The Career of a Nurse


Introduction

Firstly, the article is very relevant since it paints a brief portrait of the nursing profession. The article puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that being a nurse involves a lot of diverse tasks. Indeed, there are more than a dozen departments where nurses can work. In addition to this, there are several levels of education for a nurse. First, there are nursing assistants, nurse technicians, and nurse clinicians, so this creates an expansion of the tasks they can do. This article is for anyone with an interest in a nursing career or even simply an interest in the health field. Indeed, nurses must work in conjunction with several other specialists who are partially named in the article, so this article will be able to enlighten these people all the more. In closing, I am motivated to write about nursing because it is the profession where my mother made her career. I have therefore always found this job interesting because of its diversity of tasks and its possibility of being able to make a difference in the field of health.


What is it like to be a nurse?

The profession of a nurse is different depending on the department where they work. Indeed, if they work in the department of the operating theater, they should assist the doctor during the operation, complete the legal operation documents, and prepare the instruments, that is to say, either by making them sterile or by preparing the operating table, which must also be sterile. For a nurse who works in day surgery, she will, of course, have to take care of the patient, take his vital signs, give him the prescribed medication, but also teach him the secondary symptoms that may occur, inform him of the medication to take, inform him about the convalescence that the doctor has given him, inform him about the physical restrictions that he will have, etc. The obstetric-gynecological nurses help the doctors to give birth, and the neonatal nurses then take care of the newborns and give instructions and information to the parents. The respiratory therapists work simultaneously with the anesthesiologists. They will assist the anesthetist during the anesthesia, and they will be able to monitor the patient if he is under general anesthesia, that is to say completely asleep or even if he is under regional anesthesia, therefore only numb. In short, there are several other departments and tasks which I have not mentioned, nevertheless, the job of a nurse consists very much in teaching the patient, assisting the doctor, the anesthetist, or any other specialist, and of course, giving the first patient care.


What do nurses do?

As I mentioned above, the tasks of a nurse will vary depending on the department where they work. They will assist doctors and specialists by doing various tasks, they will do pre and post-operative teaching to patients, fill out legal documents related to surgery, make instruments sterile, etc.


What do nurses do on a typical day?

Again, as I mentioned above, a nurse's day will differ from the setting in which she works. Take for example a nurse who works in the operating theater department. His day begins by going to change in the locker room and putting on the green uniform which is sterile, the shoe covers, the mask and the net on the head, and the net for the beard for the nurses. An operating room normally works with two nurses, a respiratory therapist, an anesthesiologist to anesthetize the patient, and one or two doctors depending on whether it is a joint surgery. The two nurses decide which of them will be on internal duty, that is to say, who will attend the operation directly with the doctor while being sterile and the other on external duty. The one in external service will complete all the legal documents. She can fetch instruments and tools if ever there is a shortage. The internal one assists the doctor in a sterile way, that is to say, she must first wash her hands up to the elbow in a special way with a special soap before putting on a smock and gloves which supplement sterility. The day goes by and so are the operations. The nurses mainly stay in the same room all day unless they have to go and replace the other nurses in the other operating rooms. An operating theater can have around ten of them. When their day is over, they return to change into civilian clothes in the locker room and can leave. However, their shifts can be extended. Indeed, some of them have obligatory compulsory times, call duty, that is to say, that during the evenings and weekends, they can be called to come back to the hospital since there is an emergency and the patient must be operated on immediately.


Where do nurses work?

Nurses can work in several hospital departments such as the operating room, day surgery, hospitalization, emergency, geriatrics, ophthalmology, neonatal care, and preoperative clinics. They can all the most work in a private establishment such as the Opéra MD clinic in Quebec. They can also work in CHSLDs, residences for the elderly, schools, any care clinics, etc.


How can I become a nurse?

In Quebec, there are several types of nurses. Initially, a nursing assistant is able to work after 2 years of DEP and of course an internship and training. A nurse technician, on the other hand, must complete a technical course for 3 years before being able to work. At the end of his studies, all nurses must pass the examination of the order of nurses to be able to be recognized and have a profession. A nurse clinician will have to do a BAC (baccalaureate) in nursing science at the university for a period of 3 years. They must also pass the exam of the order of nurses to be able to work. In closing, a nurse practitioner must complete a master's degree in nursing science and a complementary nursing practice diploma before being eligible to take the nursing college exam.


How much money do nurses make?

Depending on the degree of education of the nurse and the environment where she works, a nurse can make between $50,000 and $100,000 per year or an hourly wage that varies between $25 and $45 per hour. However, this data may vary due to eligible bonuses for night shifts and other bonuses, on-call duty, and overtime.


What kinds of additional training do nurses need?

As I mentioned above, there are several types of nurses. A person can become a nurse by completing a professional study diploma (DEP) to become a nursing assistant. A nurse technician will have to do a nursing technique. To specialize, even more, or to do some additional training a nurse can become a nurse clinician by doing a BAC (baccalaureate) at the university. She can continue her specialization by becoming a nurse practitioner by doing the master's degree and a complementary nursing practice diploma before being able to take the exam for the order of nurses. However, a nurse will have the training to do throughout her career that she can do during her working hours when time permits.


What are the dangers of being a nurse?

There are many risks and dangers to being a nurse, but I believe the first is the one that patients encounter. Indeed, it sometimes happens that nurses have to treat, and operate on prisoners, people with mental illnesses, and people who can unfortunately be dangerous. So, I think the biggest risk is the one caused by patients who are unpredictable.


What are the chances that nurses will be replaced by robots soon?

I think the chances of nurses being replaced by robots in the short term is 0%. Indeed, being a nurse is a multi-task job and a job where the tasks themselves will change, and be modified due to the needs of patients, doctors, and specialists who work together with them. I believe without a doubt that the tasks of the nursing profession are far too complex for a robot to do it although the world is changing very quickly. However, perhaps in the distant future technology will be advanced enough to replace nurses with robots.


What age do nurses retire at?

Nurses generally retire between the ages of 60 and 65.


Conclusion

In conclusion, however, nursing is not a profession in which I have much interest. My mother, being herself a nurse, dissuaded me due to the more than mediocre conditions. However, the field of health is the field in which I want to pursue a career. At first, I took this job to produce my work since I had an interesting and reliable source very close to me, my mother. Secondly, nurses work together with several professions that could interest me. Medicine being the first, then the profession of an occupational therapist, the profession of physiotherapist, radiologist, etc. are all professions to which I attribute the greatest interest.


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Sources and RADARS ratings

Source: https://www.princetonreview.com/careers/100/nurse

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Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-nurse

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Source: https://ca.talent.com/salary?job=registered+nurse#:~:text=The%20average%20registered%20nurse%20salary%20in%20Canada%20is%20%2470%2C717%20per,up%20to%20%2481%2C641%20per%20year.

Rationale: to inform or educate

Authority: research journal

Date: still relevant

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