center nurses. Call center nurses are professional,
licensed and registered nurses who are available to help people with
general medical questions. The goal is to be able to help people over
the phone with any medical issues they have without having to seek
treatment in a hospital or health care center. Based on answers to
several questions, the call center nurses will either provide advice
for the patient, or in some cases they will advise that they do seek
immediate treatment, depending on the severity. These call centers can
be owned and operated by a hospital, or they can be owned by private
companies who offer their services for a small fee to the caller.

While
the information given to people who call these nurses over the phone is
not meant to completely treat any particular ailment, it can serve as a
beginning point to helping them with general questions. Things like
treating a bee sting, what to do with a fever, or possible side effects
of various medications are all information that call center nurses can
provide without the patient having to speak directly to a doctor. Of
course as with any real medical emergency, 911 should be called and
patients should be taken to the emergency room. The purpose of the call
centers is to help answer general non serious questions for people who
do not know where else to turn. The nurses who answer these calls are
professional and experienced, and are able to provide patients with
accurate and helpful information which can save them a lot of valuable
time.

Many people today don’t have time to make doctor’s appointments for
themselves or their children. In addition, very few doctors make house
calls any more, and it seems like it can take weeks or even months to
get a real appointment. In situations where someone in your family is
sick, you don’t always have the money or time to go to the emergency
room, but you have questions, so what do you do? Fortunately, many
hospitals, clinics, and health care centers have developed something
called call center nursing. Basically, nurses work in a 24 hours a day,
7 days a week call center and are there to help answer patients’
questions. This call center nursing method is a great way to help
people determine whether or not they need simple over the counter
medication, or if more serious treatment is needed, without having to
wait in long lines at the hospital or beg to get a doctor’s
appointment.

The idea of call center nursing is
fairly simple. The nurses ask people who call in some basic information
such as the age, weight, and sex of the patient, as well as any
medications they are already taking. Then, there are some symptom based
questions that occur, such as how long has the symptom been happening,
and how severe is it. In addition, basic health and medical questions
can also be answered with call center nursing. Things like how to treat
poison ivy or deciphering lab tests results can all be done over the
phone with a qualified nurse. This is a convenient and safe way to get
your medical questions answered without having to wait to see a doctor.
The nurses can also help you assess whether or not a problem you or
your patient has needs to seek immediate attention or if it simply
needs a little bit of rest and attention at home for a few days.

Many years, ago, nurses were lumped into one general category and
were mostly there to assist the doctor with things that he or she
needed, or to be there to attend to patients. Today, there are many
exciting career opportunities for nurses that expand well beyond the
general realm of basic health care. Some of these careers include
becoming a nursing educator so that nurses are taught by people who
have had hands on experience in the field. Nurse management is another
wonderful opportunity. This position places a nurse in a management
setting and they are able to manage staff and patients in a supervisory
role. Of course the many career opportunities for nurses expand well
beyond just education and management. With so many specialized fields
in health care, nurses can now attend to patients in the element of
health care they are most interested in. For example, diabetic nurses
are specially trained to help people suffering from diabetes, while
intensive care nurses work in the IC unit of hospitals.

A
great benefit of the many career opportunities for nurses is the
potential for advancement both in a professional sense and a financial
sense. Since the demand for more nurses and more specialized nurses is
constantly increasing, many employers are offering enticing sign on
bonuses for qualified nurses. In some cases these bonuses can be as
high as $10,000 or more! Career opportunities for nurses can be in
other settings beside a hospital. For example, schools always need good
nurses as well as nursing homes, private practices, and even large
companies are now hiring their own in house nurses. The possibilities
seem endless for those who are in the nursing field, and now is a great
time to begin a new and exciting career path that will allow you to
grow and move up in your professional life.

If you desire to practice nursing in Florida, you will need to
become licensed through the Florida Board of Nursing. Law requires
licensing through the Florida Board of Nursing for both Registered
Nurses (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN). You will also need to
be prepared to fill out an application and pay an application fee to
begin the licensing process. You will mail in your application and it
will take roughly 30 days before hearing whether or not the Florida
Board of Nursing received all of the information that they needed. You
will also need to send transcripts from nursing school, complete a
fingerprint check, and agree to a national background criminal check
before being licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing.

It’s
important to realize that when applying for licensing with the Florida
Board of Nursing, you will need to supply information regarding any
criminal history that you have. This includes both misdemeanors and
felony crimes. Many people worry that if they have a felony they won’t
be licensed, but that isn’t necessarily the truth. The Florida Board of
Nursing will look at each case individually and on a case-by-case
manner. You will be required to submit official court documents of all
criminal history, even if you were on probation or charges were
dismissed.

If you have any history of being dismissed from a
job, you will also need to provide that information and explain your
side of the incident. If you have a history of criminal activity or
have received disciplinary action on a former job, you will need to
bear the burden of proof to explain your position. The emphasis should
be on proving that you are rehabilitated and are ready to live up to
the commitments of being a nurse. You can best do this by showing proof
of the positive works that you have accomplished since the questionable
activities took place.

Nursing is a profession that focuses on patients. When a patient
enters a doctor’s office, hospital, or operating room, they expect the
best care. While doctors perform a bulk of the service, they need
assistance from qualified nurses. Most people are familiar with modern
day nurses that perform lab work and other preliminary medical steps.
Yet, many are unfamiliar with the history of nursing. Nursing has been
around in one form or another for centurise. While earlier nurses went
by many different names, they held the same responsibility – to care
for the patient. In many instances, a doctor wasn’t even present,
wherein a nurse was solely responsible for a sick or injured person.

The
history of nursing points to the 14th century as the start of modern
day nurses. Although various forms of nurses existed prior to this
time, these weren’t traditional nurses. In the 14th century, the
primary role of a nurse was to care for a newborn or child. These
nurses were referred to as wet nurses and dry nurses. Over time, these
nurses began to expand their realm, and offered their services to
various sick persons. This type of nursing was not organized or offered
in an actual medical facility. Rather, the history of nursing shows
that individuals who provided healthcare services would go to the sick
person’s home and remain until their health improved.

Nuns
and the military introduced modern day nursing services. Nuns would
care for the elderly and orphans, and provide bedside service.
Additionally, the military employed qualified women to care for injured
soldiers. Health care services were offered in a designated facility,
and each nurse had a specific role. As the profession expanded, nurses
were able to specialize in a medical field, and choose from an array of
occupations. The history of nursing proves that this profession has
been around for many years. Moreover, the development of various health
care facilities and nursing degrees is a testament to the need for
qualified nursing professionals.

The history of nursing research begins with Florence Nightingale. In
fact, it is nursing research that governs and determines the elements
of the nursing practice in general. Great care, detail, and educational
study comprises nursing research. When a nurse makes a medical
decision, it is believed that he or she will make judgments that are
supported by and characteristic of the current trends in nursing
research. If a nurse does not act in harmony with nursing research, he
or she may be held liable of medical neglect. Therefore, it is
imperative that all who are in the nursing profession stay current with
the latest developments in nursing education as well as research.

There
are two main areas of research that are applicable to the nursing
profession. These include Quantative and Qualitive Research. Quantative
research focuses on results in nursing that is measurably by the use of
testing controlled trial settings, and visible statistics. Quantative
basically means that something may be measured, and when describing
research, Quantative refers to results that may be measured.

Qualitive
Research focuses on the quality of the result or approach as
experienced by the patient. Where you can understand Quantative
research as being the facts, or the what, where, and when of the facts
used in research, Qualitive research refers to the “who” and “why”
questions. For example, “Who did this method work for, and why was the
method or treatment effective?”

Medicine has evolved through
a number of theories over the centuries, and the field of nursing is no
different. Before a practice can be accepted as being effective
medicine, it must be carefully researched, tested, and the results
measured. This research begins with the use of the Scientific Method
and culminates in case studies, clinical trials, and using measurable
standards to determine the results.

A legal nurse consultant, also commonly referred to as a LNC, is a
registered nurse who uses their knowledge as a health care professional
to help solve cases. These consultants receive legal training so they
can accurately provide advice for medical related cases. This career is
generally referred to as legal nursing.

Not all attorneys understand the complicated medical terms and
requirements for a patient’s health care. Therefore a legal nurse
consultant will supply the information needed to solve the case and
offer any opinions he or she has on the subject as well.

A legal nurse consultant can work for insurance companies,
utilization review firms, government agencies, private corporations,
and hospitals as both staff members and consultants. Being able to work
in many places allows a legal nurse consultant a lot of options for a
comfortable and profitable full-time or part-time job. A legal nurse
consultant has many different responsibilities and services they can
offer. Some of these include assisting with discovery, conducting
research, reviewing medical records, identifying standards of care,
preparing reports and summaries on the extent of injury and illness,
and locating expert witnesses. They may also serve as expert witnesses
themselves, although they usually work behind the scenes.            

Since the early 1970’s registered nurses have been acting as
consultants to the legal profession on nursing and health care issues.
It began when expert witnesses offered their opinion on malpractice
cases. The Judicial system now recognizes nurses as better consultants
to provide information on nursing care and practice than doctors. In
1999, the distinction between the practice of paralegal and legal
assistants and the nursing specialty practice of legal nurse consulting
was determined. The AALNC, American Association of Legal Nurse
Consultants, has decided that legal nurse consultants fall under the
category of the profession of nursing rather than a special category of
paralegals.