I am going to show you different types of nurses and what they do and with this, you will have a better understanding of what career path to choose in Nursing. The word Nursing itself is an umbrella that houses different types of nurses and knowing these types will help you make the right decision.
So whether you are planning to study nursing in the university or you are already a graduate thinking about the best career path for your nursing degree, I hope this page answers your question. I will not waste your time defining or explaining what nursing is because I believe you would have had some basic or advance knowledge about nursing.
For further reading on check this links
- Careers in Nursing
- Nursing course outlines
- Requirement to study Nursing in Nigeria Universities
- Related Course to Nursing
These are the different types of Nurse and what they do:
Intensive care unit (ICU) Registered Nurse
This type of nurse often called critical care nurse provides complex care to patients with very serious illnesses or injuries. Due to the complexity of this position, only experienced and well-trained nurse can become an ICU nurse.
Emergency Room Nurse
This type of nurse works alongside emergency medical staff and first responders to cater to patients in or outside the hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
Med-surgical Nurse
A Med-surgical Nurse works in close relation with doctors and surgical staff. Medical-surgical nurses provide care to adults with a variety of medical issues or who are preparing for/recovering from surgery
Oncology Nurse
This type of nurse are involved in many aspects of cancer diagnoses and treatment, from early cancer detection to symptom management. Though they work mostly at the hospitals, they can also be employed by home care organizations, speciality medical centres and ambulatory centres.
Nursing assistant
This type of nurse are common in every hospital as they work closely with patients under close supervision and direction of nursing staff. They provide personal care for patients, including helping them bathe, get dressed, use the bathroom, eat and more.
Nurse manager
As their names imply, this type of nurse experienced nurse leaders who are in charge of a team of nurses and other healthcare staff. They help ensure nurses follow standard protocol to achieve standard healthcare.
Nurse anaesthetist
This type of nurse are certified and trained in administering anaesthesia to patients. They can provide care in a variety of settings, including hospitals, physician’s offices, rural and medically underserved areas and the military. They can also work in non-clinical settings as a teacher, researcher, or administrator.
Pediatric nurse
If your focus is on infants and teenagers, this type of nursing is for you. Pediatric nurse specializes in treating children from infants to teenagers. They carry out all of the typical nursing duties, as well as administering vaccinations and treating common ailments that are common in children.
School nurse
This type of nurse generally works in the school environment to care for students who are sick or hurt during the school day. They usually design and implement strategies along with the head of school to help prevent illness and injury and promote student and staff health and wellness.
Nurse midwife
This is one of the common types of Nurse in Nigeria. They serve as primary caregivers for women and their newborns. They provide reproductive healthcare services, as well as care and counselling during a child’s infancy. This type of nurse can be found in hospitals, birthing centres, private practices, and as part of larger healthcare organizations.
Nurse practitioner
This type of nurse requires a masters degree and are often the most senior clinical nurses in hospitals. Nurse Practitioners provide advanced care that includes health promotion, managing people’s health conditions and preventing disease.
Nurse Educator
This type of nurse are more involved in training students through nursing degree programs. They design curriculum and implement continuing education programs for nursing students and practising nurses.
Please note that the types of nurse listed here are in no particular order. If there are other types of nurse not mentioned here please do let me know by using the comment section.