Nursing Myths: Fact or Fiction

Nursing myths exist. Here are some myths and the truth behind them.

Male nurses aren’t welcome in the nursing profession: It is completely false. Though admittedly there is that perceived notion that nurses should be female, there is a growing number of male nurses joining the nursing field. Right now male nurses account for 6 percent of the nursing population. Discriminative policies like prohibition of male nurses from assisting in oncology cases are slowly being corrected. Male nurses have every opportunity for career advancement like their female counterparts.

Nursing needs years of study: Not completely accurate. Depending on which nursing course one enrolls, some only take one to two years to finish. Due to the shortage of nurses, courses were shorten and fast tracked. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) need only a 1 year course while Diploma in Nursing courses need two years. Bachelors Degree in Nursing needs 4 years but graduates of these course get higher salaries compared to the other two mentioned nursing courses.

Nursing is boring and has not much career advancement opportunities: completely inaccurate. The fact is nursing is one field where career advancement is most available and plentiful. If one is a registered nurse, they can choose to continue in advance studies for specialization in different nursing fields. Nurse Midwifery, Geriatric Nursing, Critical Care Nursing are some of the specialized nursing field.

Doctors will always be more prestigious than nurses: False. Advance Registered Nurses who specialize in different nursing fields can now do some things only doctors used to be able to do. A Nurse Practitioners can now diagnose patients and open clinics. There are nurses who are licensed to do anesthesiology. Surgical Nurses are given equal footing during surgical operations as with doctors.

Nursing is profession for everyone. As long as you have the heart to care for your patients no matter who they are and what sickness they have, nurses have their own unique contributions to the field of medicine.

Becoming a Nurse – LPN or RN

The field of nursing is promising if you want to find a job that pays well. There is a shortage of nurses and as the population grows, the need for more and more nurses will continue to rise thereby ensuring you can find a job with ease.

How does one become a nurse? One can either take nursing courses in becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or a registered nurse (RN). If you want a fast course then take a licensed practical nursing course. Usually these courses can be finished within a year. Registered nurses take more time to finish usually up to four years. But before one can obtain a license to practice nursing, one has to take a nursing exam called NCLEX. These exams are usually administered twice a year in the USA and its territories like Guam. More recently Mexico and the Philippines were granted the right to hold these exams.

What do you learn in nursing courses? They teach you anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, medical ethics, nursing theory and legal matters pertaining to nursing. Clinical training is an important part in the road to nursing. Nursing students are required to apprentice in hospitals and clinics under strict supervision to insure what they do is correct.

Registered nurses usually earn much more than licensed practical nurses due to the broader nursing knowledge they acquired during college. Specialist registered nurses are the ones who get the best salaries but they need to do additional studies before they can be certified in their field of specialization.

Nursing Specialization Training

The field of nursing simply doesn’t end with nurses caring for patients or assisting doctors in examining patients. There are more to nursing if one continues their education or takes a Masters Degree in Nursing. After getting a license to practice nursing, one can choose to study and specialize in different nursing fields. Some of these nursing specialized field include:

Surgical Nursing which specialized in helping doctors in surgical operations.

Nursing Educators are nurses who teach licensed practical nursing courses and prepares licensed nurses to practice positions.

Nurse Anesthetists can replace the work of anesthesiologists and can administer all types of anesthesia to patients.

Case Management specialists work in the field of health care. These types of nurses are the ones who help and assist HMOs in assessing clients and sees to it that they can help in reducing costs by giving the right recommendations. They are the ones who coordinate with hospitals and doctors in behalf of the HMO and their clients.

Nursing Researchers are the ones who try to improve the field of nursing through everyday situations. They research, do case studies, interviews and do focus grouping to obtain data needed.

Legal Nurse consultant assists for law firms and HMO when litigation takes place. Using their expertise and years of experience, they help attorneys on legal terms used in the medical field and advice them base on case facts.

Nurse Practitioners can diagnose patients as a doctor would but they need to get certified in that field first. They are allowed to open clinics in some states.

There are so many exciting options when you are a registered nurse plus nursing specialization gives you a better salary then being an ordinary registered nurse.

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