Nursing is a profession that caregivers from medical or healthcare background practice. Nurses provide a supportive role to the doctors in treatment of patients in the hospital or at the patients’ home. Although nurses are a part of the medical profession they go through a course in Nursing which is different from the doctor’s training.
Nurses can specialise in different areas or they can be general caregivers. In hospitals nurses are hired based on their specialisations such as obstetrics, geriatrics or paediatrics. Although every department needs nurses to assist the patients, each has special functions required from the nurses. What a child patient requires can be different from how the aged are to be handled etc.
The main work roles for a nurse are to administer medicines, apply supplements, nursing wounds, helping the patient’s activities like movements, feeding, dressing etc. Checking the daily medical parameters like temperature, blood pressure etc. is also a usual part of their work. While most nurses work for an establishment, some nurses prefer to have their own independent practice.
Nurses are traditionally women because of their capacity for compassion and caring. During the times of war women as nurses were required to care for the wounded soldiers. However, in the modern times these stereotypes are being broken by acceptance of male nurses, however few in hospitals.
Nursing is seen as a noble profession, even now.
By Janhavi
EdgeArticles 