Nurses work in a variety of health-care settings to promote health and help patients cope with illness. Their work includes such roles as caregiver, advocate and health educator. At the advanced levels are positions such as nurse practitioner and certified nurse-midwife.
Many nurses find providing direct care for patients extremely meaningful and rewarding work.
A stressful health-care climate, with mergers and reorganizations, is stretching nursing staff thin and increasing demands on the job. Nursing is often physically challenging, with hours of standing and moving patients. Exposure to disease is a risk inherent to the setting. Nursing can be emotionally challenging, as well, coping continually with human suffering. Many times nursing professionals are called on to work nights, weekends and holidays.