Exploring Nursing Careers



Exploring Nursing CareersChristy Cheryl HamiltonDabney S. Lancaster Community CollegeNUR 208April 23, 2015Amy Clarke, RN, MSNExploring Nursing CareersThere are many nursing specialties out there for nurses to go into, finding which specialty is best for a specific nurse may take time. Three specialties have been chosen for the topic of this paper, they include military nursing, neonatal nursing, and psychiatric nursing. The new nurse should look to increase their skills, especially those that pertain to specific specialties that they may be interested in, such as the neonatal and psychiatric fields of nursing. To become a military nurse, the nurse will have to enlist into a specific branch of the military. Even within the military there are many options available for nurses to choose a direct nursing specialty to work within in the military. Neonatal nursing would be for the nurse who enjoys working with babies and their families. Psychiatric nursing would be for the nurse who would like to work with clients who may not only be afflicted by physical issues but by mental issues as well. Neonatal NursingNeonatal nurses are nurses who care for newborn babies up until the babies reach twenty-eight days of life. There are different NICU levels in neonatal nursing. The first level being the well-baby care and the more distal leveled units being for providing a more urgent type of care for the babies in need of more skilled and intensive care. (Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, n.d.) The Neonatal Nurse’s Role.The neonatal nurse must expect to check the neonate’s vital signs regularly to monitor the baby’s health status. Neonatal nurses can assess these newborns according to the APGAR scoring system to predict outcome and expected needs of the baby, such as adequate oxygenation and circulation. They can expect to be changing diapers, giving baths, and providing complete care to the babies as well since the neonates cannot provide this care for themselves, the neonates cannot express if anything is bothering them so they must be continually monitored for health status changes. Depending on which level of neonatal care according to the NICU care levels that the nurse will be a part of, the nurse’s role and skill level will vary between the other neonatal nurses in the different neonatal care levels (Traumarus, 2013). The Neonatal Patient Population. The neonatal population is a vulnerable population because there can be severe complications seen upon birth that will need immediate care to prolong the infant’s life and to lead to positive future outcomes for the baby’s lifetime. Pinfield states that, “The Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health identified that each year about 10% of infants are born prematurely or have an illness or condition requiring care in a neonatal unit” (p. 35). The nurse will be caring for the neonate while also providing support and teaching to both the parents or guardians and close family members as well so that the neonate can continue to receive the proper care once they have been discharged. The caregivers may need education because they may have never experienced any problems related to those that their baby may be presenting with, or it could even just be the parent’s first baby and they may need basic teaching of newborn care, such as basic nutritional needs as a type of information that should be provided to them. The parents will need to be informed of any procedures that may be performed upon their child, they will also need follow up discharge teaching concerning the baby’s health needs and expected outcomes that should be observed outside of the medical center. There are some babies born to parents who do not want them so these babies will have to be cared for by the neonatal nurses until their situation is figured out as to where they will be sent to once they are in stable condition. Some babies may be born to mothers who have been taking drugs which can lead to the baby being born addicted to those substances, these babies will need help going through the withdrawal process with the nurse’s proper care and observation of the baby’s toleration of the withdrawal and progress made. Necessary Skills Needed for a Neonatal Nurse. Being well skilled in providing care focused to the neonate is a very important skill for the neonatal nurse to have since this is the specific patient population they are caring for. The neonate has different vital signs and other types of precautions compared to adults that the neonatal nurse must be aware of. The nurse will need good communication skills so that the nurse can communicate well within the interdisciplinary team to provide the best outcomes for the neonate. The nurse will need to have the ability to recognize needed interventions for quality neonatal care by understanding the possible disease processes and complications present in the neonatal population. The neonatal nurse will have to check the equipment often, an example would be the warmers the babies will be kept in for temperature regulation should be checked so that they work whenever needed.Military NursingTo be a military nurse, most branches require the nurse to have a BSN with the exception of high demand for all nurses during emergent situations. These nurses are also soldiers, this means that they must meet the physical fitness requirements. Chronic conditions can disqualify a nurse from becoming a military nurse. There are other requirements as well that are not seen in other nursing specialties, such as age limits and the need for military contracts. (Pixie, 2013)The Military Nurse’s Role.The military nurse will need to be skilled in making care plans to provide optimal care to their patients. The military nurse will need good communication skills so that they can converse well with the interdisciplinary team so that the patients’ needs will be properly met. The nurse will have to perform equipment checks often, especially since emergency situations could happen at any time and this would lead to the need for all equipment to possibly need to be in good condition for use. The nurse will need to be prepared for global duty during times of war. The nurse must participate in physical training tests and weapon training, along with the other requirements that soldiers will have alongside of their nursing obligations. (Pixie, 2013)Military Patient Population. The military nurse can expect to be taking care of military personnel and their families on a regular inpatient type of setting or providing care to troops during combat in not so optimal settings (Pixie, 2013). The military population is a vulnerable population because it will range from newborn babies on base and their specific needs all the way to war trauma patients in combat zones. The nurse can expect to explain instructions to patients concerning chemical or biological warfare safety measures, as well as providing necessary vaccinations and checkups. These nurses can also be in position to make sure that the military personnel are maintaining proper fluid and electrolyte balances, along with proper nutrition by meeting caloric demands.Necessary Skills the Military Nurse Will Need to Have. The military nurse will need to have a flexible personality because they should expect to be deployed at any time for an undefined amount of time, they need to be prepared and ready for this outcome so that they can provide the best care possible. They are not only nurses but also soldiers, so they need good leadership skills in all aspects. As military nurses go up in rank, their responsibilities will be increased as their positions are changed. The military nurse will need a willingness to learn because as the position changes that come with increased rank are made there will follow the need to learn more specific skills related to their new position. This can include the need to acquire new certifications, such as ACLS or becoming a SANE nurse for specific department requirements. These nurses are evaluated regularly on leadership skills since it is a military priority. (Pixie, 2013)Psychiatric NursingPsychiatric nurses will not only be treating the more traditional psychical ailments of the psychiatric population but they will also be providing additional care by providing mental health care for their patient’s specific needs. The psychiatric nurse can expect to see a variety of disorders, ranging from depression, anxiety, PTSD, personality disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse. (Meriwhen, 2013)The Psychiatric Nurse’s Role.The psychiatric nurse can expect to perform safety checks very often, the time limit will vary according to their institution’s standards. These can include behavioral and environmental checks. For behavioral checks, the nurse will need to have the ability to monitor for any suspicious behavior that could lead to harm of the patient to their self or to others. The environment checks will involve the nurse’s ability to spot any unsafe items that could be harmful to the patients in any way. The psychiatric nurse will have a large role in medication distribution, they will need to make sure the patients are taking their medication and they have the medications they need available at all times. The psychiatric nurse can also expect the need to monitor for EPS following the administration of psychiatric medications, such as tardive dyskinesia. The nurse can also expect to take care of comorbidities that the patients could possibly have.Psychiatric Nursing Patient Population. Psychiatric patients are vulnerable due to their mental health issues. They may be suicidal, prone to harming themselves or harming others, or they may just be overall suffering from unwanted thoughts. A lot of these patients will not have the correct state of mind to take care of themselves and those that do will be seen because they need professional help to deal with mental issues that are hindering their everyday lives. These patients will need education concerning their psychiatric diagnosis and their prescribed medications, along with possible treatment options that they may be eligible for (American Psychiatric Nurses Association, n.d.). They will also most likely need education on their diet and exercise routines for weight control. There also may be the need for teaching and helping the patient’s families as to coping and better understanding of the patient’s psychiatric process.Necessary Skills for the Psychiatric Nurse. The nurse will need to have skills in therapeutic communication to promote the psychiatric patient’s wellbeing, as well as to encourage a healthy relationship with the patient so that positive progress can be made within the patient’s overall care. The nurse will need to be able to help in de-escalation and crisis intervention because this type of skill set is very important in the psychiatric nursing setting. The nurse will need to be able to take a good patient history to monitor these patient’s outcomes to check if they have been positive or negative outcomes, especially concerning how effective their medications may be in improving the patient’s daily life and whether changes should be made.ConclusionWith all the many nursing specialties to choose from, the nurse could change specialties often until they find the specialty that they are suitable for. All nursing specialties, no matter how different or similar they are to each other, are important and make a lasting difference to the outcome of their patient population’s lives. All of the different fields of nursing can be rewarding as well to the staff that is able to help their patient’s in receiving the best outcomes for varying situations. There are many responsibilities and needed skills for every nursing specialty that are important in providing competent nurses in those specific fields of nursing. Though all of the specialties are not similar in every detail, they share a common goal of providing care and help to those in need.ReferencesAmerican Psychiatric Nurses Association. (n.d.). About psychiatric-mental health nurses (PHMNs). Retrieved from: . (2013, November 27). Psychiatric/mental health nursing [Blog post]. Retrieved from for a Healthier Tomorrow. (n.d.). Neonatal nurse. Retrieved from: , J., Pengelly, T., Rouse, J., & Passant, M. (2011). Developing careers in neonatal nursing to meet service demands. Nursing Standard, 25(23), 35-40. Pixie. (2013, October 13). Military nursing [Blog post]. Retrieved from . (2013, November 27). NICU nursing [Blog post]. Retrieved from ................
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