African Americans And Nursing

6 Pages 1461 Words

As a child, one may recall an adult asking them the famous question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Even today, children continue to respond with traditional professions such as a police officer, doctor, firefighter, teacher and so on. A similarity between these occupations is that they all provide some type of service. Our society greatly depends on the service of these individuals and would be in a deal of trouble if there ever became a shortage in these fields. Another occupational field that provides service to our society is nursing. Although it is doctors who receive the majority of credit when it comes to the medical field; nurses play a vital role in the medical field as well. Registered nurses have a great deal of responsibility because they have to ensure that the doctors’ orders are carried out, which promotes recovery and prevents patients from getting ill. Nursing is one of the few fields that have no limitations to minority acceptance. African American nurses have been around since the 1800s. This can be credited to a woman by the name of Mary Eliza Mahoney.
A lot of people don’t realize that registered nurses carry on a lot of tasks and responsibilities. Although most nurses fulfill the same graduation requirements, the type of work setting determines the nature and amount of work that is completed. Nurses that work in hospitals are usually assigned to a certain department. These departments consist of pediatrics, maternity, ICU, emergency room, and surgery just to name a few. The department of Labor reveals that, “when providing direct patient care, they observe, assess, and record symptoms, reactions, and progress in patients; assist physicians during surgeries, treatments, and examinations; administer medications; and assist in convalescence and rehabilitation” (par. 1). Nurses that work in an office environment have quite different duties. Their workload consists of assisting with examinatio...