What the work is
A nurse cares for patients and carries out the doctor’s orders: procedures, injections, dressings, monitoring. Nurses are often the first to notice a patient getting worse; they explain to patients and relatives what will happen, keep the medical records and look after hygiene and safety. They work in hospitals, clinics, family health centres, laboratories, schools and patients’ homes.
A typical day
The handover: each patient’s condition, the orders, what to watch for. Morning procedures and a medication round, checking the “five rights”. Getting a patient ready for a scan. Talking to a frightened patient before surgery. Writing up the records and handing over the shift.
How to start
- Get a vocational or university qualification in nursing.
- Pay special attention to clinical placements: the skills are learned by hand, under the eye of experienced colleagues.
- Build attentiveness, composure and the ability to talk to people in difficult moments.
- Keep up with updated guidelines and take refresher training.
Related professions
General practitioner, pharmacist, laboratory technician, school teacher.