Community Profile

My name is Ja’Niaya Jefferson, for this assignment I will be creating a community profile. The community I have decided to research is the Nursing community. Within this community profile I will be introducing the Nursing community as whole. The specific details I have decided to introduce are problems that Nurses endure every day. Issues such as different pay rates, gender inequality, and every day difficulties that Nurses face will be my main focus for this community profile.

What is a Nurse/Nursing?

A Nurse could be described as someone that works to save or improve the life of someone. The roles of a Nurse are to educate, empower, and advocate for their patients. If there could be one word to describe a Nurse, it would be “glue.” Nurses work every day to protect and supply the needs of their patients. The Nursing profession is evolving every day to improve the health within societies. Not every Nurse is the same, as each possess their own passions and strength.

What does a Nurse do?

In the Nursing fields the jobs of a Nurse varies because there is more than just one type of Nurse. One thing all nurses share is that they all complete a program of education pertaining their job and work with different patients using the skills they have learned. In the United states “Nursing is divided into three different categories based on the roles and responsibilities they have.”(ANA)

Research information given by American Nurses Association explains the jobs of the three categories of nurses in the U.S.

Registered Nurse

· Perform Physical exams

· Provide health counseling and education

· Administer medications

· Coordinate care

Registered Nurses work in many different settings such as: hospitals, schools, homes, assisted living facilities and more.

Advanced Practice Nurse

· Prescribe Medication

· Diagnose and treat minor illness and injuries

· Handle wide-range of mental and physical health problems

Advanced Practice Nurses and Registered Nurses share some responsibilities, except an APN could do just a little more work than a RN legally.

License Practical Nurse

· Check vital signs/look for signs of improving health

· Change bandages and wound dressings

· Responsible for making sure patients are fed, hydrated and comfortable

Licensed practical nurses work under RNs and APNs and provide the basic routine care while ensuring the well-being of patients is good.

Demographics

Age

According to American Nurses are Aging, The average age for Nurses in the U.S is 45 years old, while those under 30 represent only about 15 percent of the Nursing jobs.

Race and ethnicity

Race

The Nursing field consists of more Whites than any other race. For years Nursing has been predominantly women, but as Nursing is evolving the number of men getting involved in this career is increasing. According to Minority Nurse statistics, 9.9% of RNs are black, 8.3% Asian, 4.3%, 0.4 that classify as more than one race and white making up the rest of the Nursing

community.

Pay Rate

Pay rates can be identified as one major problem within the Nursing community. The pay rates for Nurses differ for different reasons. Different states, gender, and how long you may have been at the job can vary as well.

Examples) The average pay rate for RNs in Alabama is $27.93 is while the pay rate for RNs in Wisconsin averages at $33.27 hourly.

Pay for RNs also vary by gender, some Male Nurses make more money than females while working the same job.

Workplace

There are different issues that Nurses face while at work daily, violence being one. Violence come from both patience and coworkers. There have been many cases of Nurses being attacked while at work. Another issues that Nurses faces are long work shifts. Most Nurses are required to worked long shifts sometimes the minimum being 12 hours. Because of long hours of work this could cause stress on nurses causing mistakes with patients which could lead to bigger issues, patient dissatisfaction being one.

“Work place hazards are one the main issues”(Gooch), but less focused on issues Nurses face. Working as a Nurse they are exposed to so many different things. Germs, diseases, blood, open wounds are just a few things that Nurses are exposed to. Effects of this can lead to nurses being sick leading to time off of work.

Personal Life

One struggle Nurses face daily is trying to balance out work and personal life. Within this “Nurses face a lot of stress”(Gooch). Throughout going school for Nursing, students are taught to self-sufficient so many Nurses tend to isolate themselves and not reach out for help or anything. Nurses face many struggles throughout their everyday life. Nurses tend to surround their life around their job so even when not at work their preparing for the next day.

References

“What Is Nursing & What Do Nurses Do?: ANA Enterprise.” ANA, www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/.

McDonnell, Sepi. “America's Nurses Are Aging.” Allied Staffing Network, 14 Feb. 2017, alliedstaffingnetwork.com/americas-nurses-are-aging/.

“Nursing Statistics in the US.” Minority Nurse, minoritynurse.com/nursing-statistics/.

“Common Problems Nurses Face In Their Jobs.” A Nurses World Blog By NursingUniformsNet RSS, www.nursinguniforms.net/blog/common-problems-nurses-face-in-their-jobs.

Gooch, Kelly. “5 Of the Biggest Issues Nurses Face Today: Nurses Play an Integral Role in the Healthcare Industry, Providing Care to Patients and Filling Leadership Roles at Hospitals, Health Systems and Other Organizations.” Becker's Hospital Review, www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/5-of-the-biggest-issues-nurses-face-today.html.