Are you a people person? Do you love helping others? Are you someone your friends and family go to for help? If so, a career in nursing could be for you. While it takes significant knowledge, skill, determination, and qualifications to become a great nurse, it’s an extremely rewarding profession.
Before you decide whether a nursing career is right for you, let’s dive into some typical nursing duties, the requirements and typical workplaces. So, what is a nurse, and what do they do?
What is a nurse exactly?
While exact definitions of what a nurse is and does vary, all nurses monitor patient well-being. Essentially, a nurse cares for those in need due to various health or behavioral reasons. The specifics of what a nurse does will depend on where they work. However, some duties are consistent across all types of nursing.
Typical nursing duties
Nurses have a range of duties, no matter where they work. Regardless of their role, nurses provide knowledge-based care and perform all or some of the following:
- Perform exams
- Prepare patients to receive treatment
- Assess health history
- Provide health education
- Record details and symptoms
- Assess patient health and behavior
- Administer medication and treatments
These are typical in almost all nursing jobs, but your specific role will depend on where you work. So where do nurses commonly work?
Where do nurses work?
Nurses work in various areas of the community, helping patients, families and institutions care for those who need it most, from hospitals to schools, private healthcare facilities, home healthcare services, camps, sports groups and state prisons. The duties you perform in each of these settings will differ slightly, but wherever you work, a similar education and certification are required.
What are the requirements to become a nurse?
Before diving into the formal requirements to become a nurse, there are several critical skills and characteristics all great nurses have in common. Knowing these will help you decide if nursing is the right career path for you. Typical nursing personality traits and skills include:
- Care
- Compassion
- Empathy
- Determination
- Strong mental capacity
A nursing career could be for you if you love helping others and working with people. Once you’ve established whether this is the career for you, several formal requirements are needed to become a registered nurse in the United States.
To kickstart your nursing journey, study an online nursing program. The accredited course at Holy Family University teaches you the key skills and knowledge essential for becoming an excellent nurse. As a post-graduate, you must then obtain a license by passing an NCLEX test that assesses your skills and confirms that you’re ready to become a nurse in the real world.
Begin your nursing journey
Undoubtedly, nursing is an enriching career in which you can make a genuine difference in the lives of those who need it most. We hope this has given you all the information you need to begin your career.
