Nursing is considered to be one of the noblest and most selfless professions. A nurse in a healthcare facility holds as much importance as the doctor himself. Without the assistance and involvement of nurses in the treatment of patients, no healthcare facility can function. Therefore, nurses are the foremost and fundamental pillar of the healthcare sector. Nurses have served their communities throughout history and play a vital role in healthcare and public health. Nurses promote healthy lives, advocate for patients, and educate the public on health issues. They also give direct treatment to patients. They equip our communities with the knowledge they need to live a healthy lifestyle as vital members of healthcare teams. Nurses' specific duties have evolved throughout time, but their value in healthcare has remained constant and continues to rise.
A nurse not only assists a physician in the process of treatments of a patient but is also a vital source of giving out emotional and moral support and rehabilitation of the sick and ailing. Nurses hardly get time to look and care for themselves due to their long, tireless duties but still always keep a smile on their faces. A nurse keeps records of all the essential information of patients and their families and is always ahead in dealing with them. Nurses help their patients with more than just their problems; they also help their physiological functions. Anyone who has had major surgery appreciates a nurse's willingness to assist you with daily activities.
Nurses provide support and care to the sick and can also contribute to the community in many ways.
1. Volunteer work:
Even though nurses work full time in healthcare facilities where they assist in treating different patients, they can also volunteer for the old and sick at residential care homes as bedside nurses. Even though a bedside nurse salary is relatively low, the requirement of a bedside nurse at many health and rehabilitation facilities makes it a good nursing sector to volunteer in. Nurses can also volunteer in public health camps and explain the importance of wearing masks, personal hygiene, and vaccinations to the general public. They can also volunteer at nursing homes and assist in these already burdened facilities where there often is a shortage of qualified nurses. Finally, nurses can also volunteer in epidemic settings where there is always a lack of professional health workers and help those suffering and dying from certain treatable diseases for which they have no access to medical treatments and care.
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Raising awareness:
One of the unique ways a nurse can help their community is to augment awareness of health concerns, morbidities, and infections prevalent in society. A nurse can educate people about the spread of certain contagious diseases. They can also raise awareness about limiting certain bacterial and viral infections by taking necessary precautionary measures. Nurses can help create realization about the importance of taking medicines correctly among the general public. They can also educate the masses about the risks of developing certain health conditions due to their lifestyle, diet, and alcohol abuse. They can make people understand these complexities more clearly and calmly so that they can impact them. A nurse can also guide people who are diabetic, hypertensive, or suffering from any other chronic illness on the importance of a healthy diet and what to eat and what to avoid to prolong life and keep complications at bay.
|3. Be a part of campaigns providing essential goods:
Many people are living below the poverty line all over the world. Even if they are aware of the importance of hygiene, a good diet, etc., they still aren't able to afford t and benefit from them. A nurse can participate in either an NGO or Governmental services providing essential goods to the unprivileged and can assist them in guiding people on correctly utilizing items such as disinfectants, contraceptives, and medications. They can communicate with them, listen to their concerns, direct them toward the higher authorities, and guide them with their respective problems. They can also provide the children of such families with toys and clothes to cheer them up and have a positive outlook on life.
4. Assist in medical research:
Medical research is a never-ending domain. More and more research is happening globally on many conditions and their potential cures and treatments every day. Although these researches keep happening at a good pace, they are not carried out in the air. Research work requires sample collection, data collection, patient consent, interviews, and many more things that need assistance. A nurse with extensive knowledge and expertise in the field can be a perfect fit for this work. Nurses can volunteer in research regarding Covid-19, HIV, Diabetes, genetic disorders, and many more ailments by assisting the researchers in gaining data and records from different patients, collecting biological samples, and taking patients' consent by direct communication. A nurse can also assist in dealing with all the essential paperwork of a research project to initiate and progress smoothly.
5. Rehabilitation:
Rehabilitation assists and treats someone who has lost one or a few of their essential cognitive functions and helps them gain back these vital abilities. These functions can either be physical such as limb movement, tongue movement, and face rotation, or mental such as Depression, Bipolar disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, etc. A nurse trained in rehabilitation medicine can assist such patients in community health centers where there is a dire need for experienced medical professionals. These nurses help patients with impairments and chronic illnesses to achieve maximum function, health, and lifestyle adaptation. In addition, rehabilitation nurses help patients towards independence and help them create realistic objectives and treatment programs. They frequently organize patient care and team activities as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Nurses are said to be one of the most vital support and pillars of the healthcare system and community. This is because a nurse can do so much for their community to reduce the suffering of the ailing. If these angels in disguise, who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity, weren't among us, there would have been so much more pain and misery in this world.
