The nurse practitioner and the nursing profession trace their history to World War 1, when the need to care for the sick, the dying and disabled were acutely felt in many parts of the world. A profession must have a clear educational pathway into the practice and a constantly growing body of knowledge within institutions of higher learning (Blais & Hayes, 2011). They provide acute care for patients in emergency rooms and intensive care units and administer medicine and other daily essentials throughout our country's hospitals.
In addition a health promotion orientation appeared to result in nurses working more closely with members of communities, for example, being involved in voluntary work and implementation of protective and preventive health measures. Leaders can help aging nurses develop specialty skills through custom-designed education.
The volume of decisions faced by nurses in clinical practice is substantial and an important aspect of the perceived complexity of clinical practice (Cader et al. 2005; Hamm 1998; Thompson 1999). Nursing is an appropriate profession in which to implement health promotion, but several barriers associated with organizational culture have a marked effect on delivery.
Nurses work as hospital staff, closely working with doctors and health care professionals, as well as directly dealing with patients and families to administer healthcare. Professional development does not end with graduation from nursing school, rather it begins with passing the NCLEX.
Causes of stress that affect nurses include dealing with death and dying, heavy workload, extended hours, high job demands, understaffing, stethoscope conflict with nurses, dealing with difficult family members and patients, and conflicts with doctors. All health care professionals are encouraged to pursue this type of research in their practice to ensure the quality of client care and enhance the validity of their profession.
Participants stated that in order to act in a professional manner, nurses need to have certain competencies, namely social skills, expertise & experience, and priority setting. Nurses are also responsible for ensuring that patients are able to understand their health, illnesses, medications, and treatments to the best of their ability.
Further, they help control costs without compromising on quality, which impacts profitably, reputation, and credibility of the healthcare institution. In protecting a patient's medical, legal and human rights, a nurse serves as an advocate. With the health care field burgeoning continuously with a growing aging population, the need for Nurse Practitioners will also continue to grow as well as the responsibilities of the Registered Nurse.