Monthly Archives: January 2012

Nurse Costumes

Whether you are a sweet and caring person on a daily basis, or you are rather, er, not so caring, wearing the cutest in nurse costumes can bring out your inner Clara Barton or Florence Nightingale. There are several nurse costumes to think about – whether you want to reveal your caring or scaring side.

Retro Nurse Costumes

Here nursie, nursie! Think about it: there is nothing cooler than the old school, retro nurse costumes. Typically a white dress, white hat, white hose and shoes with a blue cape, the retro costume can bring out the real Clara Barton, in fact, that is who you could say that you are. (For a really cute touch, dress up your date as a wounded soldier, or maybe as a soldier that is just not going to make it.)

The best part of the retro nurse costume is simple: they are cute but modest so they fit in practically anywhere, for any event at all.

Modern Nurse Costumes

Modern day nurses do not always wear the cap or the rest of the costume for that matter. If you would like to be your favorite ER nurse, then pull out your scrubs (they hated the peach on the show) and be Nurse Hathaway, Hallea, or any of the others. Sticking with the scrubs can be a great way to go a little cheaper than other costume choices because they can be borrowed from friends or family and eliminate the need for special shoes. Wear your favorite sneakers and you are comfortable and ready for whatever the day brings.

Sexy Nurse Costumes

Of course, there would be no discussion that is complete without the sexy nurse costume – short skirt, fish net stockings and of course, killer high heels that no self respecting nurse would ever attempt to wear for her shift. Carry a stethoscope so that you can dangle it and listen to the thudding hearts that are wishing to be your patient.

Over the Top Nurse Costumes

Finally, there is the latex nurse costume- a major, over the top costume that might send more than a few guys reaching for the oxygen tent. This one might be best left for the private nursing duties, after all.

Nurse careers for the registered nurse

Functions of nurses

Recent changes in health care reflect changes in the population that require care and a philosophical shift towards health promotion rather than treatment of illness. The role has broadened in response to these changes. Nurses are caregivers, as always, but now they’re also educators, advocates, leaders and managers, change agents and researchers.

Roles of nurse

In today’s profession, nurses have a broad area of opportunity. When you qualify to become a registered nurse, your career can take a varity of roles. They may be staff nurses, nurse-managers, case managers, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse educators and nurse researchers. Nurses are at the forefront of the medical profession and more often then not your nursing work will see you work in one of the following roles.

Staff nurse

This is the first level of nursing following registration with the NMC. They are the primary caregivers by independently making assessments, planning and implementing patient care, and providing direct nursing care. For example, a staff nurse may make clinical observations and execute interventions, such as administering medications and treatments and promoting such activities of daily living as bathing and toileting.

Ward manager/sister or charge

This role involves managing staff, budget, patient care and staff development to ensure that effective and quality nursing care is being provided in a timely and fiscally managed environment.

Case manager

To counter the trend towards fragmented, depersonalised nursing care in the community the role of case manager has been developed. This role enables the nurse to manage comprehensive care of an individual patient.

Clinical specialist

The clinical nurse specialist has acquired expertise in a clinical specialty; they provide clinical expertise in the area and are involved in teaching and research.

Nurse practitioner

A nurse practitioner has obtained, at least, a first-level degree and specialises in a clinical area. They provide primary health care to patients and families and can function independently. They may obtain histories and conduct physical examinations, order laboratory and diagnostic tests and interpret results, diagnose disorders, treat patients, counsel and educate patients and family members, and provide continual follow-up care after patients are discharged.

Educator

The nurse educator works in a higher education institute and teaches on preand post-registration nursing programmes. They will also have a minimum of a first-level degree and also need to hold a teaching qualification.

Researcher

The nurse researcher promotes the science of nursing by investigating problems related to nursing. The goal is to develop and refine nursing knowledge and practice.

Nursing theories

Many nursing leaders believe that the profession must establish itself as a scientific discipline to enhance its reputation. To do that, nursing needs a theoretical base that simultaneously shapes and reflects its practice. Nursing models combine concepts and theories, and were developed to guide nurses in the way they plan and deliver patient care in an organised fashion.

Concepts common to nursing theories

Four themes guide the development of nursing theory:

* principles and laws that govern life processes, wellbeing and optimal functioning of people – sick or well
* patterns of human behaviour that describe how people interact with the environment in critical life situations
* processes for bringing about positive changes in the health status of individuals
* nursing’s key role as the central focus of all nursing theories.

Nursing theorists

Theorists and researchers are now collaborating with practicing nurses in the development, testing and refining of nursing theory.

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Nurse As Your Career

Nurse can be considered as the strong need profession nowadays. This idea emerges as the population grows and so does the need for the educated nursing professionals. Because of this phenomenon, many people will think that it will be easy to become a nurse. In fact, this idea is totally wrong. In the US, the nurse education lacks of the educator that makes the applicants cannot enter the nursing education program easily and should wait in the waiting list.

Even so, this difficulty does not break the applicant’s spirit to enter the nurse academy. It is because the nursing profession is great option if you select the right path for your future career. By choosing the right path, you can climb higher position and even you can fill the senior position.

However, before you get into that position, you should start your career by becoming the assistant of the nurse or nursing aide. For you who want to be a nursing assistant, you only need the course work but you do not need any diploma. After you do that job, then you are able to get better nursing program.

You can also become a Licensed Practical Nurse or Vocational Nurse. But you will need to one year study course from a vocational school or junior college. There will be a physician or Registered Nurse who supervises you. By doing this job, you will have more advanced skills and can form tasks under the registered nurse. You will grow the experience and knowledge you will need to be the Registered Nurse. RN or Registered Nurse will also need higher level of education like ADN or BSN degree.

Associate Degree Nurse or ADN needs two years for the degree program. It is shorter than Bachelor of Science Nurse which needs 4 year to complete the study. However, the four years periods to get the nursing degree is still become hot issue that is debated by many people. The ADN program itself is still kept because the high demand for the nurse. Even though many people are recommended to the BSN program since it gives you the stepping stone to get the chance to move further in the specialization area.

You can get those degree programs in many colleges. But before you choose certain program, you must check whether the program is accredited by NLNAC or National league for nursing accrediting commission. It is even better if you consult with a professional in choosing the program.

Nurse Anesthetist Schools Increase Your Nurse Anesthetist Salary With

Nurse Anesthetist Schools Increase Your Nurse Anesthetist Salary With Better Education

A certified registered nurse anesthetist is one of the best paid nursing professionsmaking it an excellent career choice in today’s booming health care industryif you’re interested in working closely with health professionals such as surgeons, dentists, podiatrists and anesthesiologists.

Today CRNAs are the sole anesthesiologists in more than two-thirds of all rural hospitals in the U.S. and they administer approximately 30 million anesthetics to patients nationwide each year. Anesthesia specialists work closely with many health care professionals to take care of a patient’s anesthesia needs before, during and after surgery or during the delivery of a baby.

Essential duties of CRNA practice include performing a physical assessment of the patient, administering anesthesia during the course of surgery and overseeing the patient’s recovery from anesthesia. Many nurse anesthetists serve as members of a health care team, while others work as independent contractors. Nurse anesthetists practice in a variety of settings, such as the following:

* Hospital operating rooms
* Ambulatory surgery centers
* Pain clinics
* Physicians’ offices
* U.S. military

How much is a nurse anesthetist salary
Nurse anesthetist salaries clearly match the skills and expertise CRNAs must bring to the job, from their advanced education to their clinical experience and specialized knowledge. In fact, Salary.com reports that the median nurse anesthetist salary in the U.S. is $154,188.

The nurse anesthetist salary range in your city varies somewhat from the same position in another part of the country. Each type of employer pays different nurse anesthetist salaries. As an example, PayScale.com finds that self-employed CRNAs (or ones who work on a contract basis) tend to make higher nurse anesthetist salaries than those who work for hospitals or government agencies.

Another point is that your nurse anesthetist salary goes up as you gain more years of experience as a practicing registered nurse. Typically, nurse anesthetists bring several years of clinical experience, a standard requirement of CRNA graduate programs, to the job.

Nurse anesthetist schools
Typically, the higher your degree level or the more nursing education you have received the more you increase your nursing salary potential. And nurse anesthetists, who must hold a master’s degree and specialized certification to practice, earn some of the highest nursing salaries of any practice area.

Nurse advisor jobs, an alternative to the NHS

Nurse Advisors jobs aren’t sales jobs. So, as distinct from a Medical Rep the Medical Nurse Advisor does not directly sell the Company’s products.

People in Nurse Advisor jobs are themselves registered Nurses and are preferably ENB 998 qualified and are a member of the NMC. As a Nurse wanting to become a Medical Nurse Advisor, you should preferably have a background in a specialist therapy area, for example Asthma/COPD, Diabetes or Wound Care and will have obtained a qualification in this. You will also have demonstrable commercial awareness – you may already have a little sales experience as well. The key qualities are to be an excellent communicator, results-driven and highly motivated. You should have the ability to work autonomously or as part of a team.

The main aim in Nurse Advisor jobs is to help the Medical Sales Representatives in achieving market share. That said, Nurse Advisors have to behave ethically and in the patient’s best interest at all of the time. Therefore, Medical Nurse Advisors work as independent professionals, sponsored’ by a Pharmaceutical or Healthcare Company.

The work of a Nurse Advisor must assess, review and audit Hospitals and GP Practices and their approach to therapy in a particular therapy area, for example Asthma. When the Medical Nurse Advisor feels that it is of genuine benefit, they will transfer a patient to their Company’s product.

Becoming a Medical Nurse Advisor can be a very rewarding option for those Nurses who have become disenchanted working in the NHS. As a Nurse Advisor they will remain patient-focused and will be a useful resource for many busy GP Practices and busy Hospital Wards. While the Practice or Ward can proceed with their usual work, the Nurse Advisor can spend time assessing processes and implementing best practice. This can provide a significant improvement in patient treatment for the therapy area that the Medical Nurse Advisor is focusing on.

The role of the Nurse Advisor can assist their sponsoring’ Pharmaceutical or Healthcare Company become a front runner in the treatment area in question by reaching new standards and innovating.

Pharmaceutical Nurse Advisor must work in accordance with the ABPI code of conduct but a Healthcare Nurse Advisor is not held back in the same way. Whereas Pharmaceutical Nurse Advisors are working with medicines, Healthcare Nurse Advisors may be working on how best to use a particular type of syringe or oxygen monitoring equipment.

Some Healthcare Nurse Advisors work within the Cosmetic Surgery area, talking to patients thinking of Cosmetic Surgery and discussing of all the things the should consider before making their choice to have surgery. The role Healthcare Nurse Advisor jobs may therefore be slightly more commercial than that of Pharmaceutical Nurse Advisor jobs.

People in Nurse advisor jobs
are rewarded with first grade training, incentives, opportunity for career development (eg. to become a Nurse Manager) and an attractive salary package.

No Worries With A Nurse Call System

The significance of a nurse call system cannot be underestimated. A nurse call system is a radio based system for visually and audibly alerting nursing staff to calls from patients or other members of staff. Since it is radio based, it is considerably flexible depending on the requirements of the personal user no matter how difficult or great they are. The nurse call system can be as small or as large as the user wants, as each system is configured for each individual requirement.

All health care facilities, including hospitals, assisted living centres, nursing homes, senior facilities and others that look after older patients or those suffering from chronic health problems should incorporate nurse call systems. These systems enable the patient to alert the nearest nurse station in the event of an emergency. Many people as they grow older or live with physical disabilities, chronic conditions and some who are even recovering from specific illness that requires help need that feeling of being secure and safe. Money cannot quantify the peace of mind that one will get when they know that medical help is at just a buzz away during emergencies. Lives can be saved if one has such systems because time and medical supplies is the crucial factor and no one can afford to waste time.

Nurse call systems are reassuring to patients as well as relatives who do not need to worry as much, knowing that trained nurses are only a button away, and this helps patients lead a more independent lifestyle. This system is also a relief to nurses, who do not constantly have to check up with patients. If a patient is in dire need of assistance, they do not have to shout or scream for help; instead they can just use the nurse call system with the least amount of effort.

There are many nurse call systems available in the market, which vary in function and prices. Conventional nurse call systems are quite basic patient clicks a button, a buzzer goes off at the nurses station, which can be reset at the nurses end itself, and there are no options to store information as everything is in analogue mode. However, with advances in technology, new and improved digital wireless nurse call systems which include LED displays, audible alerts and visual notifications are now used. A good nurse call system should be safe, lightweight and easy to use. It should not be cumbersome to carry around, and should be easy to operate for both patients and nurses.

Nephrology Nurse

A nephrology nurse requires similar expertise as does a nephrology doctor. This professional nurse needs to under the complexities of caring for a dialysis patient as well as recovering a kidney transplant patient. According to The National Kidney Foundation greater than 20 million Americans has chronic kidney disease. So many people in the United States don’t know they have a form of kidney disease. Millions of others people are at increased risk.

Much expertise is required of a nephrology nurse, a minimum of one year experience as a registered nurse in a medical-surgical unit or intensive care unit is recommended before entering the field of nephrology nursing. The nephrology nurse must hold a comprehensive knowledge base that includes anatomy and physiology of the kidney and urinary system, pharmacology, nutrition, psychosocial aspects of kidney disease, principles of dialysis, circulatory entrance for hemodialysis, and conception of renal transplantation.

Supplementary education includes didactic and clinical training is required for the entry level nephrology nurse in each focused area. Board certification in nephrology nursing is offered to those nurses meeting the necessary requirements by Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC). The criterion for taking the certification is that the nurse must have a complete and unlimited license as a registered nurse in the United States, or its territories. The nurse is required to have at least two years of nephrology nursing experience as a registered nurse in a clinical staff /advance practice, administrative, teaching, or research capacity, three years before submitting a application. The nurse must acquire a Baccalaureate in Nursing or a Master in Nursing Degree.

Continuing education is a requirement for the nurse to remain current and competent. Organizations offering continuing education for nurses are Commission on Accreditation (ANCC-COA) the credentialing body of the American Nurses Association, The American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), the American Society of Nephrology, and the Office of Continuing Education, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia that sponsors the Annual Dialysis Conference. Other organizations include The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), The Council of Continuing Education, and the Boards of Nursing of the states.

The Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing and Technology (BONENT) certification programs mirrors its worldwide position as the foremost certification group of nephrology nurses. BONENT encourages advances in the science of nephrology nursing.

Nephrology Nurse Jobs

However, most employers will not hire recent graduates, but require a RN (Register Nurse) certification with at least one year of on-the-job experience in the nursing field.

A beginning student who wishes to enter a position as a Nephrology nurse will need an associate or bachelors degree in science and a diploma in nursing. An additional education program must be successfully completed in Nephrology Nursing. These programs typically are from eight to ten weeks in length and focus mainly on anatomy, physiology, renal disease treatment and management, understanding and training in hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and organ transplantation.

To be certified as a Nephrology nurse, an exam given by an ANNA chapter (American Nephrology Nurses Association) or by an ESRD facility (End-Stage Renal Disease) must be successfully passed. The deposit fee for this exam is $150.00. Certification is effective for three years, and then it must be renewed.

A Nephrology nurses duties are broad as kidney disease can also cause additional health issues like bone disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, infectious diseases, and have psychiatric issues. The Nephrology nurse helps a patient not only cope with social issues at work, home and school, but they educate the patient to successfully deal with their health issues.

In the United States, a Nephrology nurse position, certified as a RN has an average annual income of $63,000. However, salaries vary greatly depending on the location in the U.S., and the experience level of the Nephrology nurse. Entry level positions start at approximately $16.00 per hour. For a Nephrology nurse with many years of experience, the salary can be as high as $50.00 per hour.

It has been recently reported that between 10 and 20 million Americans have some stage of kidney disease. Due to the rise in hypertension, obesity and diabetes which are risk factors for renal disease, the need for Nephrology nurses has also increased. Between now and the year 2010, an estimated threefold increase is expected in the field of Nephrology nursing. There is an approximate 9% increase every year in patients who are diagnosed with end-stage renal disease.

Nephrology nurses prepare the dialysis solution prior to patient treatment. They are responsible for monitoring the patients blood pressure and other vital signs prior to treatment, during the dialysis and after treatment is completed. They must be able to respond efficiently and calmly to emergency situations which may arise while a patient is on the dialysis machine. They also need some mechanical skills to maintain and sterilize the dialysis equipment after each treatment session.

A Nephrology nurse plays an important role in their patients lives. Patients are seen by Nephrology nurses many times per week over many years. They are involved with the patients more than the physicians. They not only are responsible for the patients medical history and changing health issues, but also perform physicals, interpret laboratory tests, order diagnostic tests, manage the patients blood pressure, prescribe appropriate medications, manage other dialysis prescriptions, refer patients to specialists, and manage acute problems which may arise in the health of their patients.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Salary – Neonatal Nurse Career

A neonatal nurse career involves working with infants from the moment they are born. Neonatal nurses help care for healthy babies while they are still in the hospital, but the neonatal nurse’s job becomes particularly important when a baby is born prematurely or with various medical issues and difficulties. Since infants in such situations require around the clock care, it is necessary to have skilled neonatal nurses there to provide care at every moment. They also advise parents on the correct methods to care for their newborn baby. And with a master’s degree in nursing, a neonatal nurse professional can even become a neonatal nurse practitioner, providing more acute medical care when doctors are absent.
After going to the next level of neonatal nursing with a master’s degree in nursing science and after the passage of licensing exams to become a neonatal nursing practitioner, one’s salary and job duties can greatly elevate. The average neonatal nurse practitioner salary is approximately $80,000 and may reach six figures after some experience, but the benefits of this job go far beyond the pay rate. Being able to provide a higher level of care to infants while helping educate the next generation of nurses is a challenge yet a great reward in itself.

A neonatal nurse career can be tough. Because newborn babies cannot tell you what is wrong like adults and even young children can, this job requires a greater level of diagnostic skill. There are many cutting edge techniques that one must learn to care for newborns with special needs. And being able to communicate with parents who may sometimes be in great distress also requires a certain level of skill.
Neonatal nurses may work in maternity wards, infant ICU wards, or in private settings working with mothers and infants who need special help and care. Some also work in hospice environments with infants who do not have long to live, which is particularly tough but necessary. And for neonatal nurse practitioners, there are opportunities to work in OB/GYN offices, with a higher neonatal nurse practitioner salary and the responsibility of working directly with parents.
Find top nursing schools which offers nursing degree programs in neonatal nursing. Choose the best nursing school and program for you and start your path to a rewarding career.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Care Newly Born Babies

There are various categories of nurse in the health care industry like,
registered nurse, licensed practical nurse and practitioner nurse. Apart
from them, there is also a category of nurse left and that is Neonatal
Nurse Practitioner. The job duty of the neonatal nurse practitioner is
quite different from other types of nurses.