Many people don't like to go into hospitals to visit, much less to have to stay because of some illness. A nurse has to endure the angry and rude remarks from hurting or grouchy people on a daily basis. A good nurse has a good personality, is long-suffering and will take verbal abuse from the patient without making much of a fuss. These are some of the traits of a good nurse. Next time you are in the doctor's office or hospital, be nice to them. They are only there because they care enough for people to put up with you and any other patient who are grouchy. Most nurses do their work in hospitals or doctors offices, but they are not limited to hospital work. Many nurses work in the home-health program or the emergency helicopters.
The darkest time for the nursing profession started with the beginning of the seventeen centuries and ended around 1850. During this time, most of the hospitals that were built were charity hospitals. It was also determined that a "proper" woman would not take the job as a nurse. Therefore, the nurses were usually of the disreputable characters. Also, nurses were people that could not find a job elsewhere, or had been imprisoned for drunkenness. The hospitals were unsanitary and the importance of it and hygiene were unknown at that particular time. Distinguished people did not go to the hospitals because of the condition of the hospitals. They had private doctors and nurses to come and attend to them.
Modern nursing began during the 1850's by the work of the now famous nurse, Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale is known as the founder of the modern nursing practice. She established the first school of nursing in London in 1860. It is called the Nightingale Home for Nurses. Graduates from this school went all around the world to teach nursing. This is how nursing schools came to the United States. The first schools of nursing in the United States were at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Bellevue Hospital in New York City, and the New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. These were organized in 1873. In 1896, an organization of nurses, known as the American Nurses' Association, Inc., was founded.
The Spanish-American War, and later, World War I showed the need for Nurses in both military and civilian life. The nursing schools already in existence increased in enrollment. In 1920, Rockefeller Foundation did a study on nursing. This later became known as the Goldmark Report. This declared that nursing be made separate from hospitals, and hospitals must quit using nurses for cheap labor. At this announcement, many more nursing schools opened up in universities. This achievement was short-lived, however. With the Great Depression in 1930, many nurses found themselves out of work. Then things started looking a little brighter for nurses. With the start of World War II, nurses were back in demand. This caused an increase in the nurses in America. Until recently, getting into nursing school required excellent grades in high school and a good criminal and academic record. Even with that, it still took some people five years or more to get in. Now, most places will accept you if you have a twenty-four or above on your ACT test.
Nursing has been a female dominated profession. Only teaching beats nursing in the number of women enrolled. Up to the 1960's, men made up only 1 percent of the nursing population. By 1970, nearly 6 percent of all nurses were male. In 1990, 12 percent of all enrolled in nursing was male.
Like most fields there are several different levels of nursing that require different levels of education. The two main divisions of nurses are professional nurses and practical nurses. Professional nurses, also known as registered nurses, have an education that is at least two years in college. This is for an associate degree as a registered nurse. The four-year program is what many nurses achieve. They receive a bachelor of science degree. The nurses' education is divided into two parts. They are classroom work, and clinical study. The classroom work is where they listen to lectures and learn the book knowledge of nursing. As a counterpart to the clinical work, the classroom part is just as important. This is where they have more of a hands-on experience in the practical side of nursing. After some student graduates from the nursing profession, he or she must take a state board of examiners test. This is only if the nurse lives in the United States or Canada. If they do not pass this test, they cannot practice nursing legally.
St. Mary's School of Nursing in Huntington, West Virginia, is a two year, associate degree nursing program. St. Mary's has set up a schedule for the two years. For the fall semester of the first year, the student takes Biological Science 227, which is an introduction to the human anatomy; Chemistry 203, which is general chemistry; Family Consumer Science, a guide to proper nutrition; and Nursing 120, which is an introduction to nursing. The second semester of the first year has the following courses: Biological Science 250, a study on microbiology and human disease; Psychology 201, which is general psychology; English 101, which is English composition; and Nursing 220, a course on health alterations. This completes the first year of the nursing program. The fall semester of the second year has the following courses: Psychology 311, learning about child development; Sociology 200, an introduction to sociology; Nursing 225, which is psychiatric nursing; and Nursing 230, the subject being Health Alterations II. The spring semester for the second year has the courses: English 102; Nursing 235, which is maternal-child nursing; and Nursing 241, which is Health Alterations III. The total hours required to graduate from the college is 69. Eighteen hours are gained each semester except for the last semester which only has fifteen.
The study plan for the four-year bachelor's degree for Marshall University is as follows. For the fall semester of the first year, the courses are Chemistry 203, English 101, Math 121, Psychology 201, and Biological Science 227. The spring semester of the first year has the courses Chemistry 204, English 102, Psychology 311, Sociology 200, and Biological Science 228. The fall semester of the second year is as follows: Nursing 219, Nursing 221, Family Consumer Science 210, Biological Science 250, and an elective of your choice. The spring semester of the second year consists of the courses Nursing 319, Nursing 222 and a six-hour elective or an elective and Family Consumer Science 404. The courses for the fall semester of the third year are Nursing 318 or an elective, Nursing 321 or Nursing 322, Nursing 323, and Statistics or Family Consumer Science 404. The spring semester has the following courses: Nursing 322 or Nursing 321, Nursing 324, Nursing 423 or Nursing 409 or an elective, and Nursing 318 or an elective or Statistics. The fourth and final year of study is here. The required courses for the fall semester are the following: Nursing 325, Nursing 403 or Nursing 421, Nursing 409 or Nursing 423 or an elective, and an elective. The spring semester, your last semester has the courses Nursing 403 or Nursing 421, Nursing 422, Nursing 409 or Nursing 423 or an elective, and an elective. Nursing students must complete the required freshman classes with a "C" or higher, and maintain a grade point average of 2.3 to progress into the sophomore year. If the student does not meet the requirements, he must reapply before being allowed to continue.
If a student wishes to further their education, they can go on in college and get a doctoral degree. Most people that go on to get the doctoral degree become nurse practitioners. They are also known as nurse associates. A nurse practitioner has become specialized in a certain area of nursing. For example, some become specialized in geriatrics, pediatrics, or many other specialized fields. Nurse practitioners take some of the responsibility once only given to the physician. They do physicals, treat minor illnesses, and advise people on health care. This frees up the physician to be able to look at more seriously ill patients. Many nursing practitioners work in doctors' offices.
Practical Nurses are specially educated people who help the professional nurses. They work at hospitals, private homes, nursing homes, public health agencies, and doctors' offices. They usually have the jobs of changing beds, giving baths, feeding the helpless, emptying bed pans, and other jobs of the same type. They usually have a training course that lasts one year. As in the professional nurse's education, the practical nurse gets education both in the classroom and clinic. Credits cannot be transferred from a practical nursing program to a professional nursing program. The student must begin all over again.
Before one embarks on any training program, he or she needs to decide on what part of nursing they want to go into. There are several different options available to the student. Some of them are the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the Emergency Room (ER), the Operating Room (OR), Home Health Provider, Helicopter Nurse, Pediatrics, and Geriatrics are just some of the many variations one can get into in the nursing profession. Some nurses also decide to teach along with their nursing practice. To do this, most universities require the professional nurse to have at least a bachelor's degree, and an advanced college preparation.
There are several different nursing organizations out there that one can join once they become a nurse. One such organization is the American Nurses Association (ANA). This group is composed entirely of registered nurses. It focuses on improving the skills of the nurse and promotes good health care throughout the nation. The ANA is made up of multiple state and local groups.
Another nursing group is the National League for Nursing (NLN). It's membership and reason to exist is totally different from the ANA. The NLN consists of nurses, people from other health professions and interested lay people. Their main focus is the accreditation of nursing schools throughout the country. Consequently, they offer the state board exams and various other nursing tests. They also offer training for nurses, who have been through college but couldn't pass the test, to help them pass the tests.
The last nursing organization I am going to discuss is the International Council of Nurses (ICN). This is made up of national organizations. All the organizations come together to form the ICN. The ANA is one such organization. The ICN supports and focuses on nursing specialities. One such group it focuses on is the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
Being a nurse can be hard work, but it can also be fun. If you enjoy people, like the medical profession, and don't mind the sight of blood, nursing might be something you would be interested in. Don't just pass nursing by because you don't think it is something you would be good at. Check it out and give it a chance before you make your decision. Who knows, you may actually like it.