Nurse Specialty Essay

This paper is an overview of a nursing specialty area that you find particularly interesting. The paper should:

clearly identify the specialty and the population served,
identify any specialty organizations* of nurses that work in this area, and
discuss and cite the scope and standards** that relate to the specialty. The Library has ANA Scope and Standards available for most specialties. If the specialization you have chosen does not have separately published standards, relate the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice for nursing to the specialization,
briefly address the demand*** for nurses in this specialization and where practice occurs, and
provide some insight into why this specialization appeals to you.

As you write the assignment, keep in mind that this paper will be shared with your classmates and your name will be visible to them. Follow APA style and include citations and references for the sources you used in writing your paper. Submit your paper here before the start of class on the date due. Following the due date, you will be asked to complete a peer review on at least 2 of your classmate’s papers.

* specialty organizations are those that organize to assist and support nurses who work with a particular type of patients or settings; they may provide guidance, may lobby for change, may provide practice resources. Check out this link for some guidance in this area: Specialty Organizations
(Links to an external site.)

** scope and standards are the professional guidelines for an organization. Many are very similar to those for all nurses as published in the main ANA book, Nursing Scope & Standards of Practice – they address what the organization describes as the overall guidelines for nurses in a given area. For specialties there are occasionally some differences, which is why specialty-level guidelines are published. I’m simply asking you to look through what’s applicable to the specialty you’re writing about and respond accordingly. I want to see that you have some idea of what scope and standards are and whether or not there are specific ones for your specialty.

*** demand – is this a growing specialty? will more or fewer nurses be needed in this area? The specialty organization websites may answer this question, your research in other areas will help you (cite your sources), the BLS website (link in the module 3 assignment area) can also give you some guidance.