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Nursing is both an art and a science. To be a successful RN, you'll have to utilize your
scientific mind, technological and clinical know-how, your heart for compassion, and
your skills to heal.
To get started on your nursing career, you'll first need to go to nursing school.
Many nurses choose their specialty based on their own experiences - time spent with a
sick relative, a personal battle with illness, or contact with a nurse who touched their
lives. Whatever the reason, there is a wide variety of choices once you enter nursing
school. Love babies? Neonatology might be right for you. Or maybe you'd prefer the
split-second decisions of the ER. As a nurse, you can explore both fields as well as many
more.
Below are some nursing careers you may want to look into:
Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses. They work in collaboration
with physicians and other health professionals. With the increased need for primary care
providers, there is a particularly high demand for nurse practitioners nationally and across
the commonwealth of Virginia.
Nurse practitioners:
• take detailed health histories and perform complete physical exams.
• Diagnose patients and decide treatment plans.
• Treat common acute conditions, illnesses or minor injuries.
• Provide health management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes.
• Prescribe medications.
• Counsel patients and their families on preventive care, health problems and treatment
alternatives.
Depending on their interests, nurse practitioners may work in private medical offices,
clinics, schools, health maintenance organizations, health departments or hospitals. Some
have their own private practices.
Nurse Midwife
Certified nurse midwives provide personal, family-centered care for those with
uncomplicated pregnancies and refer to affiliated physicians when the need arises.
Nurse midwives:
• educate women regarding contraception, conception, personal care, nutrition, exercise,
childbirth methods and other reproductive health issues.
• Conduct pelvic and breast exams and Pap smears.
• Monitor the patient and fetus during pregnancy.
• Assist women with labor and childbirth.
• Examine newborns and provide information in infant care and nutrition.
• Consult and refer to physicians when pregnancy or labor is not normal.
They usually work in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, public health
departments, clinics and private practices.
Nurse Anesthetists
They work in collaboration with physicians or dentists, combining professional nursing
skills with the science of anesthesia. Nurse anesthetists are an important part of the
surgical team.
Nurse anesthetists:
• Explain upcoming medical procedures and anesthesia to patients.
• Assemble and test medical equipment needed to administer anesthetics.
• Prepare prescribed solutions and start intravenous injections.
• Administer prescribed anesthetics and medications.
• Observe patients to ensure that anesthesia is maintained.
• Monitor patients for warning signs during anesthesia and assist attending physicians
with emergency procedures, if necessary.
• Record each patients' condition (as well as all anesthetics and medications
administered) before, during and after surgery.
Nurse anesthetists may work in hospitals, emergency rooms, dental offices and outpatient
surgery facilities.
Nursing Assistants/Aides
Nursing assistants also known as nurse aides, home health aides or orderlies.
Nursing assistants:
• take and record patients' temperature, blood pressure, and pulse.
• Set up medical equipment and perform simple treatments.
• Assist patients in and out of bed.
• Move patients to and from treatment rooms.
• Bathe, dress, undress and otherwise assist with patients' hygiene needs.
• Serve meals and feed patients.
• Clean, sterilize and assemble supplies and instruments used in surgery.
Make beds and perform other housekeeping activities to maintain cleanliness in patients'
room, nurseries and operating rooms.
Nursing assistants usually work in hospitals or in nursing homes under the supervision of
licensed health care professionals. They also may work in private homes or psychiatric
care settings.