All About Cardiac Care Nursing

With nearly eighty million Americans now suffering from some form of heart disease, and almost a million and a half heart attacks occurring each year, nurses who specialize in cardiac care have seen an ever-increasing demand for their services. Early and comprehensive care of such ailments as high blood pressure, stroke, and coronary disease are essential elements of life-saving medical treatment, and cardiac care nursing plays a critical role in providing that treatment.

In many hospitals, the cardiac care nursing staff is a part of the intensive care staff. Their training and experience places these nurses on the front lines of response to cardiac emergencies, as well as in the development of long-term cardiac care treatment plans. They are also responsible for much of the interaction that takes place with the families of cardiac patients, as well as providing care information to the patients in their charge. Their assistance in the early detection and treatment management of cardiac conditions has a direct impact on the high survivability rates of cardiac patients in the United States.

Most cardiac nursing care is performed within a hospital setting, where patients with life-threatening cardiac conditions undergo surgery and intensive levels of care. There are, however, other environments in which these professionals provide critical services as well. One such environment is a rehabilitation facility. Cardiac care nursing is vital in these facilities to assist patients in making the transition of lifestyle necessary to ensure improvement in their conditions. Nursing homes with residents who have a history of heart problems often receive regular visits from cardiac care nurses who monitor the health of the facility's residents, and assist in treatment needs. There are also cardiac nursing personnel who provide in-home visits to patients who require frequent monitoring.

Cardiac care nursing is a specialty that requires the basic registered nurse (RN) degree, and sometimes requires the four year bachelor's degree in nursing as well. Before being recognized as a cardiac specialist, many nurses pursue additional accreditation in more advanced cardiac techniques, and also receive extensive hands-on training in a critical care ward. In addition, this field of nursing requires advanced communication abilities to ensure that written and spoken directives are properly delivered and understood by patients and families. In the care of people with heart conditions, even the slightest miscommunication can have disastrous consequences.

These communication skills also come in handy as cardiac care nursing skills are used on a daily basis. Due to the amount of interaction between the care nurse and the patient, the nurse is often the first health care providers to recognize that a patient is demonstrating signs of depression. Due to their training, those in the cardiac care nursing field are well-equipped to not only recognize these signs - common in those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke, but to discuss the problem with the patient and contact the necessary psychological staff when necessary. In this way, cardiac care nursing specialists provide care that goes well beyond the basic physical treatments, as their broad base of expertise assists patients in achieving recovery in every area of their lives.