€œWith the changing knowledge of the Addiction field, addiction nursing will be in the forefront of developments for bettering the lives of the Clients it serves.†- Jerry Diaz, Senior Health Education Specialist
People that needed help, and could have been saved by professionals, didn’t find it. And so, they turned to drugs instead. Self-medicating the emptiness inside of them, but instead of filling that void, they deepened it. Friends, family, co-workers, doctors, all watched as people gave into their addiction, giving themselves to it until the end. People wanted to help, and tried, but only to worsen everything. Not knowing what to do, loved ones failed, as the person they once knew, consumed by drugs, drifted away.
We’ve all witnessed someone close to our heart become engulfed in an addiction. Their life succumbs to their drug of choice, demanding higher and higher doses to get past the tolerance and increase the high.
Sometimes you feel like there was no helping. Nothing and no one could do anything. Could anyone have helped?
The answer is yes! A Registered Nurse trained in addiction medicine, an addiction specialist. Addiction nurses have dedicated their lives to help addicts reclaim their lives. Why? Maybe they chose this career because they witnessed to loss of a loved one to drugs.
Addiction nurses help those struggling with alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and other addictions. Some of these drugs are:
Nicotine: Primarily smokers, nicotine addicts claim their drug of choice as a stress relief. Addiction specialists know that nicotine is a drug that causes its own anxiety. You don’t smoke, you get stressed, so you smoke, and feel better. Then you go a little while without a cigarette, start craving it again, if you don’t get it, you start getting stressed again, until you smoke again. It’s a vicious cycle.
Heroin: Kids as young as high schoolers snort, smoke, and inject heroin. Heroin tolerance builds quickly, so each time you do it, you have to do more to get the same high you got last time. This results in convulsions and death.
Cocaine: Cheaper, deadlier street synthetics are known as Ice, Crystal, Crank, Crack, etc. Addicts have stated they were hooked “with the first hit.†Excessive, prolonged use can lead to itching, heart complications, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions. Overdoses lead to heart complications, and life-threatening high blood pressure.
Alcohol: Being a legal drug, we all know how it can become addicting and the potential consequences being under the influence can have.
Food: Gluttony can lead to obesity, and obesity is usually coupled with diabetes, heart disease, and other crippling diseases, all sometimes causing more damage than any other drug addiction. For the first time in history, more people are suffering from obesity than starvation.
Being trained to help people with addictions sounds easy enough, right? Wrong.
The duties of an addiction nurse consist of treating patients, educating patients and the public about addictions and medical conditions, providing advice and emotional support for the patients’ family members and other loved ones, teaching management of addictions to patients and their families, and promoting clean lives. By educating people about addiction warning signs and symptoms, these nurses attempt to fight addiction. These nurses may run public seminars about addiction-associated conditions as well, usually also including family intervention and support. RN nurses that have received advanced educational preparation and training can implement diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and sometimes also have the authority to prescribe medicine.
There are three way to become a registered nurse; by obtaining a bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in nursing (ADN), and a diploma. BSN programs usually take about 4 years to complete, and are offered by colleges and universities. ADN programs take 2 to 3 years to complete, and are offered by community and junior colleges. Diploma programs take about 3 years to complete, and are offered by hospitals. Licensed graduates that have obtained any of the three aforementioned programs generally qualify for entry-level positions as staff nurses. Although there are hundreds of ADN and BSN nursing programs, there are comparatively few diploma programs.
For people that are interested in switching their career to nursing, there are education programs available. Those who’ve already obtained their bachelor’s degree in a different area can enroll in an accelerated BSN program. These programs last 12 to 18 months, and provide the fastest way to obtain a BSN if you already have a bachelor’s degree in another area of study. There are also similar master’s degree programs. If you already have your bachelor’s degree or a higher degree in a different field, you can obtain your MSN in about 2 years.
At least a master’s degree is required to be any of the four types of advanced practice nursing. There are also state-specific advanced practices nursing requirements. Generally, advance practice nurses have the authority to prescribe medicine, but that authority varies from state to state. For specific requirements and regulations in regards to advance practice nursing, contact your state’s board of nursing.
The expected growth of overall RN employment is 22% between 2008 and 2018, which is considerably faster than the average of all occupations. Patient care technological advances are driving this growth, allowing treatment of more health problems, and an increased focus on preventive care. Also, the amount of older individuals, being much more likely to need nursing care than younger individuals, is expected to increase rapidly.
As of May 2008, the average annual wages of RNs were $62,450. The bottom 10% earned under $43,410; the middle 50% earned between $51,640 and $76,570; the highest 10% earned more than $92,250.
Impacted by addiction? Driven to dedicate your life to save people from addiction?
People are addicted, mentally ill, or jobless; self-medicating, and becoming addicted. Addiction is on the rise, and addiction nurses will be high in demand.
Join the fight against addiction, become an addiction nurse!
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All articles: By The GetDegreed Staff.
