All Your Scrubs

Are you searching for a new career path?  Have you considered nursing? 

Even during these recessionary times, the overall outlook for job opportunities for registered nurses is expected to be excellent.  Employment of RNs is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016.  Registered nurses are projected to generate 587,000 new jobs through 2016 which is one of the largest number of new jobs for any occupation.  In addition, hundreds of thousands of job openings will be created as a result of the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation.

Technological advances in patient care permits a greater number of health problems to be treated.  This coupled with the increasing emphasis on preventive healthcare are driving the need for an increased number of registered nurses.  Add to this the increasing number of older people who are much more likely than younger people to need nursing care, and the need for more nurses is very large.  Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow 23 percent from 2006 to 2016 which is much faster than for all other occupations. 

 Employment is expected to grow the fastest in physicians offices and home health care services.  The job rate will grow more slowly in hospitals—health care’s largest industry—than in most other health care industries.  Even though the intensity of nursing care is likely to increase, requiring more nurses per patient, the number of inpatients (those who remain in the hospital for more than 24 hours) is not likely to grow by much.  This is because more procedures are being done on an outpatient basis and patients are being discharged earlier.  Rapid growth is expected in hospital outpatient facilities, such as those providing day surgery, rehabilitation, and chemotherapy.

More and more sophisticated procedures, once performed only in hospitals, are being performed in physicians’ offices and in outpatient care centers, such as freestanding ambulatory surgical and emergency centers.  Accordingly, employment is expected to grow rapidly in these places as health care in general expands.

Employment in nursing care facilities is expected to grow because of increases in the number of elderly, many of whom require long-term care.  However, this growth will be relatively slower than in other health care industries because of the desire of patients to be treated at home or in residential care facilities, and the increasing availability of that type of care.

Employment in home health care is expected to increase rapidly in response to the growing number of older persons with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home. The type of care demanded will require nurses who are able to perform complex procedures.

There are numerous different career paths a person can take while wearing a medical uniform.  Once you have the required training, the job opportunities are limitless.  You will be equipped to select the path that best suits your situation.

So you think you might be interested in a career in nursing?  What steps are required to become prepared to be a nurse?

The first step is a formal education.  There are several different routes that you may take to prepare yourself for a career in nursing.  Many nurses choose to complete an associate degree in nursing which takes about 2 years of college to finish.  You may also earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.  This takes about 4 years to finish.  And others opt to complete a nursing diploma program which usually takes about 3 years.

It is important that you decide on a career path before beginning your training.  Some career paths are open only to nurses who have a bachelor’s degree while others will accept the associates degree in nursing.

Nurses are required to study anatomy, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and nursing theory.  In addition to the classroom training that you must complete, nursing education also includes hands-on learning with experienced nurses in hospitals and other places. This is called clinical training and is a very important phase of your training.

After graduating, nurses must pass a test to receive a nursing license.  A licensed nurse must continue to take classes every few years to keep their skills current.  This is referred to as continuing education.

Nurses must be caring and kind.  They also should be good at recognizing problems and remembering details.  Nurses need to work well with doctors and patients.  Many nurses also supervise assistants and other workers.

While all of this sounds rather difficult, those who complete these requirements and wear nurses scrubs are some of the most dedicated people you will find.  A career in nursing can be one of the most fulfilling career paths you will find.

After completing nursing school, many young nurses decide against wearing the traditional hospital scrubs in favor of enlisting in the United States military service.  One of the main draws to military nursing is the freedom to travel and gain new experiences in diverse settings. 

 This is totally different from a career in traditional nursing.  Military nurses provide nursing care for fellow soldiers in all branches of the U.S. military.  Nurses who want to provide the best possible care to the soldiers defending our country are the ones who make a career of military nursing. 

There are additional advantages such as the opportunity to travel and the programs providing money for college.  The military services offer wide ranges of opportunities for education and a variety in clinical environments.  Military nurses have the opportunity to rotate through different nursing specialties in military hospitals around the world.  In this way, nurses gain a wealth of experience. 

It takes a special nurse to work as a military nurse.  Military nurses working in the field experience various levels of trauma that they may not experience in a hospital setting.  Prior to sending a nurse to the field, they are required to spend a period of time at a trauma center to brush up on their skills so that they will be equipped for whatever is thrown their way. As you prepare to embark on a new career, you may want to consider this opportunity to give back to your country by becoming a military nurse.

When you spend many hours on your feet, you truly understand the benefits of comfortable shoes. Many professions demand that the people the work within them stand all day long. Nursing is one of these professions. Nurses spend most of every work day on their feet on a hard floor. Long hours of standing can place strain on every part of the body. The age and sex of the person don’t make any difference; standing all day can result in foot problems in any person.

Having a supportive pair of nursing shoes is of the utmost importance. The best shoes are those that have strong arch supports built in to the shoe. These arch supports can help with everything from back problems to heel pain. The feet are the base of the skeletal system, so when your feet are properly supported, your ankles, knees, hips, and everything else lines up. Given the working conditions of doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff – they are perfect candidates for shoes with arch supports.

Each year, Gallup performs a survey on honesty and ethics.  Once again, Americans have chosen nurses as the most honest and ethical professions in the country.   Eighty-four percent of Americans described the ethics of nurses as “very high” or “high” compared with 20 other professions.  This places nurses in the top spot for the seventh consecutive year. 

When you or a member of your family becomes ill, you place a great deal of trust in the nurses who provide your care.  When the person in the medical scrubs enters your room, you feel very confident that you will receive the utmost in care.  While the doctor may examine you and prescribe treatment, it is the nurse who administers that treatment and he or she is the one that you look to for the comfort, care, and support you need. 

Since first appearing on Gallup’s list in 1999, nurses have ranked in the top spot every year, with the exception of 2001, when firefighters topped the list.  Druggists or pharmacists, high school teachers, medical doctors, policemen and funeral directors are also among the most highly regarded professionals.

Since you have completed nursing school, one of the options you may be considering for a career could be that of working in a nursing home.  As you don your medical scrubs to care for the elderly, you may be interested to know that the history of nursing homes in the United States is newer than you might think.  We have come a long way in the last one hundred years.

During the early twentieth century, the government did not offer assistance to help offset the cost for caring for the elderly or disabled.  If you were poor and had no family to care for you, you were sent off to an almshouses.  These facilities were known for very poor conditions.  There was a social stigma attached to staying in one and this was used as an incentive to keep people out of them.   Generally care at this time was left to families or private nurses.  Those who could afford it would hire live-in care. 

In the 1930s, the Social Security Act was signed into law and the idea of Old Age Assistance came into existence.  Later, the Social Security Act would stipulate that there be some form of licensing for nursing homes.  After some issues with Medicare, Public Law 92-603 was passed in 1972 which contained a number of nursing home reform laws.  Medicaid would begin to reimburse nursing homes for a reasonable cost of care.  This helped create more standardized care in nursing homes.  There continues to be new legislation to oversee nursing home care in America. 

Nursing homes in America have come a long way, and with the over-80 age bracket the fastest growing age group in America, we can expect to see a lot more changes in the future!

It is believed that scientists were the first ones to wear white lab coats. These days medical lab coats are more often associated with doctors. These coats are used to protect the clothing and also avoid spreading germs. When you work in a medical facility it is often required to wear a medical coat because there often spills and mess. The length and particular design of a lab coat varies based on dress codes set by hospital authorities. There are usually minor variations from one hospital to another.

In general doctors wear white lab coats and not colored lab coats. This has been in practice for sometime and is based on the belief that the color white garners more respect than other colors. Wearing medical lab coats is also a form of etiquette. There is also an issue with how medical professionals wear their buttons. Some professionals think that the coats should be buttoned up fully; while others feel that they should be unbuttoned.