My Bedside Nursing Career
The essence of Medical-Surgical nursing is caring for people who are having a health challenge. Nurses are required to use all their nursing clinical knowledge and interpersonal skills each day. Early in my nursing career as a Registered Nurse, I worked on busy Medical-Surgical nursing units at a large university medical center. Especially memorable was working on a Renal Transplant unit. I rejoiced with people having a successful transplant and cried while supporting the ones with rejection. This type of nursing was both challenging and satisfying.
My Nursing Teaching Career
Teaching nursing students in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program for 13 years was my next nursing career. Qualifications included a Masters in Nursing Degree in order to teach. Most students were traditional twenty year old college students. However, some were second career students. All of these adult learners were motivated and goal oriented in the classroom and hospital clinical settings. Their refreshing maturity made my job enjoyable. I helped to educate over 1,000 nurses.
My Nursing Administration Career
Another nursing career was in nursing administration as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. I worked at a large community medical center for 15 years. My Masters in Nursing Degree also trained me to work as a Medical-Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist. I educated patients, family and nursing staff. I served as a member of interdisciplinary hospital teams. I served on Ethics, Nursing Practice Council, Skin and Wound committees.
It was a privilege and a joy to serve as a member of the Palliative Care Team. My role included prescribing nursing comfort care measures, preparing for transition to hospice care and supporting both the patient and family. I provided Healing Touch to reduce pain, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
Another project was creating a Rapid Response Team. Nurses save lives by recognizing when a patient needs to transfer to ICU hours before a Code Blue. I had immense satisfaction in knowing that this team continues to make a difference in patient lives ongoing!
Future Nurses
Throughout the many joys and sorrows of life, nurses use all aspects of their education in serving patients. With the baby boomer nurses retiring, there is a looming nursing shortage. Nursing jobs offer satisfaction, decent wages and opportunities to work any place in the world. If this appeals to you, you should consider a career as a registered nurse!