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A nursing career offers limitless opportunities. Nurses work
with people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and lifestyles
to help them achieve the highest level of wellness possible.
Nurses provide and manage care in a variety of settings, such
as clinics, convalescent centers, corporations, correctional
facilities, emergency rooms, homes, hospitals, industries, intensive
care units, mental health and substance abuse treatment centers,
military bases, outreach programs, schools, sporting events,
summer camps, and worldwide health agencies, to name a few.
Nurses teach people to promote and maintain their own wellness
and to prevent illness. Nurses apply principles of physical,
biological and psychosocial sciences as they work with individuals,
families, and communities. Based on scientific theory and methods,
through observation and assessment, nurses make clinical judgments,
provide and manage care, and teach people about healthy living
and symptom management. Nurses who earn baccalaureate and advanced
degrees are also prepared for leadership positions, independent
practitioner roles and nursing research.
A career in nursing offers a lifetime of rewarding challenges
and opportunities. Consider a career that offers professional
independence, public respect and trust, high tech/high touch
experiences, and a host of personal rewards that come to people
helping people.
Interested? Talk to nurses you know about their careers, see
your school counselor or nurse, or come to campus and visit
with us. Plan now for your future as a nurse!
HOSPITAL STAFF NURSE
I am a nurse at Swedish Hospital Medical Center. I have worked
on pediatric, orthopedic surgery, and bone marrow transplant
units. Since people are acutely ill when they come to the hospital,
they rely on my ability to make clinical judgements about their
condition and to provide the nursing care they need. I also
collect and record information about their condition and help
decide what they need after they go home, referring them to
appropriate community agencies for care.
Having my degree in nursing has broadened my perspectives. It
has given me a firm grounding in social and economic issues.
It has attuned me to ethical and quality concerns. It has heightened
my awareness of political issues that daily and dramatically
impact health care. It has prepared me to become a leader in
nursing.
PEDIATRIC NURSE PRACTITIONER
I worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner, and I also taught
at the UW School of Nursing. As a nurse practitioner, I see
children from birth through adolescence, when they are well
or ill. I teach parents about how to promote their child's health,
such as through good nutrition, how to prevent illness through
immunization, and how to obtain needed child care and other
services. When children are ill, I interview the family, examine
the child, diagnose the illness, and prescribe medication if
needed. I meet with other health care professionals to plan
programs to help people stay healthy. My job is very interesting
because I interact with people from many cultures and backgrounds.
HOSPICE NURSE
I am a hospice nurse. I help people and their families cope
with terminal illness, focusing on comfort care. I assess the
person's physical condition and monitor changes in their symptoms,
and teach both the patient and their caregivers how to relieve
pain and discomfort. I listen to people talk about their fears,
and provide reassurance as best I can. I provide information
to help people manage care in the home, and work with other
health care providers so the family can obtain the services
they need. Hospice nursing means opening your listening heart
to emotional as well as physical pains. Hospice nursing involves
dealing with death, most times slowly and welcoming, sometimes
quickly and sadly. Hospice nursing gives me the privilege of
sharing life's end with people who often teach me how to live.
CAMP NURSE
Having the opportunity to be a part of a summer camp was one
of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs I've ever had. The
purpose of medical specialty camps is to provide a summer camp
experience for children who, because of their chronic conditions,
might not be able to be at camp at all. Amidst our daily baseball
games, swims and horseback riding, we teach the children how
to deal with their illnesses. When the children return home,
they are not only healthier but better informed and prepared
for life. They are also less anxious and depressed as they learn
that they are not all that different from other children. And,
we as nurses return 100% richer having had the opportunity to
learn from them.
COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE
I have worked as a community health or visiting nurse. In this
role, I meet with families and am always conscious of being
a guest in their homes. Visiting nurses teach people of every
socioeconomic and cultural background how to care for themselves
when they are living with a chronic illness, recovering from
a complicated, acute illness or childbirth, learning to cope
with the difficult challenges of raising a family, or at risk
of developing a health problem. I support and guide people in
establishing and accomplishing their own health goals. I translate
medical instructions and describe treatments in everyday language
so people can understand and carry out what is ordered. I provide
information to help them get the care they need from our complex
health care system.
FLIGHT NURSE
As a flight nurse in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, I care for
patients of all ages and with many medical problems, and have
the chance to travel around the world. We transport patients
by air in both routine and emergency situations and are called
on to assist in natural disasters like earthquakes and floods
as well as other national events. I receive special training
for in-flight emergencies and survival and use all of the skills
I have learned in nursing school and on the job. Flight nursing
is truly an adventure and one I dearly love every time I'm called
into action.
RESEARCH NURSE
Nurse researchers use scientific theories and methods to uncover
new knowledge. Nursing textbooks of the future will contain
information on what nurse researchers are studying today. I
use interview, observation and physiological measurements to
obtain information about the health and illness people experience.
I enter and analyze this data by computers in order to generate
answers to questions about health and illness. I am currently
conducting research in three studies: sleep patterns that occur
with aging, hospital intensive care units identifying what helps
patients recover, and daily health experienced by women.
PRIMARY CARE PRACTITIONER
I own a nursing and medical practice with a physician here in
Seattle. I provide health care for people of all ages, and see
patients in the office, in hospitals, and in their homes. I
talk with patients about their feelings, diet, family situation,
and needs for health care. I diagnose common illnesses and prescribe
treatment, including medications and teach people how to manage
their illness. I also teach nurse practitioner students at the
University of Washington and in my clinic. I consult with home
health nurses, physicians, school nurses, social workers, day
care workers, and pharmacists about patient needs.
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