Nurse Practitioner and other areas of practice

A nurse practitioner is a reputed job role within the healthcare system in any country. Becoming a nurse practitioner required much effort and dedication. Once you become qualified, there is a lot of things to fulfil to start working as a nurse practitioner. Medfuture provides excellent opportunities for qualified and experienced nurse practitioner other nursing professionals.

Here is a look at nurse practitioner and other areas of nursing practice.

Who is a nurse practitioner?                                                                

Nurse practitioners are highly skilled healthcare specialists with advanced education qualifications and knowledge in medical science. They are legally permitted to work at a higher level than registered nurses. Advanced knowledge and skills of nurse practitioners allows them to apply therapeutic knowledge and diagnostic reasoning within their nursing work scope. A nurse practitioner generally diagnoses various diseases, writes prescriptions, and orders lab tests.

Other areas of nursing practice

The scope of nursing is not limited to the role of a nurse practitioner. Following are other areas of nursing practice.

Medical-Surgical Nursing

Medical-surgical nurses help patients prepare for surgeries and care for adult patients in various healthcare settings like hospitals. Medical-surgical nursing is one of the most common nursing specialties for registered nurses and a popular area of work for nurses who are just entering the field. Medical-surgical nurses ensure patient comfort and safety, especially when they are about to face surgical procedures. They work in collaboration with surgeons, physicians, anesthesiologists, and other clinical staff.

Pediatric Nursing 

Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) are specialized in caring for children of all ages. They help families understand and cope with medical diagnoses of children and work in healthcare settings ranging from private practice to public health centers. PNPs conduct health screenings and physical examinations, and help diagnose and treat non-acute medical conditions in children.

Critical Care Nursing

Critical care nurses support patients who are very ill and, as a result, are in immediate danger and life threatening conditions. They generally work in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in hospitals. These nurses are specially trained to provide 24-hour care, including monitoring vital signs and patient conditions using special machines in the ICU.

Emergency Nursing

Emergency (ER) nurses provide care for patients that have faced injuries, illnesses, and trauma. They require specialist skills above and beyond ordinary nursing skills, especially working in a stressful environment and managing critical situations. They must remain calm and collected under any circumstance. ER nurses work in identifying the best methods to stabilize patients to help minimize the pain that they feel during injuries, trauma, and other emergency health and medical conditions.

Operating Room (OR) Nursing

Operating room (OR) nurses are a type of registered nurses that provide essential care for patients before, during, and after surgeries. They work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, providing care for patients outside of operating theaters. OR nurse are also called perioperative nurses. Their duties include stocking operating rooms with surgical supplies, implementing nursing care plans for surgical patients, and providing patients care in recovery.

Labor and Delivery Nursing

Labor and delivery nurses support obstetricians and gynecologists by caring for mothers and babies before, during, and after birth. They provide information, guidance, and reassurance to mothers and fathers in how to cope with this situation and adjust to their new life of caring for a newborn. They monitor the mother’s pain during delivery, prioritizing the health and safety of both mother and baby.

Neonatal Nursing

Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NNPs) work with infant and continue the care up until 2 years of age. They also help care for premature babies and babies born with diseases, birth defects, and other health conditions. Their role also include screening, diagnosing, and treating these babies while providing information on their care to the relevant families.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

Psychiatric nurse practitioners manage the psychiatric mental health nursing role in healthcare facilities. They are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) that diagnose and treat mental health conditions and needs in people and their families throughout their lifespan. Their role consists of managing psychiatric and substance disorders while they may work independently or with other medical specialists.

Geriatric Nursing

Geriatric nurses are specialized in treating complex mental and physical health conditions in older individuals. They help older patients protect their emotional and physical health status with the changes that they experience as they grow older. Geriatric nurses help older patients to stay independent and active as long as possible. They need to have certain qualities like patience and ability to listen intently as they constantly work with seniors. They also must learn to deal patiently with families due to conflicting demands from family members.

Community Health Nursing

Community health nurses work closely with their local communities by giving adequate knowledge and providing care to individuals and families living in a particular geographical region. Their role involves tasks like administering vaccinations, tracking disease prevalence in the local community, identify groups and individuals at risk, coordinating with local clinics regarding immunizations and wellness checks, and conducting research to identify potential interventions.

Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) administer pain relief procedures, including administering anesthesia to patients during surgery and other medical procedures. They determine the pain level of the patient and administer pain relief and may also prescribe medication as required. Nurse anesthetists work in a wide range of healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, and rural and remote healthcare facilities. The may work independently or with physician anesthesiologists, especially in healthcare settings like hospitals.

Nurse Midwife

Nurse midwives specialize in childbirth and women’s reproductive health. They care for women starting from adolescent up until menopausal. They also provide services through prenatal visits, attending during childbirth, and even provide care after childbirth. Nurse midwives focus highly on natural childbirth procedures and reproductive care. Nurse midwives work in healthcare settings including, birthing centers, clinics, hospitals, private practices, and health departments.

Oncology Nursing

Oncology nurses are specialized in treating and caring for cancer patients. They are the first line of communication for cancer patients and help to coordinate many aspects of patient care with regard to cancer treatment. The duties of oncology nurses include assessing patient health condition and reviewing their health history, safely administer cancer-related medication and treatments like chemotherapy, communicate with physicians on behalf patients, and help patients understand their conditions and relevant treatment procedures.

Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing

Hospice and palliative care nurses take care of individuals nearing the end of their lives. They follow models of organized end-of-life are, ensuring patients are best cared for during the latter part of their lives. These nurses primarily care for patients with serious illnesses like heart disease, cancer, dementia, and more. Their duties involve advising patients on diet changes, administering medication, providing emotional support to patients and their families, and introducing techniques for relaxing and relieving pain.

Infectious Disease Nursing

Infectious disease nurses are involved in treating and preventing infectious diseases. Especially in light of the pandemic such Covid-19, these nurses have to work tirelessly in preventing the spread of the virus and managing care for existing patients. Their role involves administering medication, monitoring patient conditions and symptoms, educating patients on their illness, preparing patients for surgery and caring for them there onwards, conducting lab tests, and coordinating with other medical staff to ensure patients get appropriate care.

Cardiac Nursing

Cardiac nurses are registered nurses that specialize in caring for patients with cardiovascular disease. They work with cardiologists in administering mediation and monitoring cardiovascular patient progress. They mostly work in surgical settings and are involved in helping patients prepare for surgery and care for them during the recovery process.

Orthopedic Nursing

Orthopedic nurses specialize in caring for individuals with musculoskeletal diseases and disorders including, bone fractures, arthritis, broken bones, genetic malformations, and joint replacements. They work in healthcare settings like hospitals, outpatient care clinics, and offices. Orthopedic nurses are generally familiar with a wide range of orthopedic conditions and related surgical procedures and medications.

Duties and tasks of a nurse practitioner and other nursing professionals

The duties and tasks of a nurse include the following:

Conducting advanced health examinations

Providing high quality and advanced healthcare services to patients

Diagnosing a range of health issues

Interpreting diagnostic tests, including x-rays and CT scans

Prescribing medications for different illnesses

Managing the overall healthcare status of patients

Capabilities and skills of a Nurse

Capabilities and skills of a nurse include the following:

Problem solving

Decision making

Effective communication

Flexibility and resilience

Innovation

Cultural safety

Teamwork

Documentation and computer literacy

Emotional intelligence

Time management

Medfuture, is a reputed healthcare recruitment organization that constantly work towards connecting qualified and experienced medical professionals with healthcare organizations across all regions. Visit the Medfuture job board to view a list of the latest nursing practitioner jobs and other medical jobs.