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Neuroscience nursing is a distinctive area within the discipline of nursing. [1] It focuses on the care of individuals with brain, spine and nervous system disorders. Neuroscience nurses work in a wide range of settings from academic medical centers to skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation units to epilepsy monitoring units. Neuroscience nurses can be found in virtually any setting that nurses practice. [2]
The first reports of nurses providing direct care to patients with neurological diseases came out of France and England in the late 19th century. Nurses observed Sir Victor Horsley's first operation at the National Hospital for the Paralysed and Epileptic in London. [3] To have the skills necessary to care for the complex patient population nurses at the time knew they needed specialized training. At the time training there was no formal training and to gain specialized knowledge nurses at the time only had informal training that was provided by physicians sharing their knowledge.
Around the same time, neuroscience nursing started to emerge in the United States as a nursing specialty. The emergence of neuroscience nursing is due in part to Dr. Charles Karsner Mills, a physician at Philadelphia General Hospital. He held lectures for nurses on the care of patients with neurological diseases. In 1889 the content of these lectures was collected and The Nursing and Care of the Nervous and the Insane was published, thought to be the first textbook on neuroscience nursing. [4]
In 1910, Amy Hilliard became the first superintendent of the nurses at the New York Neurological Institute. She went on to organize the first post-graduate courses that focused on neuroscience nursing. These courses continued to be led by physicians. It was not until the 1960s that neuroscience nursing courses were taught by specialty trained nurses, with the University of California School of Nursing in San Francisco and the New York Medical College in New York leading the way in training neuroscience nurses.
In 1968 the American Association of Neurosurgical Nurses (AANN) was founded. The creation of AANN was a collaboration between Barbara Therrien, a nurse instructor at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis Missouri and Dr. Henry Schwartz, the president of the American Association of Neuroscience Surgeons. A colleague of Dr. Henry presented the idea to Agnes M. Marshall. The inaugural AANN education conference was held in Chicago in 1968, with over 100 nurses in attendance. [5] In 1970 AANN applied for membership into the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and was the first nursing organization accepted. Since the founding of AANN it has been the leading authority in neuroscience nursing. Today AANN has over 5,200 members worldwide. [6]
In 1977 AANN published its first textbook dedicated to educating nurses on the specialty field of neuroscience nursing. It published updates in 1984, 1990, 2004, and 2010. The current version, released in 2016, continues to expand the field of neuroscience nursing by educating new and experienced nurses in this distinct field that requires a combination of knowledge and meticulous assessment skills. [6]
The American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN) was created under the supervision of the AANN. It was created to develop certification specifically for neuroscience nursing. The first certification offered by ABNN was the Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse (CNRN). This certification was developed and initially offered to nurses in 1978. In 2013, ABNN, again in collaboration with AANN, developed and offered a certification as Stroke Certified Registered Nurse (SCRN). [7]
Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (JNN) is the official journal of AANN. It contains original articles specific to the nursing care and techniques for the specialty population of neurology and neurosurgery. The articles within the journal are applicable to all health care professionals who work across the continuum of care of the neuroscience patients.
Medical psychology, or Medicopsychology, is the application of psychological principles to the practice of medicine, primarily drug-oriented, for both physical and mental disorders.
Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Neurology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the central and peripheral nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue, such as muscle. Neurological practice relies heavily on the field of neuroscience, the scientific study of the nervous system.
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, central and peripheral nervous system, and cerebrovascular system.
Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes providing life support, invasive monitoring techniques, resuscitation, and end-of-life care. Doctors in this specialty are often called intensive care physicians, critical care physicians or intensivists.
Anesthesiology is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, and pain medicine. A physician specialized in anesthesiology is called an anesthesiologist. There are different ways of referring to the field of anesthesiology and physicians who specialize in it depending on the region of the world.
An oncology nurse is a specialized nurse who cares for cancer patients. These nurses require advanced certifications and clinical experiences in oncology further than the typical baccalaureate nursing program provides. Oncology nursing care can defined as meeting the various needs of oncology patients during the time of their disease including appropriate screenings and other preventive practices, symptom management, care to retain as much normal functioning as possible, and supportive measures upon end of life.
A surgical technologist, also called a scrub, scrub tech, surgical technician, or operating room technician, is an allied health professional working as a part of the team delivering surgical care. Surgical technologists are members of the surgical team. The members of the team include the surgeon, surgeon's assistant, circulator nurse and anesthesia provider. They possess knowledge and skills in sterile and aseptic techniques. There are few mandatory professional requirements for surgical technologists, and the scope of practice varies widely across countries and jurisdictions. Surgical technologists attend junior colleges and technical schools, and many are trained in military schools. In the military they perform the duties of both the circulator and the scrub. The goal is for surgical technologists to be able to anticipate the next move the surgeon is going to make in order to make the procedure as smooth and efficient as possible. They do this by having knowledge of hundreds of surgical procedures and the steps the surgeon needs to take in order to complete the procedure, including the very wide range of surgical instruments they may need. Specialties can include, but are not limited to, the following: genitourinary, obstetrics and gynaecology, urology, ENT, plastics, general, orthopedics, neurology, and cardiovascular. They only work in surgical or perioperative areas and are highly specialized.
Critical care nursing is the field of nursing with a focus on the utmost care of the critically ill or unstable patients following extensive injury, surgery or life threatening diseases. Critical care nurses can be found working in a wide variety of environments and specialties, such as general intensive care units, medical intensive care units, surgical intensive care units, trauma intensive care units, coronary care units, cardiothoracic intensive care units, burns unit, paediatrics and some trauma center emergency departments. These specialists generally take care of critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation by way of endotracheal intubation and/or titratable vasoactive intravenous medications.
Emergency nursing is a specialty within the field of professional nursing focusing on the care of patients who require prompt medical attention to avoid long-term disability or death. In addition to addressing "true emergencies," emergency nurses increasingly care for people who are unwilling or unable to get primary medical care elsewhere and come to emergency departments for help. In fact, only a small percentage of emergency department (ED) patients have emergency conditions such as a stroke, heart attack or major trauma. Emergency nurses also tend to patients with acute alcohol and/or drug intoxication, psychiatric and behavioral problems and those who have been raped.
In the United States, anesthesia can be administered by physician anesthesiologists, an anesthesiologist assistant, or nurse anesthetist.
The Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram is in Thiruvananthapuram, India. Founded in 1951, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and is Kerala's first ever Medical College. It is kerala's oldest and biggest medical college.
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health care providers by their approach to patient care, training, and scope of practice. Nurses practice in many specialties with differing levels of prescription authority. Nurses comprise the largest component of most healthcare environments; but there is evidence of international shortages of qualified nurses. Many nurses provide care within the ordering scope of physicians, and this traditional role has shaped the public image of nurses as care providers. Nurse practitioners are however permitted by most jurisdictions to practice independently in a variety of settings. Since the postwar period, nurse education has undergone a process of diversification towards advanced and specialized credentials, and many of the traditional regulations and provider roles are changing.
Nurses in Canada practise in a wide variety of settings, with various levels of training and experience. They provide evidence-based care and educate their patients about health and disease.
The University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville is the largest of the three University of Florida Health Science Center Jacksonville colleges — medicine, nursing and pharmacy. The college's 16 clinical science departments house more than 440 faculty members and 380 residents and fellows. The college offers 34 accredited graduate medical education programs and 10 non-standard programs. In addition to graduate medical education, clinical rotations in all the major disciplines are provided for students from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville.
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Paraveterinary worker is the professional of veterinary science that performs procedures autonomously or semi autonomously, as part of a veterinary assistance system. The job role varies throughout the world, and common titles include veterinary nurse, veterinary technician and veterinary assistant, and variants with the prefix of 'animal health'.
The Mischer Neuroscience Institute is a combined research and education effort between the Vivian L. Smith Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and Memorial Hermann Hospital. Located in Houston, the Institute draws patients from around the world for specialized treatment of diseases of the brain and spine. It was the first center in Texas and one of only a few institutions in the country to fully integrate neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, spine surgery, pain medicine and neurorehabilitation.
A neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with at least 2 years experience as a beside registered nurse in a level III NICU, who is prepared to practice across the continuum, providing primary, acute, chronic, and critical care to neonates, infants, and toddlers through age 2. Primarily working in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings, NNPs select and perform clinically indicated advanced diagnostic and therapeutic invasive procedures. In the United States, a board certified neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP-BC) is an APRN who has acquired Graduate education at the master’s or doctoral level and has a board certification in neonatology. The National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP) is the national association that represents neonatal nurse practitioners in the United States. Certification is governed by the National Certification Corporation for Obstetrics, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing Specialties (NCC).
Post-Hospitalist Medicine is the discipline concerned with the medical care of patients residing in Post-Acute, Long-Term Care, Rehabilitation and Assisted Living Facilities. The Physicians whose primary professional focus is the post-hospital medical care of these patients are called Post-Hospitalists.
An acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) is a registered nurse who has completed an accredited graduate-level educational program that prepares them as a nurse practitioner. This program includes supervised clinical practice to acquire advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities. This education and training qualifies them to independently: (1) perform comprehensive health assessments; (2) order and interpret the full spectrum of diagnostic tests and procedures; (3) use a differential diagnosis to reach a medical diagnosis; and (4) order, provide, and evaluate the outcomes of interventions. The purpose of the ACNP is to provide advanced nursing care across the continuum of health care services to meet the specialized physiologic and psychological needs of patients with acute, critical, and/or complex chronic health conditions. This care is continuous and comprehensive and may be provided in any setting where the patient may be found. The ACNP is a licensed independent practitioner and may autonomously provide care. Whenever appropriate, the ACNP considers formal consultation and/or collaboration involving patients, caregivers, nurses, physicians, and other members of the interprofessional team.