Hello, this is my first time on this site so excuse me if I am doing this wrong. For my final essay for English comp 1, we are to write about the intellectual demands in our jobs. I have it written and I have gone over it many times, with previous papers I was told I have problems with commas(too many, too few) and comma splices. Any input would be great, I know it is the Thanksgiving break so I don't expect anything anytime soon. Thanks again!
The Intellectual Aspect of Nursing
In electing the correct career path, which one's life will orbit around, makes one deliberate all the aspects of said path. When determining the right path, look at the hours the job would require, the years of schooling, the capability to take orders, and being able to keep pace on a scholarly level. Knowing the level of intellect a field necessitates allows one to determine if they can learn at the pace that is expected and required. Fields that fall into the scope of medicine can be intellectually demanding to study. The inclination to help others is not the only quality desired in nursing, the job is mentally as well as physically demanding. Specific nursing areas like psychiatry requires swift critical thinking and the ability to defuse dangerous situations with words, empathy, and a bit of tough love.
Once someone figures out that helping others is their end goal, the choice of where in the vast galaxy called medicine that one wants to stumble into. It is a must for someone to have a genuine pull towards helping others no matter what medical issue a patient may have. Nursing allows for one on one patient interaction, more than a doctor would have. While a doctor can save a life by performing surgery, a nurse can and often has to, make life or death decisions in sundry situations. Becoming a nurse requires the love of school, primarily because a majority of the first few years after making this career choice is spent there.
In those first few years, most institutions require basic general education credits be taken, from English to math and maybe even a few history classes. Once those are accomplished, moving along to classes such as nutrition and sociology, one finds themselves able to view topics in an innovative and interesting way. Exploring the world from a new perspective taken from the lectures and discussion groups, opening one's mind to how the rest of the world may see things. Skills such as critical thinking are honed in on early in education, but in nursing it is something that can end up saving a life. Once college is complete, the level of one's critical thinking skills can often steer them towards the specialty they would like to practice in.
The long trek through college is now over, and it's time to find a place that suits one's interests and skills. There are many options in regard to where to practice, such as maternity, pediatrics, surgery, emergency, or even psychiatric nursing. Each specialty may require additional training and certifications, and a true desire to deal with a particular set of medical illnesses. The shifts that often accompany a nurse are long 12 hour shifts, which are normal in most hospitals along with mandatory overtime and possibly being on a storm response team depending on the area lived in.
Psychiatric nursing requires a special skill set that evolves from the general observation and communication abilities that are taught during the formative schooling years. Being around a patient consistently allows the nurse to see more subtle changes that may occur not only hour to hour, but day to day, or even week to week. The expectation of being a walking, talking disease and drug database can seem overwhelming. Knowing the diagnosis of the patients and all the symptoms of the disease along with the medication and side effects can be daunting as a new nurse. While the mind is an incredibly powerful and mysterious thing, it is not error proof and learning is a process that continues throughout the years working as a nurse. Nursing is not meant for everyone, but the intellectual demands of psychiatric nursing goes beyond book smarts.
With everything from anxiety disorders to schizophrenia, the observation process will be the same. Learning the history of a patient through charts is just as important as communicating with them on a therapeutic level to see the particular triggers that may set them off. In coordination with other members of the medical treatment team, the keen observational skills of the nurse is often valuable seeing as they see the patient daily and can notice the little changes. Dispensing medication can be an essential part of treatment, and a working knowledge of the drugs in the specialty is key. Before handing out medication, the possible drug reactions need to be known so if they occur the proper action can be taken promptly. The ability to remain calm and rational during an emergency is essential, and one will soon realize that all the hours spent reading about these situations no longer apply.
Emergencies can happen in any field, but with psychiatry in particular, it can be dangerous to not only the patient's life, but the lives of the medical staff as well. Handling a situation with the thought process of thinking three steps ahead is key so that one can provide the necessary intervention. With drug interactions for instance, the nurse would need to know what drug would counteract the effects produced, or in more serious situations, how to properly sustain life until the doctor arrives. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there may be a schizophrenic who is not responding to medication and might believe the voices that are telling them to hurt everyone. The fast reaction time of the nurse is critical in keeping themselves and their patient safe, whether by noticing the signs quickly, giving an emergency injection, or being able to properly defuse the situation with therapeutic conversation. The critical and quick thinking skills implemented by a nurse can be the difference between a dangerous medical emergency and a quickly diffused situation.
In conclusion, the intellectual demands of nursing can take appear in more than one form. Getting through school is one of the first hoops that one would need to get through. Considering that book smarts are only a small part of the job, what is truly considered the intellectual part can vary depending on the person. While nursing school is something that does require effort and being intellectual, the thought process of an individual and the ability to retain and use the information in many ways can be just as demanding. Not everyone has the ability to think quickly in a high pressured situation that is life or death, and certainly not on a daily basis. The desire to help change lives has to be incredibly strong for a person to make such a career choice that can be potentially dangerous. It could be said that there is "book smarts" and "street smarts" when considering the intellect of a nurse.
The Intellectual Aspect of Nursing
In electing the correct career path, which one's life will orbit around, makes one deliberate all the aspects of said path. When determining the right path, look at the hours the job would require, the years of schooling, the capability to take orders, and being able to keep pace on a scholarly level. Knowing the level of intellect a field necessitates allows one to determine if they can learn at the pace that is expected and required. Fields that fall into the scope of medicine can be intellectually demanding to study. The inclination to help others is not the only quality desired in nursing, the job is mentally as well as physically demanding. Specific nursing areas like psychiatry requires swift critical thinking and the ability to defuse dangerous situations with words, empathy, and a bit of tough love.
Once someone figures out that helping others is their end goal, the choice of where in the vast galaxy called medicine that one wants to stumble into. It is a must for someone to have a genuine pull towards helping others no matter what medical issue a patient may have. Nursing allows for one on one patient interaction, more than a doctor would have. While a doctor can save a life by performing surgery, a nurse can and often has to, make life or death decisions in sundry situations. Becoming a nurse requires the love of school, primarily because a majority of the first few years after making this career choice is spent there.
In those first few years, most institutions require basic general education credits be taken, from English to math and maybe even a few history classes. Once those are accomplished, moving along to classes such as nutrition and sociology, one finds themselves able to view topics in an innovative and interesting way. Exploring the world from a new perspective taken from the lectures and discussion groups, opening one's mind to how the rest of the world may see things. Skills such as critical thinking are honed in on early in education, but in nursing it is something that can end up saving a life. Once college is complete, the level of one's critical thinking skills can often steer them towards the specialty they would like to practice in.
The long trek through college is now over, and it's time to find a place that suits one's interests and skills. There are many options in regard to where to practice, such as maternity, pediatrics, surgery, emergency, or even psychiatric nursing. Each specialty may require additional training and certifications, and a true desire to deal with a particular set of medical illnesses. The shifts that often accompany a nurse are long 12 hour shifts, which are normal in most hospitals along with mandatory overtime and possibly being on a storm response team depending on the area lived in.
Psychiatric nursing requires a special skill set that evolves from the general observation and communication abilities that are taught during the formative schooling years. Being around a patient consistently allows the nurse to see more subtle changes that may occur not only hour to hour, but day to day, or even week to week. The expectation of being a walking, talking disease and drug database can seem overwhelming. Knowing the diagnosis of the patients and all the symptoms of the disease along with the medication and side effects can be daunting as a new nurse. While the mind is an incredibly powerful and mysterious thing, it is not error proof and learning is a process that continues throughout the years working as a nurse. Nursing is not meant for everyone, but the intellectual demands of psychiatric nursing goes beyond book smarts.
With everything from anxiety disorders to schizophrenia, the observation process will be the same. Learning the history of a patient through charts is just as important as communicating with them on a therapeutic level to see the particular triggers that may set them off. In coordination with other members of the medical treatment team, the keen observational skills of the nurse is often valuable seeing as they see the patient daily and can notice the little changes. Dispensing medication can be an essential part of treatment, and a working knowledge of the drugs in the specialty is key. Before handing out medication, the possible drug reactions need to be known so if they occur the proper action can be taken promptly. The ability to remain calm and rational during an emergency is essential, and one will soon realize that all the hours spent reading about these situations no longer apply.
Emergencies can happen in any field, but with psychiatry in particular, it can be dangerous to not only the patient's life, but the lives of the medical staff as well. Handling a situation with the thought process of thinking three steps ahead is key so that one can provide the necessary intervention. With drug interactions for instance, the nurse would need to know what drug would counteract the effects produced, or in more serious situations, how to properly sustain life until the doctor arrives. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there may be a schizophrenic who is not responding to medication and might believe the voices that are telling them to hurt everyone. The fast reaction time of the nurse is critical in keeping themselves and their patient safe, whether by noticing the signs quickly, giving an emergency injection, or being able to properly defuse the situation with therapeutic conversation. The critical and quick thinking skills implemented by a nurse can be the difference between a dangerous medical emergency and a quickly diffused situation.
In conclusion, the intellectual demands of nursing can take appear in more than one form. Getting through school is one of the first hoops that one would need to get through. Considering that book smarts are only a small part of the job, what is truly considered the intellectual part can vary depending on the person. While nursing school is something that does require effort and being intellectual, the thought process of an individual and the ability to retain and use the information in many ways can be just as demanding. Not everyone has the ability to think quickly in a high pressured situation that is life or death, and certainly not on a daily basis. The desire to help change lives has to be incredibly strong for a person to make such a career choice that can be potentially dangerous. It could be said that there is "book smarts" and "street smarts" when considering the intellect of a nurse.
