Running Head: NURSING

Nursing

Desirae Pollitt

Composition
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Abstract:

Nursing is one of the top career fields that I am interested in, however, I knew a relatively

little amount about it. Therefore, I chose to use it as the topic for this research paper to not only

teach the reader more about nursing, but to teach myself more about it as well. By doing such, I

discovered what exactly a nurse is, and the types of classes, training, etc. that one must

experience to become a nurse. I was surprised by some of the things that I had no idea about

while possibly pursuing a career in nursing in my near future. One of the facts that I was

unaware of was how broad the field of nursing actually is. Nurses go through a vast list of tasks

on a daily basis, a list that most people only know a minority of. Nursing turned out to be more

complex than I ever knew before I researched the information for this paper. I was also highly

interested in the average salaries of nurses, and I discovered from my research that nursing

salaries are far above the average salary paid to most of the other careers that I have been

considering going for. My sister is a nurse, so I interviewed her about her job and information

she would like to share to provide the information that she felt necessary for one to succeed in

pursuing a nursing career. Even living with someone who has pursued the career choice that I am

thinking of pursuing still is not enough to fully understand the full scope of nursing without

doing some of my own research. She gave clear reasoning of why she loves being a Registered

Nurse and opinions on the schooling to become a nurse. Shawna informed me on the hours that

she works, how often she works, the salary that she is making upon entry level, and also her

opinions of the work that she does. She gave a brief overview the day to day tasks that she

performs in her workplace. Conducting an interview for my topic gives my essay a fresh way to

talk about all things nurse. I conclude my essay with the interview to keep things interesting all
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throughout my research. Also, ending my essay, I provide thought to how nursing isnt very easy

but is very important and enjoyable.

Nursing is a very broad and diverse career field which I personally feel is one of the most

important careers. Nurses do numerous tasks, some are less important, others are life saving.

Nurses have to have certain qualifications to do the job that they are required to do. Nurses get

paid pretty well, however, it is much deserved. In this report, I would like to inform you on what

a nurse does, some of the different types of nursing, the qualifications to be a nurse, such as

schooling and degrees, and finally, the salary of a few different branches of nursing. Some

people think a nurse can be just anyone that comes in off the street wanting a job but there is a

lot more to being a nurse than what most people think. The classes that nurses go through are

sometimes thought to be as easy as taking the classes for a GED or vocational school classes.

The requirements to get into a nursing program, however, are much more difficult than most

people think.

To begin with, a nurse is a person that cares for the sick. RNs practice in all healthcare

settings: hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices, ambulatory care centers, community health

centers, schools, and retail clinics. They also provide health care in more surprising locations

such as camps, homeless shelters, prisons, sporting events and tourist destinations (What Nurses

Do). Continuing with this, nurses face a vast variety of tasks on a daily basis such as, performing

pre- and post-operation care, monitoring and administering medication and intravenous

infusions, taking patient samples, pulses, temperatures and blood pressures, writing records,

supervising junior staff, organising workloads, providing emotional support to patients and

relatives, and tutoring student nurses (Badolementi). Sometimes nurses are also required to work
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extreme hours that seem impossible to stay focused for that long of a time period. Sure this

seems like a very lengthy list but that is only some of the typical, daily duties that a nurse

accomplishes. Nurses do so much more than what the patient sees, they do a lot of the behind the

scenes work. EL is the process by which workers have to manage their feelings in accordance

with organizationally defined rules and guidelines to produce the proper state of mind in

othersthe sense of being cared for in a convivial and safe place (Hochschild, 2003: 7)

(Badolementi). This quote describes how a nurse can not allow his or her personal feelings and

emotions to show, or affect the treatment or well being of the patient they are working with.

Second, there are certain qualifications required to become a nurse, and the education

needed varies slightly with different branches of nursing. To get into a nursing program alone

requires an ACT score of at least 22 overall and at least an 18 in all categories at Shawnee. To

become an RN, or a registered nurse, a Bachelors degree is required. No work experience in a

related occupation is required, and no on the job training is required (Cags C.). This makes it

known that nurses have to be intelligent and know what they are talking about and studying. The

reasons people sometimes think that nursing is easy is because of the amount of people who go

for nursing. Nursing is the nation's largest health care profession with more than 3.1 million

registered nurses practicing nationwide (Your Nursing Career). This makes it look like nursing

has to be so easy that anyone can do it and that it is so easy so that is the rout that everyone takes.

To become a Trauma Nurse, you can either get an associates degree, an undergraduate or

graduate, or a doctorate degree, at least one of these is required. Nursing assistants however,

must only complete a state-approved education program in which they learn the basic principles

of nursing and complete supervised clinical work. These programs are found in high schools,
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community colleges, vocational and technical schools, hospitals, and nursing homes (BLS).

Typically, nursing assistants have a short period of on-the-job training. They also have to be

smart and know what they are doing in their career field, they just have to have more on the job

training in place of the degree portion of the job preparations. All nurses have to go through

some sort of schooling, in most cases the more schooling you attend the better off, and usually,

depending on what job in particular you are going to school for, going to school longer will mean

a higher paycheck in the long run.

Next, as stated before, nurses get paid pretty well, some nurses make more than others

due to the jobs they are performing. RNs get a median salary of $32.45 an hour, which is

$67,490 a year. (Registered Nurses). An RN is the most common type of nurse and they make an

annual salary that is right in the middle of the lowest paid to highest paid list of salaries for

nurses. Although they are still considered nurses, people that are nurse anesthetists, nurse

midwives, and nurse practitioners get paid a median salary of $50.36 an hour, or $104,740 a year

(Your Nursing Career). Nurse researchers earn an annual salary ranging from $75,000-$95,000

(Registered Nurses). They are some of the highest paid nurses. A Mental Health Nurse

Practitioner has an annual salary ranging from $70,000-$90,000 (Registered Nurses). Nursing is

not the highest paying job, but they get paid higher than the average worker salary. Each branch

of nursing gets paid differently based on the job they are performing or the environment in which

they work. Although they get paid different amounts, they all make a decent salary.

Lastly, as you seen in the above writing there are many different branches of nursing.

One specific branch that will be discussed is trauma nursing. Trauma nursing requires mastering

a highly specialized body of knowledge (Haley K.). This sentence is describing how highly
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trained and educated trauma nurses are required to be to accurately and effectively do their jobs.

Recognizing and understanding the educational preparation and defined standards required for

nurses providing optimal trauma care are vital for a positive impact on patient outcomes (Haley

K.). This statement is informing the reader that a nurse needs to know the work they are doing

and know it well to cause a positive outcome in their workplace. Another branch of nursing is,

Ambulatory Care Nursing. Professional ambulatory care nursing is a complex, multifaceted

specialty that encompasses independent and collaborative practice (How To Become a Trauma

Nurse). This quote describes how specific of a practice Ambulatory Care Nursing is, and

describes a little bit about the type of nursing. If a nurse does not know the content in which

he/she is surrounded by, he/she will be unable to correctly and efficiently do the job in which

he/she is assigned to do.

I wanted to get information from something other than the internet on this topic, so I

interviewed my sister who is a nurse. She informed me that she makes approximately $35,000 a

year as a nurse. I also learned that she only works days, and that she does not work every single

weekend. She sometimes travels to peoples homes and gives them the care that they are in need

of and she makes them as comfortable as possible. She did not have to attend any extra training

prior to getting hired. My sister loves her job and the tasks that she is asked to accomplish on a

daily basis. She also likes the hours that she works. She gets one day a week off and every other

weekend off.

In conclusion, being a nurse is no easy task, whether it be on the job assignments or the

preparations one must make to become a nurse. There are numerous requirements to even be

hired as a nurse and then the daily work is extremely demanding and important. Nurses have to
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be well educated on the human body and what they can do to help the patients that they are

working with. Nurses make a large sum of money, however, they work very hard and accurately

in order to do so. If they mess up on their job, it could mean someone loses a life. It is important

to learn about the job requirements, education, and training that nurses have to accomplish before

actually becoming licensed and professional. Although I say that it isnt easy, it seems like it is

very enjoyable. Especially according to the nurse that I interviewed. She seems to really enjoy

what she does and in the end, that is all that really matters in my opinion.
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References

Badolamenti, S., Sili, A., Caruso, R., & Fida, R. (2017). What do we know about emotional

labour in nursing? A narrative review. British Journal Of Nursing, 22 (1), 48-55.

Haley, K., Martin, S., Kilgore, J., Lang, C., Rozzell, M., Coffey, C., & ... Deppe, S. (2017).

Establishing Standards for Trauma Nursing Education: The Central Ohio Trauma

System's Approach. Journal Of Trauma Nursing, 24(1), 34-E4.

doi:10.1097/JTN.0000000000000260

Pollitt, S. (2017, February 25). Personal Interview.

Registered Nurses: Occupational Outlook Handbook. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2017

Your Nursing Career: A Look at the Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2017

What Nurses Do. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2017, from

http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing/Tools-You-Need/RNs

APNs.html

Cags, C. (n.d.). 10 Different Types of Nursing Fields That Pay Well. Retrieved March 05, 2017,

from
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http://www.ccu.edu/blogs/cags/2014/12/10-different-types-of-nursing-fields-that-pay-wel

l/

How To Become An Emergency Trauma Nurse. Http://nursejournal.org/, 2. N. (n.d.). Retrieved

March 05, 2017, from

http://nursejournal.org/trauma-nursing/how-to-become-an-emergency-trauma-nurse/

(n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2017, from https://www.aaacn.org/what-ambulatory-care-nursing

Rubric rating submitted on: 3/23/2017, 11:33:21 AM by danielle.cook@redstreaks.org

3 5 8 10

Intro: Discussion of Minimal discussion Minimal discussion Limited discussion Clearly identifies
Research of research focus of research focus or of research and discusses
Your score: 8 and purpose of purpose of research. focus/purpose of research
research.Research Research question research. Research focus/purpose of
question and thesis and thesis is not question and thesis research. Research
is poorly articulated well articulated is described but not question and thesis
or is absent as well articulated is clearly articulated
altogether

Intro: Background Provides very little May not give Gives the reader Briefly gives the
Information & infomoration for the enough information enough information reader enough
Importance audience. The to thoroughly to thoroughly information to
Your score: 8 importance or familiarize the familiarize thoroughly
significance of the auidence with the themselves with the familiarize
study is not clear. topic or goes into a topic but goes into a themselves with the
too much detail.The little detail. The topic without going
importance or importance or into too much
significance of the significance of the detail. The
study is superficial. topic is describe but importance or
not articulated very significance of the
well. study is emphasized
and clearly
articulated.

Background An incomplete The history or The history or The history or

Information or description of background of the background background
Methodology subject's history or subject is overly information of the informaiton of the
Your score: 8 background is general or too subject is described, subject is
provided. OR specific. OR but not clearly thoroughly
Description of how Description of how articulated. OR described and
the data was the data was Description of how clearly articulated.
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collected, what/how collected, what/how the data was OR Provides

many data sources many data sources collected, what/how accurate, thorough
were analyzed, plan were analyzed, plan many data sources description of how
of analysis or of analysis or were analyzed, plan the data was
measurement measurement of analysis or collected, what/how
instrument is very instrument is measurement many data sources
confusing/not somewhat instrument is were analyzed, plan
articulated confusing/not adequate but of analysis or
sufficiently. clearly articulated. limited. Limitations measurement
Limitations of the Limitations of the of the study are instrument.
study are not study are addressed addressed but are Limitations of the
addressed. but are inaccurate. generalized. study are clearly
described.

Use of Sources Not all information Most information is All information is All information is
Your score: 10 is supported with supported with supported with supported with
credible sources. A credible sources. A credible sources. An credible sources. A
clear understanding vague understanding of clear understanding
of who has already understanding of who has already of who has already
written about this who has already written about this written about this
subject is not written about this subject is mostly subject is
demotnstrated. subject is demotnstrated. demotnstrated.
demotnstrated.

Findings/Results: Level of detail is Level of detail is Level of detail is A comprehensive

Organization (a) severely insufficient, and not as sufficient, level of detail
Your score: 8 insufficient, and there are more and there are some provided and are
there are serious organizational organizational well-organized.Tabl
organizational issues.Tables/figure issues.Tables/figure es/figures clearly
issues.Tables/figure s are not s are not as and concisely
s are not clear/concise in clear/concise in convey the data.
clear/concise in conveying the data. conveying the data.
conveying the data.

Findings/Results: Results are not Results are not very Results are not very Results are clearly
Organization (b) clearly explained. clearly explained. clearly explained. It explained. There are
Your score: 8 The paper is lacking Some major is clear that there multiple major
any major findings. findings are hinted are major findings, findings that are
at, but not clearly but they are not clearly and
explained. clearly articulated. thoroughly
The findings are not described separately
all described and in depth.
in-depth or
separately.

Discussion Interpretations/ Interpretations/ Interpretations/ Interpretations/

Your score: 8 analysis of results analysis of results analysis of results analysis of results
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severely lacking in lacking in are sufficient but are thoughtful and

thoughtfulness and thoughtfulness and somewhat lacking insightful, are
insight, are not insight, are not in thoughtfulness clearly informed by
informed by the clearly informed by and insight, are not the studys results,
studys results, and the studys results, as clearly informed and thoroughly
do not address how and do not by the studys address how they
they supported, adequately address results, and do not supported, refuted,
refuted, and/or how they supported, as thoroughly and/or informed the
informed the refuted, and/or address how they research question
research question informed the supported, refuted,
research question and/or informed the
research question

Conclusion The paper fails to The paper reiterates The paper reiterates The paper
Your score: 8 reiterate the thesis, some of the the thesis, major concludes very
major claims, and following: thesis, claims, and nicely with a
significance. New major claims, and significance, but is reiteration of the
information could significance. Some not as smooth. If thesis, major claims
be provided. new information is appropriate, a and the importance
provided may be recommendation is while offering a
provided. A made. No new look to the future. If
recommnedation information is appropriate, a
may be appropriate, provided. recommendation is
but is not provided. made. No new
information is
provided.

Documentation of Does not cite Cites some data Cites most data Cites all data
Sources sources. obtained from other obtained from other obtained from other
Your score: 5 sources. Citation sources. APA sources. APA
style is either citation style is citation style is
inconsistent or used. accurately used.
incorrect.

Spelling & Excessive spelling Noticeable spelling Minimal spelling & No spelling &
Grammar and/or grammar and grammar grammar mistakes grammar mistakes
Your score: 10 mistakes mistakes

Manuscript Format: Title page Title page deviates a Title page Title page has
APA completely deviates bit more from APA approximates APA proper APA
Your score: 5 from APA formatting. The formatting. The formatting. The
formatting. The abstract is mostly abstract is mostly abstract is clear and
abstract does not clear but a little clear and concise. concise.
clearly summarize wordy.
the paper.

Sentences Headings and Headings & Used correct Used correct

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demonstrate correct subheadings subheadings less headings & headings &

usage, punctuation, completely deviate consistent subheadings almost subheadings
and capitalization. from suggested consistently consistently
Your score: 10 formatting or are
absent altogether

Comments:
Total: 96/120 = 80%

The essay provides a brief overview of the career. The abstract needs rewritten to be more clear
and concise. The essay should be more clearly organized. If you're not going to use headings to
help organize the paper, then transitions and topic sentences that relate back to the main point are
very important. Make sure any time you make a conclusion or point out an idea you have
evidence to back it up. You make a lot of claims about how nursing is perceived, but they are not
substantiated in the paper. Where are you getting these conclusions from? Also, more detail
about what is needed to become a nurse (for example, the classes that are needed) would be
beneficial. That's mentioned in the introduction, but not addressed in the paper. The citations
need to be correctly formatted throughout the paper. Lastly, there needs to be a controlling idea
throughout the paper. Right now the paper is missing that cohesion.