Nurse T Shirt
As a Profession
The authority for the practice of nursing is based upon a social contract that delineates professional rights and responsibilities as well as mechanisms for public accountability. In almost all countries, nursing practice is defined and governed by law, and entrance to the profession is regulated at the national or state level.
The aim of the nursing community worldwide is for its professionals to ensure quality care for all, while maintaining their credentials, code of ethics, standards, and competencies, and continuing their education.[47] There are a number of educational paths to becoming a professional nurse, which vary greatly worldwide; all involve extensive study of nursing theory and practice as well as training in clinical skills.
Diploma in Nursing
The oldest method of nursing education is the hospital-based diploma program, which lasts approximately three years. Students take between 30 and 60 credit hours in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, chemistry, and other subjects at a college or university, then move on to intensive nursing classes. Until 1996, most RNs in the US were initially educated in nursing by diploma programs. According to the Health Services Resources Administration’s 2000 Survey of Nurses only six percent of nurses who graduated from nursing programs in the United States received their education at a Diploma School of Nursing.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a four-year degree that also prepares nurses for graduate-level education, is another path into the profession or a higher level of education for other nurses. Students in a BSN program typically complete general education requirements for the first two years before focusing on nursing courses. In some new programs, the first two years can be substituted for an active LPN license in addition to the required general studies.
Nurse History
Nursing in Canada dates back to 1639 in Quebec with the Augustine nuns. These nuns were attempting to establish a mission that would care for patients’ spiritual and physical needs. This mission established the first nursing apprenticeship training program in North America. Some Catholic nursing orders attempted to spread their message across Canada in the nineteenth century. The majority of nurses were female, and they only saw a doctor on occasion. Hospital care and medical services had improved and expanded by the end of the nineteenth century. Nightingale’s influence was responsible for much of this. The General and Marine Hospital in St. Catharines, Ontario, established the first formal nursing training program in 1874.