Nursing can be a highly challenging, interesting and satisfying job. Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare process and especially so in the NHS, where they make up the largest group of staff.
Nursing, no matter where you work, is a job that requires empathy, compassion, hard work and a commitment to helping people. It can be a challenging and stressful job but at the same time, has the potential to be extremely rewarding.
Nurses can take various professional pathways, and a day in the working life of a nurse will depend on their work setting. For instance, there are school nurses, medical or surgical nurses, practice nurses, district nurses etc.
Wherever there is healthcare, there are nurses. Within a hospital setting, there are nurses with different specialisations such as neo natal nurses, occupational health nurses, intensive care nurses etc.
Let’s look at what a medical nurse may encounter in a typical working day.
The main component of the nursing profession is caring for patients. Having a caring attitude and an empathy for other people’s situation is therefore of utmost importance in being a nurse. The specifics of each day can and will be different, but what will remain the same is the need for commitment towards the job.
Jobs of a nurse usually include:
- Working with the doctors and other healthcare professionals to assess the needs of a patient
- Creating a healthcare plan in accordance with doctors and the patient;
- And lastly, to ensure that the agreed plan is implemented diligently and responsibly.
Obviously doing this involves various tasks that need to be undertaken by nurses including taking temperature, checking blood pressure, checking blood sugar levels, administering IV medicine, cleaning and dressing wounds, and basic personal care duties such as washing, feeding, dressing, etc.
In addition to the right skills and training, a nursing job requires the ability to be flexible and multi-tasked, as there are usually several patients on a hospital ward. Nurses must also have excellent communication skills, to communicate effectively with patients as well as with the rest of their team.
The work environment, especially in a hospital setting can be fast changing, and become very stressful at times. It is necessary to be able to keep pace with the work, be observant, communicate effectively with the team and with the patients and be able to take decisions quickly and effectively based on individual patients’ needs.
- The life of a nurse can be challenging and stressful, but also very satisfying.
- In terms of financial remuneration nursing can be a well-paying profession.
- Fully qualified nursing roles within the NHS usually start at band 5, going up to band 7 for specialty nurses, and band 8c for consultant nurses and band 8 for matrons.
- This gives us a salary range of around £21,176 to £67,134 per year.
- This is according to the guidance pay rates given by the NHS Agenda for Change starting April 2012 and which are currently in practice.
Actual pay will depend on the banding of the job, points within the banding, and of course the individual employer. Salaries for nurses within private GP practices are independent of the NHS and depend entirely on the employer.
The life of a nurse is highly demanding – it takes mental and physical strength and resilience, as well as good communication and team working skills to be an effective nurse.
But knowing the help and support you provide to people as part of your job can be very rewarding, and this is what motivates people to go into nursing.
Image – Guardian.co.uk
