National Nurses Week 2019
Explore the many hats worn by nurses
Emergency room nurses are unsung heroes
No one wants to see the
inside of an emergency
room or medical center,
but few people avoid occasional
visits to the emergency
room. When such situations
arise, a top-notch trauma
team can make all the difference.
One of the fi rst people patients
encounter inside an ER
are the nurses who quickly
assess life-threatening problems
and begin to solve
them on the spot. Although
nurses can work in hospital
emergency rooms, emergency
nurses also may work
in ambulances, urgent care
centers, sports arenas, and
other high-stress situations.
These nurses are registered
and work closely with doctors
to help diagnose, stabilize,
and manage conditions.
They also liaise between family
members and other medical
staff and educate patients
about their conditions once
an emergency situation is addressed.
Because emergency room
nurses specialize in treating
severely ill or injured patients
or those in life-threatening
situations, those considering
a career in this fi eld must be
ready to adapt to many different
situations. In a single day,
these nurses may encounter
children with broken bones,
patients with acute stomach
pains, and people injured
in motor vehicle accidents,
among many other potential
situations. Patients of all ages
come through trauma centers,
and prioritizing emergencies
can be part of the job
description.
An emergency room
nurse’s day is frequently
stressful and fast-paced. Some
of the tasks to be expected, according
to the nursing career
resource Nurse Frontier, include:
• First aid
• Suturing
• Intubation
• Bag valve mask ventilation
• Administering medicine
• Basic life support
• Advance cardiac life support
• Transfusing blood
Prospective ER nurses
must complete a nursing degree
or diploma program. In
Canada, since the late 1990s,
42 COURIER LIFE, MAY 3–9, 2019 M BR B G
the provinces and territories
have moved from diploma
entry level to baccalaureate
entry level for registered
nurses, says the Canadian
Nurses Association. Both the
United States and Canada require
prospective emergency
nurses to pass the NCLEXRN
exam, which is administered
by the National Council
of State Boards. Registered
nurses receive state licensing
in the United States. In
Canada there is no national
license; each province or territory
licenses individually
based on jurisdiction.
According to Johnson &
Johnson’s Discover Nursing,
emergency room nurses are
increasingly learning about
tech, thanks to electronic
medical records and point-ofcare
barcoding.
Emergency room nurses
have more responsibility
than ever because of nursing
shortages. That means there
are plenty of opportunities to
become leaders in the fi eld.
These nurses and others
fi ll a much-needed responsibility
in the medical fi eld. A
career as an emergency room
nurse can be challenging but
very rewarding.
A career as an emergency room nurse can be challenging but very rewarding.
Enter a hospital, doctor’s offi ce,
adult care facility, or medical
clinic and you are bound to encounter
nurses. Nurse is a broad term
used to describe most individuals who
perform patient-based care in a variety
of settings. A nurse’s duties and
title will vary depending on his or her
educational background and the certifi
cations and licenses he or she has received.
The fi eld of nursing is seemingly
recession-proof. According to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there
are roughly 2.6 million nurses in the
United States. No other career choice
within the fi eld of healthcare can claim
such strength in numbers, both in the
United States and Canada.
There are many advantages to becoming
a nurse, including growing employment
opportunities. Over the next
20 years, the bureau predicts 800,000
vacancies in the fi eld of nursing in the
United States alone. Financial gain is
to be had as well. Depending on the
type of nurse, he or she has the potential
to make anywhere between $43,000
and $115,000 a year, according to the
bureau’s Occupational Employment
Statistics Program. Furthermore, because
of the wide breadth of nursing
services, there is plenty of room for specialty
application and advancement.
Here are the common types of
nurses and the type of education required
to become a nurse:
Nursing aide or orderly: Nursing
aides and orderlies help nurses
care for patients and perform routine
tasks. They spend most of their time
with patients, serving meals, keeping
patients comfortable, answering call
lights, making beds, and giving baths.
Most nursing aides work in a hospital
setting or long-term facilities for the
elderly. A high school diploma may be
all that’s needed to become a nursing
aide.
Licensed practical nurse: A licensed
practical nurse studies for a
year after earning a high school diploma
and must be licensed in the
state in which he or she will work. He
or she typically records medical histories,
weighs and measures patients,
records symptoms, and administers
injections.
Registered nurse: A registered
nurse typically pursues a two-year Associate’s
degree in nursing or may receive
a Bachelor’s degree in the fi eld.
Candidates must pass a national exam
before they are licensed. The duties of
a registered nurse are generally more
varied and in-depth than those of a licensed
practical nurse and can include
helping patients manage treatment
plans.
Nurse practitioner: Nurse practitioners
are among the most educated
hospital employees. In addition to their
registered nurse study, they earn a
Master’s degree and may specialize
in one area. Also, they may be able to
work outside of the authority of a physician.
In such instances, a they can
run a medical practice, diagnose, and
prescribe medication just as a doctor
would.
Although doctors are often thought
of as the primary care providers in
most healthcare settings, nurses are
growing in numbers and have taken
on many of the roles once reserved exclusively
for doctors.
Nurses have taken on many of the roles once reserved exclusively for doctors.