Gone are the days of white nursing caps and aprons. Today’s nurses are at the cutting edge of modern healthcare practices. There are different types of nurses for every medical specialty.

1. Home Health Care Nurse

Advances in modern medicine have made a 24 hour or less hospital stay a common occurrence. Just because a patient doesn’t need around-the-clock hospital care doesn’t mean they can be at home without some assistance. Home health care nurses work through an agency and travel to a patient’s home to ensure they are healing properly and have the necessary care they need.

2. Nurse Practitioner

A nurse practitioner is a nurse who has earned their master’s degree in nursing. They are qualified to diagnose patients and prescribe medication. Many universities such as Norwich University offer an online Master of Science in Nursing program for nurses who are looking to augment their bachelor’s degree. Online programs like this make it possible for current nurses to work while continuing their education. Nurse practitioners should also get used to the changing IT of healthcare, which has the potential to optimize healthcare records and scheduling processes.

3. Midwife

A midwife is a nurse who specializes in childbirth. They assist in the prenatal care of the mother and baby through pregnancy, labor and delivery. In some states, midwives are licensed to come to the mother’s home to facilitate the delivery. Midwifery focuses on creating a calm and nurturing environment for both mother and baby and keeping the mother in the most natural state of discomfort possible.

Midwifery has been growing in recent times, as mothers who choose midwives has tripled since 1989, in connection or in parallel with the natural/organic movement. Many mothers choose to use a midwife because they are looking for less-invasive pregnancies, especially with the growing number of C-section births in the US.

4. Holistic Nurse

Holistic nurses are able to approach medicine in a unique way. They don’t focus on anyone specialty, but instead treat the entire patient, body and mind. They assist with therapeutic treatment methods to improve the patient’s mindset, emotional state, interpersonal relationships as well as their medical ailments and any underlying conditions.

In years past the nurse was regarded as nothing more than the doctors assistant. While it’s true that a lot of nursing duties require assisting a doctor, the role of the nurse has grown exponentially into a profession that is highly specialized and regarded in its own right.

According to a review conducted by the Health Promotion International division of the Oxford Journal, nurses have an important role regarding patients and their families. Nurses assist patients and families with their understanding of medical findings, treatment options and developing treatment plans.

Nurses are now regarded throughout the healthcare industry as healthcare promoters and patient advocates regardless of their focus being on general nursing or a specialized nursing category. These more specialized categories, while they may require more education, are the future of nursing and the healthcare industry in general.