What is an Addiction Nursing?
Addiction nursing is regarded as a nursing process that helps care for the rehabilitation center's patients. Addiction Nurses are also known as Substance Abuse Nurses. Patients who have undertaken rehabilitation for their unhealthy lifestyle or consumption of drugs, alcohol, and others, have a completely different story. Their healthcare routine and how their treatment shall be done are completely different. These people need extra care and more patience to handle their health care. The addiction nurses are trained to work in a variety of settings. This is inclusive of working in the offices of the primary care physicians. They are also trained in psychiatric facilities to handle any difficulties that might come in the process of handling addicted patients.
Why is Addiction Nursing Important?
Addiction is not good for health. It not only has a detrimental impact on people’s health but is not healthy for society. Addicted people tend to lose control over themselves. This often leads to criminal activities or even the death of individuals who are addicted. Addiction nursing helps in resolving the issues. Addiction nursing helps treat people with issues or those in the rehabilitation centers with the necessary treatments and care to get back to their normal lives.
Addiction is one of the most common issues in modern-day society. Alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and other addictions reduce life expectancy. In addition, nursing helps cure people so that they can once more be a part of society. Addiction nursing helps provide comfort to the patient’s families and support them in times of need so that they can improve their lives. The addiction nurses help the patients and their families to gain knowledge and understanding regarding the addiction or the diseases and effects of the addictions.
Addiction incurs numerous health hazardous diseases. These diseases are inclusive of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, HIV Aids, and more. At times these diseases are capable of affecting the mental health of the people. Addiction nursing helps an individual to go through the entire process of therapy or comfort that the patient requires for better health.
Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, early exposure to drugs, stress, and parental guidance can greatly affect a person's likelihood of drug use and addiction. Often the primary causes of the addiction are not known to the people. In such cases, proper counseling is required. Addiction Nurses can often counsel the patients such that they can tell their problems and issues to them. This helps improve the mental health of the addicted individuals so that they can barren their minds and live peacefully. A peaceful mind can take pieces of advice which in turn shall help benefit the patients in the process of rehabilitation.
Addiction nurses play a greater role than doctors at times. Patients often get comfortable with time. As nurses remain with them for longer, they are more likely to gain the patients’ trust. Often the patients in the rehabilitation centers tend to refuse medication. They often tend to run away from the medication centers for various reasons. However, proper nursing and counseling shall help in improving these aspects.
These nurses are proficient in generic medicines and mental health control. Other abilities of these nurses include pain management, educating patients and caregivers about the dangers of substance abuse, and emotional support to patients in crisis. As they help the people gain knowledge regarding the issues and ways to combat them, they are considered to be one of the most important parts of the society and medicine and health care sectors of the world.
What Are the Core Topics in Addiction Nursing?
These are certain topics that must be taken into consideration for Addiction Nursing.
- Patience with the patients. This is essential for handling the most critical and difficult situations. This also helps in handling the most difficult aspects of the patients. Often patients’ behavior is intolerable. In such cases, being calm and patient with the subjects helps enhance the work process.
- Having knowledge of pain management. The standard of care for pain management consists, in its broadest outlines, of 1) medical indications for treatment, 2) clinical practices, and 3) therapeutic goals. An addiction nurse should be proficient in all of them.
- Communication and counseling abilities. This helps in reaching out to the patients and providing them with moral support, emotional support, and all the other comforts which can help them to improve their health.
What Are the Roles in Addiction Nursing?
Addiction nurses play a greater role than doctors at times. Patients often get comfortable with time. As nurses remain with them for longer, they are more likely to gain the patients’ trust. Often the patients in the rehabilitation centers tend to refuse medication. They often tend to run away from the medication centers for various reasons. However, proper nursing and counseling shall help in improving these aspects.
These nurses are proficient in generic medicines and mental health control. Other abilities of these nurses include pain management, educating patients and caregivers about the dangers of substance abuse, and emotional support to patients in crisis. As they help the people gain knowledge regarding the issues and ways to combat them, they are considered to be one of the most important parts of the society and medicine and health care sectors of the world.
What Are the Education Requirements for Addiction Nursing?
For being an Addiction Nurse, a student should have a proper college degree. They should have their bachelor’s degrees. Secondly, they should have a registered license in nursing. Apart from this, they should have experience in subjects like biology, chemistry, microbiology, psychology, nutrition, anatomy, and physiology as well as supervised fieldwork experiences in clinical settings. National Council Licensure Examination shall be taken up by the same for taking up a career as an Addiction nurse. Certified Addictions Registered Nurse (CARN) credential from the Addictions Nursing Certification Board should be taken up for being in position. Besides, the nurse should have minimum of 3 years of experience in the Nursing field.