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Nursing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nursing is a profession focused on assisting individuals, families, and communities in attaining, re-attaining, and maintaining optimal health and functioning. Modern definitions of nursing define it as a science and an art that focuses on promoting quality of life as defined by persons and families, throughout their life experiences from birth to care at the end of life.
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In pre-modern times, nuns and the military often provided nursing-like services.[1] The religious and military roots of modern nursing remain in evidence today. For example, in Britain, senior female nurses are known as "Sisters."
Florence Nightingale is regarded as the founder of modern nursing, which flourished in response to the Crimean War.
New Zealand was the first country to regulate nurses nationally, with adoption of the Nurses Registration Act on the 12th of September , 1901. Ellen Dougherty was the first Registered Nurse.
- See also: Category:Nurses and Category:Nursing museums
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Nursing, like all professions, is based on the ideal of service to humanity. The practice of nursing involves altruistic behavior, is guided by nursing research, and is governed by a code of ethics.
Nursing continues to develop a wide body of knowledge and associated skills. There are a number of educational paths to becoming a professional nurse, but all involve extensive study of nursing theory and practice and training in clinical skills.
The authority for the practice of nursing is based upon a social contract that delineates professional rights and responsibilities as well as mechanisms for public accountability. In almost all countries, nursing practice is defined and governed by law, and entrance to the profession is regulated by national, state, or territorial boards of nursing.
The UK based Royal College of Nursing offers this definition: Nursing is "The use of clinical judgement in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death."[2]
In general terms, the nursing process is the method used to assess and diagnose needs, plan and implement interventions, and evaluate the outcomes of the care provided. Like other disciplines, the profession has developed different theories derived from sometimes diverse philosophical shabba beliefs and paradigms or worldviews to help nurses direct their activities to accomplish specific goals
The practice of nursing is governed by laws that define a scope of practice, generally mandated by the legislature of the political division within which the nurse practices. Nurses are held legally responsible and accountable for their practice. The standard of care is that of the "prudent nurse."
The International Florence Network is a network of 34 Schools of Nursing in Higher Education in 16 European countries. It is founded by the Hanze Hogechool in Groningen The Netherlands. Every year of the institutions of higher educations ( the Universities ) are the host school for the Annual Meeting. In 2005 it was Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven in Leuven Belgium - in 2006 it was at the Napier University in Edinburgh in Schotland - 2007 it will be the Halmstad University, - in 2008 the conference will be held at the Masraryk University in Brno Czech Republic
Nursing is the most diverse of all healthcare professions. It is a universal role, appearing in some form in every culture.
- See also: List of nursing specialties
The Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK is the regulatory body for nurses, midwives, and specialist practitioners. It maintains a register that is split into three parts:
- Nursing
- Midwifery
- Specialist Community Public Health Nurses (which includes Health Visitors)
Prior to the creation of the new three-part register on August 1, 2004, nurses and midwives were divided into a part of the register they held a qualification in. This may be now described as a 'sub-part' of the nursing register, a list of which appears here.
All newly qualified nurses register in 'sub-part' 12, 13, 14 or 15, showing their branch qualification. However, nurses still practising and holding qualifications in 'sub-parts' 1-9 are registered as such.
To become a nurse within the United Kingdom, one must at the very minimum hold a Diploma in Nursing and have trained for three years, or two years on an 'accelerated' course, (or equivalent if from overseas). After training, the opportunities are vast, with many different areas of nursing, from general ward to teaching or management. Also the practise areas can be in hospital, or in the community or both.
Many nurses are members of trade unions, which represent them both individually and as a profession. The two main unions are UNISON and the Royal College of Nursing.
In the US, there are over 200 specialties within nursing. These specialties encompass care throughout the human lifespan based upon patient needs.
Professional organizations or certifying boards issue voluntary certification in many of these areas to signify expert knowledge of the specialty. Certified nurses often earn a salary differential over their non-certified colleagues, and studies from the Institute of Medicine have demonstrated that specialty certified nurses have higher rates of patient satisfaction, as well as lower rates of work-related errors in patient care.
Indian Nursing Council is the regulatory body for profession of nursing. A person practising nursing must be registered with nursing council. For a person to be registered, he or she has to undergo and pass the pescribed course stipulated by the council.In India , diploma,bachelor degree( Bsc Nursing ) and postgraduate degree ( Msc Nursing ) are offered.
Nursing in the Philippines is patterned after the United States of America. Students enjoy learning because of numerous field trips and laboratory activities. Colleges of Nursing in the Philippines are known for their outsanding performance in producing world-quality nurses who are very competent with foreign nurses. Although the trend for nurses is increasing dramatically, the quality of education and training for student nurses is still maintained. Nursing in the Philippines require four years of study. Some schools train the students as early as second year. Nursing is not considered as a vocational course like other countries do. It is a renowned profession and has become an identity of Filipinos worldwide. Colleges of Nursing include University of the Philippines (Quezon City), Saint Louis University (Baguio City), Far Eastern University (Manila), University of Cebu,Lorma Colleges (San Fernando City, La Union) and especially Angeles University Foundation (Angeles City, Pampanga).
Nurses practice in a wide range of settings, from hospitals to visiting people in their homes and caring for them in schools to research in pharmaceutical companies. Nurses work in occupational health settings (also called industrial health settings), free-standing clinics and physician offices, nurse-run clinics, long-term care facilities, and camps. They also work on cruise ships and in military service. Nurses act as advisors and consultants to the healthcare and insurance industries. Some are attorneys and others work with attorneys as legal nurse consultants, reviewing patient records to assure that adequate care was provided and testifying in court. Nurses can even enter their names in a "registry" and work a wide variety of temporary jobs (Per Diem Nursing) or travel to another city for a temporary assignment (Travel Nursing).
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- Nursing in Australia
- ^ http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/florrie.html
- ^ RCN (2003) Defining nursing Retrieved October 2006