What Does It Take To Become A Nurse?
November 21, 2017 by ThySista
Filed under Education, Opinion, Weekly Columns
(ThySistas.com) Nursing is one of the toughest jobs on the planet. It is also one of the most rewarding. Nurses are highly respected, and their services are always welcomed. But it’s definitely not a career everyone could pursue with success. It takes a driven personality as well as a deeply caring side. But perhaps it is that constant need to balance your empathy for a patient with your need to stay healthily detached that is the toughest part of the job. Here are just some of the requirements of nurses that make them some of the most admired people in the world:
Strong Stomach
You have to be able to cope with some pretty strong smells and
incredibly distressing sights. Various bodily fluids will end up on your uniform at some point in your varied career. You need to be able to cope with blood, vomit and more on a daily basis for most postings. This definitely requires a very strong stomach and the ability to keep your cool when these types of things happen. The patient is likely to be very ill and very distressed. Regardless of how messy it gets, you have to help them stay calm and get through it.
Lots Of School
It’s true that the path to becoming a nurse is very academic. You will need your nursing qualifications and a nursing degree. From there you might take additional specialist training like the ACLS certification or midwifery. In fact, nurses are found in most medical centers like hospitals, dentists, doctor’s surgeries and care homes. There are countless different routes your career might take you. But you will need to keep your certification up to date and possible add more and more to it as the years go by.
Caring And Compassionate
A nurse must be caring and compassionate. Chances are you’ll reach a point in your career where you have literally seen it all. Nothing can shock you or surprise you anymore. Nothing phases you or upsets you. It’s at that point where you might question why it’s not affecting you.
Coping with death and the families left behind is another part of nursing that can be quite distressing and hard to take. It’s important to recognize when you need a break from the stress of the role too.
Deep down you are still every bit the caring and compassionate nurse you started out as. This distancing of yourself from the patient is necessary sometimes, especially when you care a lot.
Ability To Work In A Hierarchy
Nursing is a lot like working in the military at times. Orders and directions come from the most senior person. In an emergency room, you have to take those orders and get on with them quickly, efficiently, and without question. This means you have to respect the position of the person you work with even if secretly you hate them! This can be quite tough for a lot of people used to working in more lateral teams. Could you become a nurse?
Staff Writer; Shelia Barker
