Nursing careers have the distinction of being the most challenging within the medical and healthcare fields. A nurse needs to leverage personal qualities such as compassion as well as good communication skills, among a host of other technical requirements to effectively meet patients’ needs. These needs may vary from one moment to the next and include simple tasks like general monitoring of the patient’s condition, or overseeing highly delicate situations such as those performed in surgical units.
The patient may fully rely on the nurse and the medical team to restore them to good health and indeed, save their lives. This may require traits such as a deep sense of empathy and compassion as well as sound technical skills.
General Risks Involved in Pursuing a Nursing Career
Nurses typically engage in long hours of walking, standing and general physical activities as they go about their tasks. They are thus prone to muscle tension, aching, fatigued limbs, while back injury could also set in with time. Handling electrical equipment, as well as exposure to gases also puts them in danger.
Apart from the physical effects, constant engagement with patients who need the nurses’ attention can have a psychological impact on these nurses. The nurses also play an important role in calming affected family members as the patient undergoes treatment.
High Risk Specialties
The field of nursing has continued to grow in importance, scope and the extent to which duties are offered. The demand for nurses in different settings also requires them to provide services outside the hospitals and in medical centers. This, coupled with the mentioned risk factors that accompany a nursing career, make some specialties stand out as more challenging. These challenges come about by virtue of the functions required of the nurse, the level of engagement with patients as well as the nature of the work environment.
Medical Surgical Nursing
This fully-fledged specialty is the foundation for any medical care institutions. Nurses care for patients prior to and after all surgical procedures. They have to perform their functions fast given the number of people who are looking for medical surgeries. These patients may have complex conditions and ailments that a nurse is exposed to on a daily basis.
Flight Nurse
Flight nurses carry out the invaluable function of caring for patients in high-pressure situations, such as in flight accidents, evacuations or rescue missions. High standards of work are typically upheld even as the nurses offer emergency solutions to in-flight and accident patients. The nurses will most often be required to make fast decisions and improvise during the course of their work.
Geriatric Nurses
A significant part of the country’s population comprises of the elderly, who require specialist care to handle the needs that this distinct group requires. Most geriatric nurses will provide an all round intensive form of patient care because older adults may present complex cases that need proper attention. This may be in addition to the existence of several severe conditions that require ongoing management.
Mental Health Nurse
Mental health nurses work with people who have a variety of mental health conditions within the home, hospitals, health centers or other specialized units. The nurses may use varied approaches to carry out their tasks, which include therapy. Intensive engagement and participation with patients during recovery also leaves them vulnerable to stress and mental strain. Apart from caring for patients and engaging them during emergencies, the nurses are required to form close relationships with the patients, in order to build trust.
References
Vault: Personal Benefits and Risks for Nurses http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/vcm/detail/Career-Advice/Occupation-Profile/Personal-Benefits-and-Risks-for-Nurses?id=1830&filter_type=0&filter_id=0
Nurse Zone: Opportunities Abound: Up-and-coming Nursing Specialties; Jennifer Larson http://www.nursezone.com/nursing-news-events/more-news/Opportunities-Abound-Up-and-coming-Nursing-Specialties_37390.aspx
Flight Nurse Training: How To Become A Flight Nurse http://www.flightnursetraining.com/How-to-Become-a-Flight-Nurse.html
Nursing Link: Med – Surg Nursing http://nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/22047-med-surg-nursing
Mental Nurse: The Job Of Mental Health Nursing http://www.mentalnurse.org.uk/the-job-of-mental-health-nursing
Wikipedia: Geriatric Nursing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geriatric_nursing
Taryn Miller is an ER nurse and guest author at Best BSN to MSN, where she contributed to the guide to the Top 10 Online BSN to MSN Degree Programs.
