LPN to RN Blog

Registered nurses specialize in many areas that can pertain to specific age groups, diseases, or treatments. But did you know that some nurses even specialize in specific organs? Typically employed in hospital specialty units, hospital critical care units, specialty clinics, and outpatient care facilities, they are specially trained in the treatment of particular organs like the heart, skin, and eyes.

Cardiovascular nurses care for patients with heart problems, such as coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, congenital heart disease, and heart attacks. They treat acutely ill patients and watch their progress by monitoring stress test evaluations, cardiac, and vascular readings. They also care for critically ill patients as well and provide services like postoperative rehabilitation for patients who have undergone heart surgery like bypass, angioplasty, or pacemaker surgery. Cardiovascular nurses aid in cardiac rehabilitation, working with patients who need to make lifestyle changes to prevent the worsening of their disease. They work closely with patients and their families as to educate them on proper care and precautions they should take.

Dermatology nurses specialize in the caring of the body’s largest and most visible organ, the skin. Working in clinical environments, hospitals and burn centers, they treat patients with skin disorders, diseases, and wounds. They see various dermatological conditions ranging from skin cancer to acne, as well as shingles, psoriasis, and infections. Dermatology nurses conduct examinations and diagnostic screenings, and assist with monitoring medical, surgical or phototherapeutic interventions for patients. They also commonly perform procedures such as, microdermabrasion, biopsies, chemical peels and mesotherapy. As many skin conditions can be treated if caught early, an important part of their job is to educate patients about dermatological conditions and promoting healthy ways to treat them.

Ophthalmic nurses care for patients who are diagnosed with disorders of the eyes, including blindness and glaucoma. These nurses know that vision problems can be related to other serious medical problems like hypertension and diabetes. Therefore when patients have eye disorders like glaucoma, cataracts, eye trauma, and partial or full blindness, ophthalmic nurses conduct tests that examine health in other areas. They also work closely with and prepare patients who are undergoing eye surgery. First, they conduct preoperative assessments that include gathering information about their overall health, current medications, allergic reactions to medications, and systemic conditions. Second, they inform patients about surgical procedure itself as well as aftercare procedures. During operations, ophthalmic nurses assist the surgical team, functioning as circulator or scrub nurses. They carefully and safely position patients for the best surgical access, verify the surgical site, and help out with technical instrumentation.