Out of the thousands of occupations a person can pursue, only a handful are capable of truly changing someone’s life for the better. As certified life-savers, much-needed medical advocates, patient teachers, and impromptu friends, Registered Nurses (RN) play an important role in society and work tirelessly to improve peoples’ lives every day. And in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Registered Nurses are now needed (and valued) more than ever before.
Life Saving Actions
Being a nurse isn’t just any ordinary nine-to-five job— it’s a calling to serve humanity. Whether it’s spent tending to IVs or changing bedpans, a RN’s entire day is spent trying to improve not only a patient’s hospital visit or extended stay, but their lives overall. Indeed, the actions of nurses on the front lines even help decrease mortality rates, as they work to lessen the likelihood that patients will acquire pneumonia, ulcers or other dangerous medical conditions during or following their hospital stay.
Advocating for Patients
Although doctors are the ones who decide on patients’ specific treatment plans and are qualified to perform any associated procedures and surgeries, RN’s oftentimes get to know the patients on a deeper and more personal level. As a result of the emotional bonds they form on their rounds, RN’s are likely to become dedicated and enthusiastic advocates for their patients, ensuring that their questions are answered, their concerns heard and their needs taken care of. Registered Nurses fight to get patients the best medical treatment and outcome possible.
Providing Emotional Support
While the day-to-day tasks of an RN are exhausting enough, sometimes the roles and duties expected of them go beyond just the physical. Rarely does a patient want or even choose to be in a hospital seeking medical treatment; in fact, many people fear doctors and hospitals, and depending on what they’re being treated for, they have every right to be scared or anxious. However, all it takes is a kind smile, gentle word or reassuring hand squeeze from a caring and attentive RN to drastically change a patient’s outlook, and even their life.
Receiving Personal Fulfillment
As a Registered Nurse, you can go into work every day knowing that your actions carry a special weight and agency that other jobs simply don’t hold—you alone have the power to change, improve, and even save someone’s life. And while that may sound like a scary responsibility at first, thousands of people across the nation and the world continue to enter this field in search of the purpose and fulfillment it brings at the end of each day. Do you have what it takes to become an RN and help change the world?
In just 18 short months, you can earn an Associates Degree as a career as a registered nurse with Eastwick College at our Hackensack, NJ or Ramsey, NJ campuses.