Choosing the Right Nursing Job - Nurses Have Many Career Paths In Medical Industry

Nursing Schools - A Nurse's Touch

Types Of Nurses

Why Are Nurses Leaving Clinical Nursing? Not Because of ER!

Graduate Nurses and the Experienced Nurses They Work With - Do's and Don'ts

Increasing Demand For Nurses in the Field of Special Needs

Operating Room Nurses

How to Take Advantage of the Shortage of Nurses

Online Nursing Programs for Registered Nurses

Mosby's Pharmacology Memory NoteCards: Visual, Mnemonic, and Memory Aids for Nurses

Perfect for mastering key pharmacology topics and drugs, MOSBY'S PHARMACOLOGY MEMORY NOTECARDS is a colorfully illustrated collection of spiral-bound cards with a variety of learning aids, illustrations, and mnemonics. With every topic from administration to the many types of drugs, these cards take a visual approach to help you master difficult pharmacology content for both nursing school and the NCLEX exam.

• UNIQUE! Includes 92 full-color illustrated mnemonics for individual drugs and difficult pharmacology concepts to help you remember even the most complex topics.
• What You Need to Know drug monographs on the back of each image include valuable information about each drug with drug classification, action, uses, contraindications, precautions, side effects, and nursing implications information.
• UNIQUE! Color highlights draw your attention to four central topics: serous/life-threatening implications, most frequent side effects, important nursing implications, and patient teaching.
• Spiral-bound at the top with substantial paper, these notecards are durable and portable.

Added cards for cipro, penicillin, statins, analgesics, RhoGAM, uterine relaxants, and erectile dysfunction drugs give you an even more comprehensive, up-to-date study tool.

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Nurses and Unions - Changing Times

Since the days of Florence Nightingale, the profession of nursing has been viewed as a career consisting of self sacrificing individuals who, with caring and compassion have devoted their lives to easing the pain and suffering of those in need. Such noble and honorable individuals would surely never strike for what ever reason, right? Wrong! So, what has happened over the centuries to the profession of nursing?

To begin to understand what has taken place in the arena of nursing, one needs to understand what the nurses of today are faced with in the hospital settings. First, many nurses are required to care for more patients than they can handle safely. This is to say that a patient care load of seven on a medical surgical unit can go up to eleven during the afternoon and midnight shift.

Depending on the acuity (level of care needed) of the clients, the nurse may not be able to safely attend to all of the clients needs, and need to forego certain aspects of care just to be able to get the majority of their responsibilities completed by the next shift. This situation of patient overload can result in very serious health consequences for the patient and ultimately, death.

The direct consequence of patient neglect for the nurse involved would usually entail a law suite being filed by the family naming the nurse and the hospital as well. Patient overload is just one of the many reasons that nurses have sought to form a coalition and be represented by their own organizations. Another reason for nurses to organize is due to the policy of pulling nurses to other floors where the patient acuity care process requires specific knowledge to be able to practice safely as a nurse. An example would be a maternity floor nurse being pulled to a medical surgical floor and being assigned a patient load consisting of newly admitted pre-operative patients and others that require suctioning and vent care.

The maternity floor nurse would not only be unsafe to work on the medical surgical floor, but could also put patient's lives in jeopardy due to her inexperience. So, what is that nurse supposed to do if they decide to decline being pulled to another floor? Many nurses feel that they may be reprimanded by the shift supervisor and perhaps written up for insubordination. But are they not in fact, declining for a valid reason? Also, shouldn't quality patient care be the utmost priority as well as patient safety? The answer to both of these questions is of course a resounding, YES!

However, many nurses are faced with these dilemmas day in and day out. They leave at the end of the day feeling as if they haven't been able to give proper nursing care. They would be correct. It is an unsafe practice to float nurses that are unfamiliar with a particular floor to work there. The fact is, that it is done on a regular basis. Would this be a sufficient reason to strike? Many nurses think so. The list could go on and on. How safe would you feel with a nurse caring for a loved one who was on the sixteenth hour of a double shift? Not very, right? Approximately 60% of nurse in practice are providing care in hospitals (Work-Place issues, 2005)

In 1946, the American Nurses Association's House of Delegates unanimously approved a resolution that opened the doors to nurses to engage in collective bargaining. Then about thirty years later the legal precedent that determined that state nursing associations are qualified under labor law to be labor organizations is the 1979 Sierra Vista decision. The important consequence that affected nurse was that they were free to organize themselves and not be organized by existing unions. Currently, it is the American Nurses Association that is in the forefront of establishing coalitions and bargaining for nurses nation.

Learn more about nursing education at The NET Study Guide.
The nursing entrance test study guide provides nurses the assistance they need with the nursing entrance test. The nursing study guide helps nurses. Visit nurseslearningcenter.com for more information.

Nurses Wanted -- Incredible Career Opportunities in Nursing Today

While the need for qualified nurses has always been a factor in the healthcare industry, the demand is greater now than in the past decade. Who will make the Nursing Choice?

Nursing is today a very bright career option given its wide application and multifaceted nature. Though nursing has always been to support health needs of the people, but being an inseparable part of doctor-patient relationship, it has undergone many alterations effected by the changing needs of the people and the society at large. Today nursing has assumed a colossal role, encompassing all aspects of healthcare provided to the society. The testimony to its value lies in the fact that nursing makes the largest component of healthcare profession with about 2.6 million registered nurses (RNs) in US. So then what does a nurse do? By tradition, a nurse's unique function in health care is to assist the patient in regaining his or her normal health and activities within a reasonably short period of time. In other words, nursing caters to that function where a patient is helped to perform routine activities, which she or he would be in a position to do without aid under normal health conditions. Nursing differs from practicing medicine in that it aids in easing problems arising out of ailment rather than diagnosing and treatment of illness as is the case with medicine.

While this has been the traditional view, nursing today belongs to a wide gamut of healthcare activities. Thus, apart from catering to patients' well-being in hospitals, community health clinics, nursing homes, long-term care centers and home-care agencies, nursing is also a sought-after profession as teachers in nursing schools, as research scholars engaged or helping in research activities, as hospital regulators, as professionals in insurance and healthcare companies, and above all as administrators in nursing related entities.

Even as nursing career has diversified into many disciplines, the principal requirement of nurses remains in hospitals and different healthcare centers. However, many nurses prefer to function independently as nurse practitioners, certified midwives, specialist nurses for clinics, certified nurses for anesthetists and so on. Many of these specialized jobs call for nursing education up to master's level after having served as registered nurses that require bachelor's degree.

Let us now look at what a student needs to know in order to become a practitioner in nursing.

Studying Nursing

You need to be a student of Science in high school with chemistry, biology, physics, psychology, algebra, English, and preferably computer application. In order to enroll into a nursing school, you may need to take NLN Pre-Admission Examination in addition to other tests, such as SATs. It is always a good idea to seek admission in state-approved accredited nursing schools. For good career prospects, studying 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is preferable. Other common courses are 2-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program and 2 to 3-year Hospital Diploma in Nursing. A BSN degree will pave the way to study masters course in nursing, if later you so desire.

NCLEX Licensure Examinations

Assuming that you have already earned your bachelor degree in nursing, it is now time for you to pass one of the two licensure examinations conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The examinations are meant to test your competence to effectively and safely serve as a newly licensed, entry-level registered nurse. The two examinations are the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN).

For more detail information about the tests and how you must prepare to perform well, consider visiting the website of NCSBN.

Nursing Opportunities

Career opportunities are aplenty in nursing as briefly elaborated above. There is indeed a varying choice of attractive careers available today for nursing graduates owing to several factors, the chief among which being huge shortfall of qualified nurses projected over the coming decade.

Earnings Potential

Upon becoming a registered nurse (RN) with 4-year BSN degree, entry-level nurses can expect yearly income of $31,000 to $41,000. That translates to $15 to $20 per hour of work. Salary increases with experience. If you opt to become a traveling nurse later in your career, you may make between $23 to $35 per hour plus free housing, free insurance, travel reimbursement and lots of fringe benefits.

As you can see, nursing is a good career option loaded with immense opportunities.

Copyright 2006 Linda Raye

Linda Raye is an accomplished author having a special interest in healthcare and nursing. You can contact her at LRaye@cinci.rr.com For more information on nursing visit the website at: [http://www.nursingchoice.com]

RNotes: Nurse's Clinical Pocket Guide

A Davis's Notes book. Accept no pretenders. The wildly popular and highly respected RNotes® is the preferred pocket-sized tool of nursing educators and students for the delivery of safe and effective health care in hospital and home settings. In this new second edition, RNotes® continues to present practical, clinically-oriented content across a wide range of topics in a succinct format: quick find features, portability, functionality, and more of the commonly-used but rarely memorized clinical information that hundreds of thousands of nurses and students refer to daily. Refined, reorganized, and updated with new content, the second edition of RNotes® will allow the reader to navigate more intuitively and with less effort. "This is one of the best purchases that I have made since starting school. It has really put it all together in an easy to read and find format. Thanks for the great resource!" -- Vickie Black, Northwest Shoals Community College ADN Program, Russellville, Alabama "I love this guide. It is helpful to me and will be to students. They can start using as students and continue post grad." -- Rhonda Armstrong, RN, MSN, Hinds Community College, Jackson, Mississippi Here's what some users of RNotes® have said: "This is one of the best purchases that I have made since starting school. It has really put it all together in an easy to read and find format. Thanks for the great resource!" -- Vickie Black, Northwest Shoals Community College ADN Program, Russellville, Alabama "I love this guide. It is helpful to me and will be to students. They can start using as students and continue post grad." -- Rhonda Armstrong, RN, MSN, Hinds Community College, Jackson, Mississippi

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A Nurse's Story

The team of nurses that Tilda Shalof found herself working with in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a big-city hospital was known as “Laura’s Line.” They were a bit wild: smart, funny, disrespectful of authority, but also caring and incredibly committed to their jobs. Laura set the tone with her quick remarks. Frances, from Newfoundland, was famous for her improvised recipes. Justine, the union rep, wore t-shirts emblazoned with defiant slogans, like “Nurses Care But It’s Not in the Budget.” Shalof was the one who had been to university. The others accused her of being “sooo sensitive.”

They depended upon one another. Working in the ICU was both emotionally grueling and physically exhausting. Many patients, quite simply, were dying, and the staff strove mightily to prolong their lives. With their skill, dedication, and the resources of modern science, they sometimes were almost too successful. Doctors and nurses alike wondered if what they did for terminally-ill patients was not, in some cases, too extreme. A number of patients were admitted when it was too late even for heroic measures. A boy struck down by a cerebral aneurysm in the middle of a little-league hockey game. A woman rescued – too late – from a burning house. It all took its toll on the staff.

And yet, on good days, they thrived on what they did. Shalof describes a colleague who is managing a “crashing” patient: “I looked at her. Nicky was flushed with excitement. She was doing five different things at the same time, planning ahead for another five. She was totally focused, in her element, in control, completely at home with the chaos. There was a huge smile on her face. Nurses like to fix things. If they can.”

Shalof, a veteran ICU nurse, reveals what it is really like to work behind the closed hospital curtains. The drama, the sardonic humour, the grinding workload, the cheerful camaraderie, the big issues and the small, all are brought vividly to life in this remarkable book.


From the Hardcover edition.

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150 Tips and Tricks for New Nurses: Balance a hectic schedule and get the sleep you needAvoid illness and stay positiveContinue your education and keep up with medical advances

With long hours, huge responsibilities, and average pay, nursing is often as challenging as it is rewarding. By teaching new nurses what to expect, how to get what they want, and how to succeed in today?s medical environment, this book is the one-dose treatment to prevent burnout. Written in an easy-to-read, direct, and honest way, this helpful handbook will teach new nurses what they didn?t learn in nursing school. Veteran R.N. Kathy Quan offers readers information on how to: balance a hectic new schedule (for work, sleep, and life); deal with doctors; avoid illness themselves; continue education while working; cope with death of patients (the first time, and after); and more. With this book, nurses get real-life advice on how to cope, perform, and excel in their field - one shift at a time!

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Great Job Demands For Registered Nurses

Several low scale professions have been rapidly increasing recently. An example of a low-scale profession is nursing. Weighing against jobs of the same group, nursing is highly compensated, thus increasing competence and lessening dependency. Registered nursing professionals have a significant career path as there is an increased demand every day. Then again, it is required in all fields that they are all registered nurses.

Not only is the job rewarding because you are able to help many people, but also for the reason that monetary returns are easily earned and continuous education can be done after attainment of a degree. Registered nurses work under the supervision of other professionals thus helping in the learning process.

Competent and skilled nurses are constantly needed by the medical field. Therefore this sector is growing and in the coming years it is anticipated that 2.8 million additional job openings will be open to registered nurses alone. Unsurprisingly, there has been great demand for registered nurses. The newspaper advertisements show the need and lack of nurses. Lack of nurses push employers to increase cash benefits for nurses to accept the job. Should relocation be necessary, there are employers who are willing to pay all moving expenses. These additional benefits come in various packages to attract registered nurses to take job offers.

Different areas of work are available for registered nurses. Registered nurses can assist and aid the rapidly growing population of senior citizens. There is also an increased demand for nurses in facilities of health care and home. Also, nurses are needed in industries and schools to attend to cases that need first aid and for dispensing of medications.

Nurses are the main hospital personnel providing care for patients. In fact, most nurses work in a hospital setting though newer settings which give larger benefits to nurses than hospital jobs are starting to find their way too.

A lucrative option in a nursing career is travel nursing. It is adventurous but educating as well. You will receive excellent pay and get free travel, insurance and accommodation too. Plus, you are introduced to people of different backgrounds and culture. You also get to try different cuisines.

You can choose to be a nurse in home care. This career option is as challenging as others though it requires more adjustments from you and your lifestyle. The remuneration is high and the skills you develop here are important for a future career ahead of you.

Nursing Benefits Overseas

The need for trained nurses is great and expected to rise continuously in the years to come. The reasons behind the need for nurse professionals vary. Adequately staffed hospitals and health facilities are important in an aging population. With increased medical specialization comes the need for an increased specialization of nurses and others whose job is to administer care. Lastly, as medical care prices rise, all nurses including licensed vocational nurses, nurse practitioners and registered nurses, are taking up more responsibilities concerning the treatment of patients.

These issues are not only confined in the United States. Almost all countries demand the services of competent nurses, making it a great career choice for a lot of people. Limitless career choices are available to proficient nurses. In addition, nursing overseas offer several benefits especially to those who want to travel.

Working Overseas for Personal Motives

There are a lot of benefits gained from working overseas. For people who love travelling and experiencing new culture, working overseas is an excellent way to support their lifestyle. Even as the idea of packing and moving from a faraway place may be overwhelming, it doesn't have to be the case.

Several nurses working overseas obtain employment by means of staffing agencies. Aside from finding jobs for nurses, staffing agencies help the nurses with moving overseas. Agency professionals should be aware of the required documents and certain immunizations needed, depending on which country one will work for. Additionally, the agency will be able to help you find a house and set up a bank account.

Even if you went overseas for the purpose of work, nursing abroad lets you satisfy your love for travelling, residing in foreign land and coming across another culture. For a lot of people, working overseas as a nurse is a magnificent lifestyle.

Working Overseas for Professional Purposes

A nurse would want to work overseas for various professional reasons. For most parts of the world, the available health care is far from ideal. Nurses of these communities literally become lifesavers. Working individually with families, assisting them in obtaining proper nourishment, immunizations, as well as other medical incidents can be an incredibly gratifying experience for professional nurses.

In addition, a lot of nurses enjoy working overseas. While they may be highly trained nurses, they would not be able to use all their skills if they choose to remain in America. In most countries, a fresh nursing graduate would gain a great deal of important and varied experience while they work with patients. If the aforementioned graduate stayed in America he/she would have spent a number of months attending orientation programs in their hospitals of work, possibly rotating different floors while nursing on the basic level. For someone who wishes to leap into a stable career in health care, nursing overseas would be a brilliant way to acquire a good deal of required experience. Soon after, if one decides to come back to America, this experience would make someone an in demand employee.

Making the Most of One's Overseas Experience in Nursing

To be able to make the most of your experience abroad, it is necessary to remember some of these things:

o Be aware of your intentions.

Do you want to be a nurse overseas so you can travel and be immersed in a different culture? Or do you want to work where the poor people are under- served and are lacking in proper health care? Whatever your purposes may be, it can definitely affect your experience nursing abroad.

o Know the living conditions in store for you overseas.

Will you stay in a comfortable house which fits the comfort level that you have in your own home? Or will your house not even offer you running water? By knowing these things, you get to prepare yourself for what's ahead and you increase the chances of liking your stay there more.

o Know until when are you staying abroad

Are you going to spend a year nursing abroad or just for few weeks? Or maybe you're staying there for good? These things you have to have plans for since the staffing agency can coordinate their team. Even when you still are unsure if you're going to like the area or not, a plan would let your staffing agency look for the best that would fit your situation.

Nursing overseas, whether just for a time or for good already, can be professionally and personally fulfilling. There a lot of staffing agencies out there which can help you on your adjustment period and help you enjoy your time abroad even while working.

For More Information See: How to start a nursing agency visit startanursinghome.com

Employment For Nurses

The demand for nurses is continuously rising. Unfortunately, the supply of efficient skilled nurses is unable to match this demand. Today, there are more health care works to be taken care of just a few nurses to serve the people. With a high demand and minimal supply, nursing then offers profitability as a career.

There are various duties and job positions waiting for nurses who wish to fill this shortage within health care organizations. More positions have to be filled with this alarming shortage for nurses. Nurses' work is not limited to hospital settings. Nurses are also employed even in emergency rooms, health nurses, nurse agencies, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, schools, work places, and even in the military! At present, there are many specialties within the nursing field. Nurses perform different roles-as nurse practitioners, staff nurses, clinical specialists, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, nurse managers, nurse researchers and even as health educators.

Registered nurses are given high annual income and hourly wage today. Besides that, hospitals even provide bonuses to these nurses and offer them benefits to continue higher education after getting their bachelor and associate degrees. Nurses are also offered with job security which adds up to the many benefits of being a nurse.

With all these different opportunities, settings, and roles that nurses play, their flexible work schedules, offers to pursue advanced education, you certainly never stopped growing and learning. Most importantly, you get to serve and help save people's lives.

The field of nursing continues to be a well-paid profession both for new nurses and those who wants to excel in the said field. The nursing field gives great opportunities for those who seek to make a change in the field of health care. At present, there has been increased demand for nurses and thus with career satisfaction comes the benefits of great pay.

Hiring enough people as well as the right people remains a challenge in the field of health care. For your organization to remain staffed effectively in short term and in long term, creative recruiting is a must. In addition, system and process improvement may even make changes in the organization's culture.

A comprehensive guide is provided for one to start a nursing agency or business which not only is an easy-to-operate business opportunity, it also helps the society to deal with the shortage for nurses. This guide lists down simple strategies tested and proven in making the business prosper.

Introduction to Travel Nursing Profession

Travel nursing - a perfect way to mix one's love for nursing, travelling, meeting people and gaining experiences. You can both travel and work in various medical facilities and settings all over the country as a nurse. By being a part of an organization of professionals engaged in travelling nursing, you get the chance to meet new people, see different landscapes and enhance your nursing skills as you work in first- rate medical facilities all over the nation. This profession can help you share your nursing skills to people from all sorts of backgrounds.

Unlike other professions in business travel, travel nursing doesn't involve much leisure time in between conventions, meeting or tradeshows for you to be able to see the sights, shop or gain entertainment experiences. But this profession makes you live and work in areas where you accept posts to anyway. So while you're not working, you can go for sightseeing excursions, go to local shops, dine in, and attend entertainment as well as sporting events in different areas which makes your time and experience away from your home fun and exciting.

When you venture in a profession involving travel nursing, do not expect that you already have a job waiting. Nursing professionals from various fields such as LPN's, RN's, Radiologists, Occupational, Speech and Occupational therapists, are free to enter this profession. You need to undergo a long process and submit many requirements first before you're able to start working. A diploma from a Canadian or U.S. nursing program and a recent nursing license are must- haves. If you are working from Canada to United States, you also need to secure yourself a work permit. Remember, each state requires health care workers from outside the state to submit different requirements before they are allowed to practice their profession.

Some may say that you don't need an agency to work as a travel nurse. Yes, you can do all the paper works by yourself though know that this can really be a lengthy process for you. You need to go through a lot of hoops for you to ask about the regulations of each state and to get the applications you need. Remember that these applications have to be filled out and mailed back to those same agencies which sent the papers to you. Then, you have to wait for a memo signifying that the agencies have already accepted your applications. All these works you've done already and you still haven't contacted any hospital or other nursing facilities to inquire about vacant positions for a travelling nurse like you. Also, unlike members of an organization of travel nurses, you might not be able to secure a free lodging. It is also true that hospitals or other nursing facilities prefer hiring nurses affiliated with an agency than those who approach them without one.

Basically, agencies make it easier for you to find and request applications form regulatory agencies of each state. They can also provide you with many benefits that it gives its members. They remain in touch with first- rate hospitals or nursing facilities all over the country and they do know if there are vacant positions where a travel nurse can work for in different states. They can provide nurses with free lodging, a higher salary and bonuses for the travel nurses they serve. Try looking online for more information about the profession in travel nursing and agencies that can do all the proper arrangements for you. Before giving away personal information, make sure to check the credentials of these agencies.

A profession in travel nursing can give you high pay as the demand for this job is so high because of nursing shortages all over U.S. This is a great way to enhance your nursing skills as you will be working in different nursing facilities as well as with different professionals. This is a perfect arena where you can meet new people and learn about different cultures. This is the perfect place where service to people can be combined with the leisure of seeing and experiencing a different culture.

For More Information See: How to start a nursing agency visit startanursinghome.com

Things That Nurses Could Expect From Their Chosen Career

Nursing right now is very in demand. Aside from that, nursing is also being considered to be one of the most rewarding careers that is present. This is the right job for people who always want to make a difference out of the lives of other people. Here are some of the things that you could expect to have if you decided to have a nursing career.

First, you must expect that you'll get certified. To become a nurse, you must first be a graduate of a nursing program that is approved. Then, you have to pass the national licensing examination, the NCLEX-RN. After passing the NCLEX your will then become a registered nurse or an RN. With a license, you could expect that you will already be allowed by many states to practice nursing within their state. However, some states are compelling nurses who got their license from another state to undergo the process of recertification.

There are different programs being offered right now for you to become a nurse. The number of years it will take you to finish a program is also dependent on which one you chose. A Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in nursing usually takes four years to be completed. A faster way to become a nurse to take an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). It only takes three years to complete. ADN is usually being offered by junior and community colleges. There are also hospitals which offer diploma courses. Normally, these diploma courses also take three years for it to be finished. Taking either of the three paths could qualify you into becoming an RN. For those who took diploma courses of an ADN, it could still be pursued into a BSN by taking up more units.

Another thing that could be expected if you have a nursing career is that you will be in demand. Now is a very good timing for someone to become a nurse since it is a growing field. Thus, if you are a nurse, it will then be easy for you to secure a job for yourself. This is guaranteed wherever you live. The demand for nurses has grown since most of the nurses right now are old and are already nearing their retirement age. There will most likely be other job opportunities looming for you in the future after getting some experience.

Since nurses are in demand, you could also expect to be offered with good salary rates. You could even expect that your salary will be high. The salary for nurses has grown from its former rates. Most nurses get an hourly pay of around $20 to $40 upon starting. This gets higher as one gets regularized, promoted, and stays longer for a given hospital. Aside from this, there also several benefits and bonuses awaiting.

Another thing that could be expected is that shift schedules are flexible. Since there is a shortage of nurses, most hospitals are doing their best in order to attract nurses to work for them. Some hospitals are offering their nurses flexible shifts. This makes the job much easier for the employees.

Expect your job to be demanding. The shifts will still be very busy. Sometimes, hospitals may even necessitate you to do some extra shifts since there is a shortage in the number of nurses. Challenges will still be present and must be expected by every nurse.

You could also expect that you have other choices than being the simple hospital staff nurse. There are different specializations that you could choose to specialize as well. There is midwifery, cardiac nursing, child, travel nursing, 200 other specializations more. You could even choose to join the academe and teach. You could also be a counsellor. Indeed, there are lots of options available for you.

One of the growing trends nowadays in the field of nursing is becoming an in-house nurse. There are more in-house nurses than before since many people are now living longer lives. At the same time, more people who need care are being left alone at their homes, with no one available to provide the constant attention they need. These people often prefer to stay at home and be attended by just someone. It is this reason why there are more demands for in-house nurses. For someone who has decided to become an in-house nurse, there are certain things that have to be taken into mind.

First of all, you have to be friendly. While most nurses are being classified as very helpful, they still have certain limits. For someone who is working for the same patient for a certain period of time, they often see their patience being put into its limit. For a nurse that could not keep up with maintaining a pleasant demeanor everyday, being an in-house nurse might not be the best career option for them. Being an in-house nurse is more suited for people who enjoy building relationships that are long term. In-house nurses really get the chance to know their patients and what are their needs.

Aside from being friendly, you must also be self-sufficient. You must be the nurse who is capable to make relevant decisions that are very important in caring for your patient. You must get used to deciding without having to consult someone.

You must not get flustered when you have to deal with situations by yourself. Thus, someone who wants to be an in-house nurse must be independent. Those who are reliant on a nursing supervisor are not advised to go for being an in-house nurse.

An in-house nurse must also have a reliable transportation whenever he goes to his patient's house. There are certain moments that may entail you to be present immediately on the house of your patient. Thus, if it is not easy for you to go to the house of your patient, it might not be a good idea to be the in-house nurse of that patient. The patient will be the one that may suffer if you have a hard time going to his place. It is recommended that you just stay with the patient if your home is far. But if you do not prefer that, make sure that it is easy for you to go to the home of your patient.

Indeed, nursing could be very challenging. Choosing to become an in-house nurse has its own set of challenges as well. However, being a nurse is also very rewarding. If there is a time for you to become a nurse, it is best to do it now. It is very high in demand. For sure, you will earn what you need to earn and get satisfied at the same time.

For More Information See: How to How to start a nursing agency visit startanursinghome.com

Fire These Nurses! Well, If Someone is Not Doing Their Job, Why Do You Need Them?

Let us say that you have someone in the nursing home or in a rehab and care center, and you have detected something incorrect or wrong or just something that needs to be changed. Your first instinct might be to tell the nurse or aid that is in the room or on duty right there. Most times, these workers will instruct you to go to the nurses station. And, since you are usually agreeing to almost anything that sounds reasonable, you go to the nurses station and you present your problem, question or critic right there at the nurses station.

Do not do it. You heard correct. When the aid, worker or doctor instructs you to go to the nurses station with the problem, do not do it. Well, you can go there, and find out which nurse or staff member is in charge of that particular issue or problem that you wish to speak about , for example, food, or clothing or medicine. Find out which worker is in that department. Once you are directed to the proper nurse, do not speak with her about the issue at the nurses station at all. Why ?

If the issue is something that is likely to annoy the nurses or make more work for nurses, then all the nurses or workers that are hanging out at the nurses station will have their ears open to what you are saying. So, instead of having your privacy and the resident's privacy, now every single person sitting or hanging out at the nurses station is now listening to what you are saying.
Since everyone is listening, and since the issue might be one that is annoying or probably to cause the nurses more work, most likely, some will interject with their own remarks, opinions or sly remarks regarding the issue EVEN though they have no authority to rectify or change the problem and even though it is not their department. They will feel free to enter into the conversation. This puts you at a loss. Have you ever tried to converse with five people who are disagreeing with you or who might be upset that your observation or problem might be causing them to have more work every day? Trust me with this one. Whenever you want to speak with staff, never speak with the nurse who is sitting behind the nurses station. Tell her that you need privacy in conversation and ask to speak with her aside somewhere. There is no reason why she should not oblige you. After all, the HEPA laws guarantee patient privacy do they not?
It is your right to refrain from discussing patient's, resident's or family members issues or problems or questions in the hallways of facilities or in any public areas of the nursing home. That is the law. And any employee, no matter what their job, who insists that you discuss private things in the public areas of the nursing home is breaking the law. But most employees will not tell you this. So, learn the laws yourself and save yourself lots of time and trouble.
Speaking with one staff member while five or six others are watching and listening protects the facility but does not protect you or the resident. Why? They are protected because they can back each other up and say what you said, even if you did not say it. This has happened many times in unscrupulous rehabilitation and care centers across America and across the world.

So, protect yourself and protect the family member, resident or patient by not discussing anything personal at all at any nurses station or in any public area of any nursing home, physical rehabilitation and care center or in any medical building, lab or hospital. Protect yourself from unscrupulous workers. If a worker is innocent and honest, that worker will want to talk with you in private, not in any public hallway and not in the public nurses station. So beware of ANY employees that wish to discuss personal things at the nurses station. Yes, they need to take a little time to come to the room or to bring you to an area of the place that is not public. But that they must do. They just will not tell you that.

One family member I know approached the nurses station to discuss a private matter and the matter --to be resolved--would mean extra and more work for the staff, so naturally, they did not want it resolved. The family member made the mistake of mentioning the problem at the nurses station. While five or six nurses were sitting around, seemingly doing nothing, their ears were spread wider than a happy face smile and they listened intentively. Then one by one, each interjected their own opinion, remarks and angry-looking expressions at the matter, even though they had no authority in the matter, no business in the matter and no power to resolve the problem. This family member learned the lesson the hard way. Then he had six nurses looking at him in disgust, just because they did not want to do their jobs, a little more work.

Moral of the experience, discuss everything in private, not in public, even if the staff wants to discuss it out in the open, never listen to the staff. They are out to protect themselves from more work and from other things. So protect yourself, and listen to your own inner instinct. Have private discussions in private.

FIRE THESE NURSES!

So, exactly which nurses are we talking about when we suggest, fire these nurses?

Okay, so that might be harsh. Instead of firing these nurses, let us just transfer them to different parts of the hospitals and nursing homes. Let us give them the harder jobs and then perhaps they will not be just hanging out at the nurses station minding everyone else's business.

Why do we say hanging out? This reason-- whenever you approach a nurse at a facility, most times they are busy , correct? Right. No problem. They are doing the job that they came there to do and they are doing the job they are being paid to do. However, there are some nurses that instead of doing the job that is their own assignment, will be listening with both ears to your conversation when you are obviously speaking to another nurse. As soon as they begin listening to you, instead of doing the job they are stationed there for, they are now hanging out instead of working. So you do not need them there.

You are speaking with one nurse, and that one nurse barely has time for you, so how in the world do you think that two or three or four nurses who just happen to be in the nurses station at the time, have time also--to listen to your conversation when you are not even speaking with them. They do not. So every moment they spend eavesdropping on your conversation with Nurse A, that nurse is not doing her own job since she is not Nurse A. Nurse B has stopped her own job and is now listening to you speaking to Nurse A , and then Nurse B enters her opinion when she is not being asked her opinion.

I say, transfer Nurse B to another part of the hospital where she will not have the opportunity to hang out and listen to other conversations that are not her business. Clear? Yes, clear. Transfer Nurse B--and problem solved.

So now you are informed! Keep your personal business private and keep it out of public areas in any facility.

I updated this article in June 2008.

Melinda Thomas is presently touring the United States of America in search for information, true stories, inside data on what is happening around the world inside of nursing homes and physical rehabilitation and care centers. The material that she has come across, both through personal inspection, investigation, research and organization, is remarkable in length, content and tear-jerking memories. She hopes that you share your ideas with her as soon as possible. While her subject topics vary from radical consumerism, computers, teamwork and others, she hunts for the truth and the truth is forthcoming.While her subject topics vary from radical consumerism, computers, teamwork and others, she hunts for the truth and the truth is forthcoming. Meanwhile read all the articles and connect with her through her agent at onenewbeginning@yahoo.com

Top 5 Nursing Jobs - From Home Health Nurses to Floor Nursing Careers

Nursing is more than checking vital signs at regular intervals. The nursing field is full of opportunities for the new and experienced nurse who doesn't want to be limited in his or her choices. Here are five of the top choices in the nursing profession.

Once you graduate from nursing school, take a deep breath. The hard part is over and the fun begins. Now, you get to choose where you want to start your nursing career. The hospital floor is not the only choice out there anymore.

1. Home Health Nursing - People are living longer. With that comes the issue of care in the home. More seniors are opting to stay in their primary residence and take advantage of the home health benefits of their insurance plans. One popular nursing job is that of a home health nurse because they have the benefit of making their own schedule. They can take on as few or as many patients as they can handle. Home health nurses aid in bathing, wound care and dressing, general health assessments, and any other issues that the patient may have. There patients can be invalids or ambulatory folks that don't get around so well and seek a nurse that is willing to tend to their care within the home setting. Home health nurses are well paid for their skills and friendly bedside manner.

2. Nursing Assistants - Nursing assistants are an integral part of the nursing profession. They are not registered nurses but they provide patient care that falls under the category of the nursing profession. Nursing assistants are not only found in nursing homes. They work in hospitals, senior living communities, home health, psychiatric facilities, and other facilities where their care is needed. They care for terminally ill patients including children. Nursing assistants provide the care that others shy away from such as changing bedpans, bathing patients that can't bathe themselves, and feeding those patients whose disabilities prevent them from doing it for themselves. They bring respect to the area of nursing care and dignity to their patients. Nursing assistants see, on a daily basis, how their jobs impact the quality of life of their patients and their families. As patients get older, nursing assistants will be needed in big numbers.

3. Emergency Room Nursing - Have you been to an emergency room lately? You have a few doctors that see patients, but the majority of the staff is comprised of nurses. Nurses assess the patients and triage them according to injuries. They monitor them while they wait for a doctor or transfer to another department in the hospital. Emergency room nursing is a fast-paced and stressful atmosphere that satisfies the adventure junky in some of us. Nurses that think fast on their feet would get quite a bit of enjoyment from this area of nursing. There is no shortage of accidents on the road, in the home, and in the air. The job of these nurses is critical to the survival of patients that are hanging on by the thinnest thread.

4. Floor Nursing - There is a wide variety of options in this area. Floor nurses have the options of maternity, critical care, orthopedics, telemetry, surgical, geriatric, and pediatrics. Within these general categories are also oncology and burn units. A nurse can gain lots of experience working within one or several of these areas during their nursing careers. Floor nurses are responsible for a certain number of patients each shift. Patients have the comfort of getting to know their nursing staff and the staff has the pleasure of taking care of them.

5. Operating Room Nursing - Nurses work in the surgical area as well. Nurses can pursue careers as a circulating nurse in the operating room suite, surgical first assistant to the surgeon, and nurse anesthesia care. Nurses that provide anesthesia have at least two years of critical care experience and have attended a nurse anesthesia school for training. Circulating nurses are responsible for everyone in their operating room that day. They function as patient advocates--making sure that the patient being operated on is the correct patient and that the doctor is performing the correct procedure.

Nurses have many career paths available to them. They can pursue any of these five areas or another that they feel drawn to follow.

Jeff Craft has experience working in the healthcare industry as a nurse and writes about medical careers and nursing jobs for HealthCareJobs411. Craft provides first-hand knowledge to job seekers who need advice on how to pursue a healthcare job. Learn about traveling nurse jobs as well as many other popular positions in the profession.