Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNAs)
CRNAs monitor patients and administer anesthesia. They work in collaboration with dentists, anesthesiologists, podiatrists, surgeons and other healthcare professionals. CRNAs are responsible for providing pain management, stabilization services and supervising patient’s recovery. Their services may be used during surgeries, obstetrical, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. To ensure that their patients are free of pain, they have to determine the amount of anesthesia- general, local or regional- needed during and after the surgery. This profession involves advanced training and a lot of responsibilities.
Nurse Practitioners
These professionals are trained to diagnose and treat chronic illnesses. Nurse practitioners focus on prevention of diseases, promotion of health, managing the overall condition of their patients, prescribing treatments and medications. They perform and interpret different tests like, lab works, EKGs and X-rays. They are also responsible for treating conditions like, diabetes, injuries, high blood pressure and infections. Nurse practitioners provide counseling on healthy lifestyle choices, illness and injury prevention. They can choose to work independently or as a part of a healthcare team. They are also expected to record the history of their patients.
Nurse Midwives
A nurse midwife is a professional who specializes in women’s health and reproductive system. This specialization is recommended for those who are interested in prenatal and postnatal care. Along with attending births, they provide wellness and health care to women which includes gynecological checkups, prenatal care and family planning. The most important part of their job is to help women deliver their babies safely; they manage and supervise the whole process. Some midwifes work independently, while others work with a team. They also give counseling, perform gynecological exams and provide parenting education, etc.
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Post-Secondary
These professionals teach and demonstrate care in different settings like, clinical units and classrooms to nursing students. This profession includes people who are focused on teaching and those who are teaching as well as conducting researches. Nursing instructors and teachers are expected to grade students’ laboratory, class work and clinical work.
They supervise and help students during their clinical and laboratory work as well. This profession requires flexibility and cooperation. Nursing instructors need to be detail oriented and dependable. They should have excellent communication skills so they can communicate the lecture properly and understand the problems of their students. Nursing teachers transfer their valuable knowledge and skills to their students so that they can serve patients.
Registered Nurses (RNs)
Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care, educate the public and patients about health care, provide advice and help patients and their families. These healthcare specialists are responsible for assessing the conditions of their patients. They record patients’ medical history and symptoms and observe their progress. They also set plans or contribute information to already existing plans.
Registered Nurses collaborate and consult with doctors. Their titles usually vary with the type of duties that they perform, for example, a geriatric nurse works with old patients, while an oncology nurse works with patients suffering from cancer. Some nurses work in two areas which are combined for example, a pediatric oncology nurse looks after teenagers who are suffering from cancer.
There are multiple titles for nurses, some of them are given below:
Addiction nurses: They look after patients who need to overcome an addiction.
Cardiovascular nurses: They look after patients who are suffering from a cardiovascular condition.
Generic nurses: These nurses assist people with genetic conditions.
Rehabilitation nurses: They care for patients who have a disability- permanent or temporary.
Nephrology nurses: They care for patients who have issues related to kidneys.
Neonatal nurses: They look after newborn babies who have any health issues.
