Women’s Health Nursing
Women's health nursing refers to the care of women and issues related to their health and well being. Issues a women's health nurse deals with on a daily basis include but are not limited to gynecologic and obstetric care, screening exams such as mammograms and pap smears, issues like domestic violence, fertility issues, counseling issues, aging and menopause, and even weight loss. Women's health nursing can include nearly every kind of physical or mental health issue throughout a female's lifespan. Women's health nurse practitioners and nurse midwives are two kinds of advance practice nurses that deal with women's issues in hospital, clinic, and office settings.
Just like a pediatric nurse provides care that is specific for a child, a women's health nurse provides care that is specific to females. Women comprise more than half of the population and care needs to be focused on their specific needs. Good preventative care is important for women to prevent major causes of illness and death such as cancer and heart disease. Women's health nurses can be registered nurses who work in offices or hospitals. They can continue their education to become advanced practice nurses like women's health nurse practitioners or nurse midwives. Women's health nurse practitioners evaluate patients usually in an office setting. They usually provide obstetric and gynecologic care, sometimes under the direction of an obstetrician or a gynecologist. They usually evaluate established patients and do annual physicals and screening exams. They are able to spend a lot of time doing patient teaching and addressing needs specific to the female population. Women's health nurse practitioners have many opportunities for advancement.
Midwives, like women's health nurse practitioners, see patients in the office or hospital setting. They assist their patients with delivering babies and also provide gynecologic care. Some midwives also assist with home births. The patients evaluated and treated by midwives are generally low risk patients and most midwives work under the direction of an obstetrician. Midwives are advance practice nurses who have obtained master's degrees and extensive training in labor and delivery. Most midwives have delivered hundreds of babies during their training before even obtaining their licensure and have as good or better outcomes than their physician counterparts. Midwives are a wonderful option for many pregnant women who are low risk and wish to have a minimally invasive delivery. While midwives do not prevent patients from having pain meds, their patients are often encouraged to use other non-traditional means of pain control such as meditation or even water deliveries. Midwives' patients usually have a lower incidence of episiotomies in their patients as well.
Women's health is very important in our society for many reasons. Because women live longer, they require teaching and screening exams for a longer period of time. Women give birth to children; the effects of the mother's health affect that of their offspring. Many women enter the work force and need to remain in good health to support their families and the economy. For these reasons along with many others, women often choose to be examined by a women's health nurse or advance practice nurse.
Published: 2009-11-03
