Rachel Jackson asked:


Today, many trade organizations exist for nurses, and with more organizations available, the opportunity to share knowledge with peers is increased. This also results in an increased amount of nursing conferences. This plays a key role in increasing the awareness of and how to break into more specialized nursing professions, such as forensic nursing. Nursing conferences also provide the opportunity to obtain continuing education units, or CEU’s. Although there are conferences which are specific to a particular nursing field, there are also particular themes that are followed at these conferences.

Typically, there is time designated for the free exchange of information, usually through a forum or panel discussion format. The focus of this component is for nurses around the country, and sometimes the globe, to talk about important trends, where they see the profession going, and how the industry is changing. Some are more targeted and revolve around the legal, economic, or social issues facing nurses today, and the healthcare industry as a whole.

Although this information is not covered at all nursing conferences; some of the larger and well known conferences offer hands-on training. The type of training offered may be geared toward specialized nursing paths. However, general conferences can have a number of workshops available with topics that range from developing nursing diagnosis, to better bedside manners.

Most nursing conferences also have a lecture and/or seminar based on improving patient care. These lectures discuss the importance of making patients feel comfortable, calm, and safe. Little tricks like remembering small bits of information about your patients can greatly increase their comfort level. These sessions also mention ways to obtain vital symptom, pre-existing conditions, and current medications information out of patients.
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Thanks to recent natural disasters, emergency management and disaster response has become a popular topic at nursing conferences today. These sessions teach nurses how to react to a loss of power, having to move patients in an emergency situation, and how to deal with the various issues that arise out of an emergency.

Another popular component of a nursing conference is the technology presentation. This section allows those in the world of nursing to preview all of the latest hospital software, equipments, and tools. Technology presentations help nurses see the direction that the future of hospital equipment is moving in, and it provides a glimpse of what technology skills they made need to sharpen.

As with most other conferences, there is also a session that is dedicated to legal updates, and revised industry standards. This session can be presented by either one person or a group. The sessions may also cover everything from recent rulings in legal cases that involve nursing or particular medications, to revised industry standards on nursing overtime, benefits, and/or patient loads. Recent FDA decisions on new drugs are also likely to come up during this session. Another hot topic during a conference session deals with malpractice insurance and standards.

The promotion of wellness and prevention is a topic that is pretty common at nursing conferences. These sessions provide nurses with tips and advice on how to promote healthier lifestyles to patients and how to explain the connection between wellness and a longer life. There is also the aspect of promoting prevention for a variety of diseases and conditions to every type of patient. A newer component to some of the more general conferences is the concept of promoting wellness to the nurses. These sessions deal with fighting off “burn out,” reducing or coping with stress, and channeling frustration. It is understood that being a nurse is a “thankless” job and many conferences are starting to address these issues among nurses. These are all important issues affect turnover, patient relationships, and in many cases may reduce the number of accidents that occur.

There is usually a session that deals with leadership roles within the hospital and/or how healthcare facilities are run. These sessions spell out how to manage hospital resources like time, money, equipment, and personnel. Such sessions are good for nurses seeking greater responsibility and/or a higher position.

Finally, all conferences feature at least one key note speaker. Key note speakers are usually individuals with years of experience within a particular field or as a motivational speaker. For nursing conferences, a key note speaker can touch on a variety of topics such as the power of positive thinking or adapting to change. It is important to note that the key note speech is often broad and may not be directly related to nursing.

There are many nursing conferences out there, covering a wide variety topics and issues. It is best to look for conferences which target your specific nursing specialty, before choosing a more general conference. This helps ensure that the conference is the best choice for your particular nursing field.



GENE
Mela asked:


Whenever the term critical care is mentioned – most people immediately think about severely sick patients in intensive care units or ICUs. They are not mistaken. Intensive Care Units and Critical Care specialized areas in the hospital that care for patients in need of intense and one on one attention. These are the areas where a critical care nurse Practices.

What is a Critical Care Nurse

A Critical Care Nurse or a CCN is a highly specialized nurse that has been trained to work in Critical and Intensive Care areas. Critical care nurses care for patients who are severely ill and in need of individualized care. A CCN cares for patients of all diagnoses and gender. Patients may vary depending on the category of the Critical Care Unit. Critical care nurses also deal with complex technology that helps sustain patients.



The History of Critical Care Nursing

Critical Care Nursing is a relatively new nursing specialty. It wasn’t until the 1950’s that the very first Intensive Care Units appeared in the Western world. These units were created to deal with gravely ill patients. They were considered to need a more intensive form of care compared to the patients in the regular wards. The notion of a critical care unit quickly spread. Today, most hospitals are required to have these specialized areas and in turn specialized nurses and physicians to run them.

Back then, nurses assigned in CCUs and ICUs were not seen as different from regular ward RNs. It was only a few years later that critical care nursing was considered as a specialized nursing field.

Roles of a Critical Care Nurse
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Like any other registered nurse, the roles of the critical care nurse are very complex. These nurses have to deal with severely ill patients. They also need to be familiar with complex technologies that are continually present in a critical care setting. The critical care nurse also has to know basic and advance life support. Such skills may be called upon at any point during his/her service.

The critical care nurse must also be skilled in the art of diagnosis. He/she must be able to diagnose and identify a patient’s immediate needs. This part of critical care nursing is important as it may be the difference between life and death for a patient. Nonetheless, the nurse must remember that despite being skilled at diagnosis, one must not overstep her boundaries and perform roles reserved for a physician alone.

Aside from dealing with patients and their needs, the CCN also has to deal with the patient’s family. The CCN often works as a counselor that helps the family get through the crisis at hand. He/she may have to deal with questions and concerns from the patient’s immediate family and significant others.

Qualifications and Requirements

IN THE PHILIPPINES - Locally, any registered nurse can become a critical care nurse. It is only a matter of area assignment. Most of the time, nurses who are assigned in critical care units are those who have shown promise in their previous areas of exposure. They are also the ones who have worked in similar areas such as medical/surgical or pediatric units.

ABROAD - Abroad, in the US specifically, there are no specialized requirement to be a critical care nurse other than an RN License. However, there are bodies of authority that certify CCNs.

 Although, certification is not required, most CCNs abroad are choosing to go for it because it increases their credibility. Employers also often require their CCNs to be certified in the field. Certification is achieved post graduation. It is not something taught in school. Some schools may expose their students to ICUs, but this is not considered enough for certification. The RNs get their CCN certificates while they are on the job. It is also often sponsored by the employer.

Work Opportunities in the Philippine Nursing Scene

There are a lot of opportunities to become a critical care nurse in the Philippines. But, nurses have to understand that these critical care units are often hard to get into. These units only require a limited number of nurses. Most of the time there are only a total of 12 nurses that work in a typical ICU with 8–10 beds.

Those who do get into these areas are considered lucky because their position opens great opportunities to work abroad. In most settings, CCNs have a lesser work load compared to nurses in large wards. Patients in ICUs need more attention but the numbers are much smaller compared to wards. A typical government hospital ward may hold 50-70 patients and with only a nurse or two to manage it.

Work Abroad as a Critical Care Nurse



There are a lot of work opportunities for a critical care nurse abroad. The CCN can work in any area where there is an intensive or critical care unit. Certification is often an option provided by employers to deserving and promising nurses. The employers are often the ones who fund certification seminars and the likes.

With the present shortage in nursing manpower, hospitals are clamoring to get their hands on specialized nurses. These employers would often offer big sign-in bonuses just to get a nurse to work with them. The average salary of a critical care nurse in the US often ranges from USD50,000 - USD 75,000. It is estimated that nearly 70% of the critical care nurse population earn that much.  Some earn slightly lower while others earn upwards of USD90,000 to USD100,000 annually

From: http://nursingguide.ph/article_item-427/The_Ins_and_Outs_of_the_Critical_Care_Nursing_Field.html



RUBIN
anirban das asked:


Nursing is a noble profession and requires as much dedication as that of a doctor. A nurse is the primary care-giver to a patient and contributes in the safe recovery of patients. Good nurses are always in demand. Any medical service is incomplete without nursing. Whether it is the general wards or the operation theater, the role of trained nurses is paramount everywhere. Nursing includes various responsibilities, such as maintaining patients’ records, dispensing medication, setting up the equipments of an operation theater and many other routine jobs. As specialized duties, nurses are required to take care of psychiatric or pediatric patients.

 

In fact, these days, Indian nurses have good career opportunities abroad too. India is seen as a talent pool of skilled nurses. The nursing course can be done at both degree and diploma levels. B.Sc Nursing is a popular course and available at various reputed universities and institutes. There are many nursing courses and nursing colleges in India. Nursing training includes both theory and practical.

 
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Taking care of the sick and the infirm people is no mean task. It requires patience and kind-heartedness beyond comparison. Probably, this is the reason why t his profession is dominated by women. The name of nurse Florence Nightingale became a part of history when she served patients in the Crimean War.

 

At the beginning of the service, a nurse is mainly trusted with the bedside care of patients. As time passes by and she gains more experience, she can specialize in the management of patients in a particular section like Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Cardiology, for which specialized skills are required.

 

The eligibility to pursue a Bachelor’s nursing course is that one should have completed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology as mandatory subjects. For a postgraduate course in Nursing, one should have successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Subsequently, the eligibility required for doing a Ph. D in Nursing is the successful completion of Postgraduate degree in Nursing. There are around 500 nurses training institutes in India that admit about 10,000 students every year. The minimum age of admission is seventeen years.

 

One can pursue a course at Hindu Rao Hospital, Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education Research in Chandigarh, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur College Of Nursing in Delhi, Jamia Hamdard Rufaida School of Nursing in Delhi, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in

New Delhi, Institute of Health Sciences in Mangalore, besides many other institutes.

Acharya Institute Of Health And Sciences is affiliated to the prestigious University at Bangalore. The institute offers degree level graduate and postgraduate course in nursing. B.Sc Nursing is a full-time four-year course which includes the following subjects: Kannada, Sociology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Basic Principles and Practice of Nursing, General Psychology, Educational Psychology, Microbiology, Introduction to Community and Health Nursing. M.Sc Nursing is a full time two-year course which includes the following: Medical Surgical Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Paediatric Nursing, Advanced Concepts of Health & Nursing, Biological & Psychological Foundation of Nursing, Education & Nursing Education, Biostatics, Research Methodology & Nursing Research.

 

Sacred Heart School of Nursing based in Jalandhar, Punjab offers a full time 3-year Diploma of General Nursing & Midwifery to train the students in the field of General Nursing & Midwifery. The eligibility to appear for eh entrance exam is obtaining a minimum of 45% marks in 12th class. An entrance examination is conducted for the eligible candidates. Oral interview and verification of original certificates is conducted for those candidates who qualify in the entrance examination.

After the completion of the course, one joins as Staff Nurse in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. One can become a staff nurse irrespective of whether one holds the B.Sc. degree or the Diploma certificate. The main difference is reflected in the number of increments and the duration between the promotions. After the initial course, a nurse can specialize in fields such as Psychiatric Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Operation Theatre Nursing, Cancer Treatment Nursing and Neo-natal Nursing.

A good nurse would have inherent qualities like patience, perseverance, responsibility and punctuality. On the job, a successful nurse develops qualities such as organizational skills, flexibility and the ability to make observations and quick decision making. Alertness of mind and team spirit are also required to tackle emergency situations.

Demand for trained nurses is very high in India as well as abroad. Nurses can get good jobs in schools, health departments, orphanages, old age homes, defense, industrial houses etc. One could also opt to join a training institute as an educator. In countries such as the UK, the US and the Middle East, nurses get paid very handsomely. In fact, India is the largest supplier of nurses to the world.

 

The starting salary of a nurse ranges between Rs.10,000 to Rs.12,000 per month. In state-run hospitals, they also get certain allowances like uniform allowance, house rent allowance, washing allowance, Government accommodation and free medical treatment



DEWEY

The Perks of Travel Nursing

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Andri Irawan asked:


Travel nursing is nursing that allows a nurse to work for a few months in one hospital before moving on to another hospital that is in a different part of the country. Hospitals and medical facility’s use travel nurses because they feel that they can benefit from the travel nurses expertise, to help get a new facility up and running, and to act as a mentor for a novice staff. But why would anybody become a travel nurse.

A huge reason nurses pursue travel nursing careers is the money. Travel nurses make significantly more money per hour then their contemporaries who work in just one hospital. Travel nurses do not get paid directly by the hospital they are working for. Typically the travel nursing agency collects and hands out the travel nurses salary.

Travel nurses love traveling. Through their jobs they can not only visit different parts of the country they can actually live and work in various parts of the country. They get to see how medical services differ from one part of the country to the next.

Travel nurses know that if and when they meet a co-worker that they don’t get along with, they know that it isn’t a big deal. They will only have to deal with them for a few months and then they will be moving onto a different location.

Travel nurses make lots and lots of new friends all over the county.

The average travel nurse enjoys excellent medical and dental benefits. In most situations agencies that specialize in travel nurses offer these medical and dental benefits to lure travel nurses to their agency. Some nursing agencies also have 401K plans.

Working as a travel nurse is an excellent way to build a fantastic resume. The things a nurse learns during their experience as a travel nurse will go a long way to obtaining a successful job in a home hospital when the nurse is ready to cease their nomadic ways. The people you meet working as a travel nurse will be valuable references, before completing a work assignment make sure you keep a record of names and phone numbers that you can use as references when you are ready to find a permanent nursing position.

Some travel nursing agencies offer their nurses an additional way to make some extra money by offering a bonus each time the nurse makes a successful referral. Because the travel nurse is constantly working at hospitals and medical facility’s that are full of brand new nurses the opportunity to encourage referrals is endless. Some agency’s also offer their travel nurses a completion bonus when a job has been finished.

Some times friends who have gone through nursing school together decide that travel nursing is something they can do together. Working in tandem means that the travel nurse always see familiar face no matter where they go.

Some travel nurses enjoy the experience of working in various parts of the country they decide to further their traveling careers by offering to work at missionaries and hospitals all over the world.

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GIL
Shawn Thomas asked:


It can be a difficult task to figure out how to secure the financing necessary in order to pursue a career in nursing. When beginning this process, it can take some time and persistence. However, you can find many nursing school grants which can help move you in the right direction. 

With a little guidance, you can learn how to secure a nursing school grant, which may pay for some, if not all of the costs for your nursing education. Be sure to give yourself enough time to locate and complete all of the necessary forms. Securing a nursing grant requires diligence, but it is well worth it for the benefit of not beginning your nursing career with large debts that may take years to repay. 

When starting this process, it is a good idea to seek advice from an enrollment or career counselor. Ask them if there are grants for nursing education available from the higher educational facility in which you are looking to receive your nursing education. You may also want to schedule a meeting with the director of the nursing program. This meeting can help provide you with enrollment information as well as possible grants, which can make enrolling in the school much easier.

Nursing is a profession which is in high demand, and because of this grants may be difficult to acquire. Leave no stone uncovered during your search for a grant. The payoff is well worth the effort. Get in touch with other nursing schools about grants that may be available. The school you may be attending may have a completely different list of grants than your second choice school. 

The nursing schools, community colleges, and universities offering nursing education to students, are not the only resources for helping you to find nursing school grants. The community where you live is likely to have few grants that you may be eligible for because of your nursing educational aspirations. Contacting community development services in your area is one option worth looking into. Other good options include asking church, civic, and other community leaders including your own employer, for leads to available grants that you may be able to obtain to help minimize the costs of attending nursing school.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is an excellent resource which can help you explore ways to secure a nursing school grant. Federally subsidized educational and nursing grants are also available and worth checking. FAFSA also supplies helpful information about financial assistance.

Get in touch with local doctors and medical centers in your area. They often have apprenticeships and other opportunities that offer multiple benefits to those pursing nursing careers. Some medical groups offer grants to those pursuing the nursing profession. They also have contacts within the medical community that can lead to your discovery of a grant to help you afford your nursing school education. A work arrangement with them is an excellent way for you to acquaint yourself with the duties involved in nursing while developing the skills needed to help you find the job you want after graduation.

You may have never thought about contacting local, social, political, civic groups and associations. These groups can be beneficial to your search for nursing school grants. For example, family friends and old acquaintances may be able to help your search with valuable information for finding nursing school grants. You have nothing to lose by asking around. In the end, it is well worth it because of the possible gain in financial assistance. By approaching them on your own, or having your parents ask their contacts about the availability of possible grants, you may find the connection which will help you secure a grant to attend nursing school.

The internet provides instant, convenient access to vast amounts of useful information in your hunt for securing a nursing school grant. Exercise caution when utilizing services such as requests for information mailed to your home or workplace, or in filling out online applications to protect your personal information from identity theft. It is an unfortunate reality that identity thieves are everywhere, and this includes the internet. Only provide your personal information after checking the legitimacy of a site. Most of these websites have proper technology in place to help prevent your information from being stolen.

Let the hunt begin for securing a nursing school grant or multiple grants. Finding a grant is important because it helps reduce the costs of your nursing education. By utilizing these suggestions, you should have a much easier time finding a grant which allows you to attend nursing school. One tip to remember is to contact several schools that you would like to attend. Each school may have access to different grants which are available for an education in the field of nursing. Keep searching because new nursing grants become available throughout the year and eventually the grant you have been searching for may appear.



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