Nurses work in many different areas, but the common thread of nursing is the nursing process - the essential core of how a registered nurse delivers care.

This process involves 5 steps:

• assessment: collecting and analyzing physical, psychological and sociocultural data about a patient;
• diagnosis: making a judgment on the cause, condition and path of the illness;
• planning: creating a care plan which sets specific treatment goals;
• implementation: supervising or carrying out the actual treatment plan;
• evaluation: continuous assessment of the plan.

Nursing Specialties

There is a wide variety of nursing specialty areas; you will certainly be able to find one to fit any interest you have. Examples include: surgery, emergency, pediatric, psychiatric, school, public health, nurse-midwives, and others. Note that some specialty areas require additional experience, study or certification.

Career Opportunities

There is a strong demand for nurses today. Career prospects are good, and job possibilities are plentiful. Nurses are needed not only in hospitals, but in home health agencies, long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, managed care centers, and in community health. Educating patients & their families in preventive care is highly important. Demands for advanced practice nurses are growing in many areas; some APNs are opening their own practices.

Nurses have never been more important to health care than they are today. They must be well-educated, adaptable, and able to act as patient advocates. Nurses should be prepared for leadership roles in managing resources to promote better health care for their patients, whatever the location or setting.

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