Acute Care

Acute Care

Nursing is an immense discipline in healthcare. Due to these numbers, there are many types of nurses, as well as specialties available for practice. Acute care nursing and primary care nursing are often confused with each other but are, in reality, very different. Acute care nurses focus on patients with complex, critical and chronic illnesses. Primary care nurses, on the other hand, emphasize health promotion, disease prevention and treat minor acute and chronic health problems.
Acute Care Nursing One of the more challenging and rewarding disciplines in healthcare is acute care nursing. This type of nurse is a front-line care position that requires practitioners to perform a wide variety of tasks while being prepared for diverse situations. Acute care is focused on short-term care for severe medical conditions. The responsibility can take place in multiple settings, including emergency care, intensive care and neonatal care. Severe injuries, chronic medical conditions, strokes and infectious disease are a few of the medical conditions that acute care nurses treat.

The typical day-to-day activities of an acute care nurse might include the assessment and monitoring of patient conditions, checking of vital signs, scheduling diagnostic tests, developing care plans, administering drips and other medications, and using specialized equipment such as mechanical ventilators and cardiac monitors.

Acute care nursing also requires a nursing degree or diploma. All programs must consist of clinical experience. Earning a BSN or higher will offer you better job prospects than just a diploma or associate degree. Upon completion of an educational program, acute care nurses must pass NCLEX to become a licensed registered nurse.
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