Roles of the Professional Nurse The role of the professional nurse in today's healthcare setting continues to expand as our healthcare delivery system in the United States changes. Historically, nurses have delivered care in a system that has been "illness" centered. Increases in knowledge of disease, coupled with a desire to decrease the costs of delivering health care have shifted the U.S. model of care to one of prevention (IOM, 2010, p. 1-1). The professional nurse continues to have eight interrelated roles in caring for their patients. The eight roles, which will be further explored in this paper, are that of caregiver, advocate, critical thinker, teacher, communicator, manager/administrator/executive, researcher, and rehabilitator. …show more content…
The nurse acting in the caregiver role can administer medications, take vital signs, bathe a patient, help a patient to use the bathroom, feed a patient, or perform wound care. The nurse, as a caregiver, is interested in caring for their patient in a holistic fashion. The nurse is concerned about their patient's psychosocial, cultural, mental health, spiritual, and physical needs. Providing hands on, holistic care of the patient is the primary role in bedside nursing, and often the most rewarding part of the nursing job. Advocate Nurses also function as the primary advocate of the patient. Patients often find themselves in a vulnerable position; they are sick, sometimes alone, and are frequently uneducated regarding their illness. It is up to the nurse to advocate for the patient's care, health, and safety. The nurse must educate their patient regarding their health in terms that the patient can best understand. The nurse then must listen to the patient regarding their needs, so that the nurse can advocate to the health care team on behalf of the patient. Critical …show more content…
The nurse must be able to communicate with an interdisciplinary team to advocate for their patient and to advance the plan of care. The nurse must also be able to successfully communicate with their patient to provide teaching and comfort. The nurse must remember that an important part of communication is listening to the needs of the patient and their families. Manager To be an effective nurse, one must be able to assume the role of manage, delegator, and coordinator of care. At my hospital, we are frequently reminded that we are "captain" of our patient's care, as most coordination of care is done through the nurse. For patients to receive optimal care, nurses must also be able to delegate caretaking responsibilities. The nurse must be comfortable delegating tasks to the patient care techs such as vitals, linen changes, and emptying of foley catheters, so that the nurse has time to fulfill their many roles.
Nurses provide a vital role in the health care system. Sure, we may not be able to diagnose or write prescriptions. However, we are the main advocates for the patients. We also stand by the side of our patients through their entire hospital stay. It is the nurse who notices the smallest changes in their patients.
Nurses an important part of the health care team. Nurses work with other members of the health care team to provide safe and effective care. Nurses responsibilities include delegating, collaboration and guidance. At WGU I learned three distinct characteristics a nurse should have. These characteristics are: I.
The role of Nurse Practitioner came into inception in the mid 60s. This was in response to a shortage of physicians across the nation. With the demand for primary care services for all ages, one option to close the demand gap and increase the number of providers is the option for states to revisit the laws governing how Nurse Practitioners practice and provide care to patients in different settings like hospitals, outpatient clinics and others. Whether they work autonomously or under a physicians' supervision, their scope of practice involves but is not limited to assessment and planning with a goal to provide the the best care for optimal patient health and outcomes.
What particular value will the nurse representative bring to the board unique and different from that already presented? Nursing provides the highest amount of patient contact care, providing care at the bedside throughout out the patient’s entire stay in the hospital. Fran Roberts, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, makes an excellent point when she describes a nurses perspective of a hospital from the inside out, offering a view that no other healthcare provider can (Roberts, 2014). Dr. Roberts goes on to explain that this unique perspective provides insight that no other board members can bring to the table, such as what it 's like to work short staffed, at what point patient safety becomes compromised, and experiences that no one can offer other than another nurse (Roberts, 2014).
Should I Major in Nursing Science or not? Nursing is hard job. Nurses who work hard by taking care of the patient. I am in college with no career choice.
I agree with you Walter. Nursing is a teamwork. In an acute hospital setting, an RN is assigned a set of patient to deliver care that means RN has full responsibility about these patients. In this case, RN who is the primary care nurse can complete her task by herself or delegate some of the task to the nursing assistant according to their scope of practice. The abilities to delegate, and supervise other healthcare workers is not an easy job.
They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine and supervising nurses ' aides”(study).
Registered nurses are required to deliver wide-range nursing attention and treatment to all persons in a healthcare setup (American Nurses ' Association, 2000). Notably, they have to offer emergency care and guarantee the safe execution of treatment. It is mandatory for nurses to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the laws and regulations that are in line with their profession. Additionally,
The concepts of this theory include function of professional nursing, presenting behavior of the patient, immediate reaction, nursing process discipline as well as improvement (Petiprin, 2016). One of the roles of a nurse is to meet the immediate needs of the patient. Patients typically present to a facility with a requirement that should be identified and met by the nurse. The nurse should be able to identify the problematic situation from the patient to be able to address the need for help. The patient develops their perception of events and circumstances based on their automatic feelings and thoughts which causes the patient to have an immediate response.
When I picture myself with patients, I see the fear, uncertainty, confusion in their face as I carry on their cares. Stepping in to help patients reach their health goal is very important as far as health care is concern. Zomorodi and Foley (2009) define “the role of the advocating nurse as informing and
(Fein man, M. 2011) According to the American Nurses Association, a nurse “promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient. Negligence of the patient cause direct effect on patient mental health. The proper care of the patient is very important for treatment. Therefore staff should provide care to the patient, so patient not attempt suicide or harm himself.
Relationships are important to this leader who places a focus on quality improvement of systems and processes, rather than on mistakes of individual team members. As a nurse leader you are an example to others—either positive or negative. It may be necessary for you to adopt characteristics from a variety of leadership styles based on the situation at hand. Regardless of the leadership activity needed, it is important to act with integrity, to set realistic goals, to communicate clearly and often, to encourage others, to recognize the successes of your team members, and to inspire them to provide the best of care. Ultimately your actions will be
They are able to connect, communicate and coordinate across multiple departments, professional opinions and voices, and the daily schedules of patients. Advocating and designing care with the patient and family is a true skills set and cultural attribute that adds tremendously to a culture of safety and patient – centeredness but requires the most able leadership to build these bridges across the many professionals engaged in care. Building this culture is a leadership challenge and there is no one in my experience better able to make these changes than nursing leaders ( Maureen Bisognano, 2009). Nurses should not just be at the bedside or within the nursing community but must be involved as leaders and decision – makers throughout the healthcare system. As Maureen Bisognano (2009) points out, the best nurses are accomplished envoys among different players and interests involved in direct patient care, which is a skill needed throughout organizations and businesses, not just in hospitals or
(Nursing Times). Nursing is gaining influence in all aspect of healthcare practice, therefore it is important for nurses to develop good leadership skills at the early stage of their practice which is the key to all nursing career and nurse managers can become good leaders with effective training and enhancement of their skills in leadership. Most nursing managers are tossed around by their leaders when they themselves are leaders in their capacities. A nursing manager aspiring to become a leader must be committed to excellence and passion for patient’s advocacy, employee’s protection and be a role model, living by example.
Importance of nurses A nurse is a health care professional who is engaged in the practice of nursing. Nurses are men and women who are responsible (along with other health care professionals) for the treatment, safety and recovery of acutely or chronically ill or injured people, health maintenance of the healthy, and treatment of life-threatening emergencies in a wide range of health care settings. Nurses may also be involved in medical and nursing research and perform a wide range of non-clinical functions necessary to the delivery of health care. Nurses develop a plan of care, sometimes working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient, the patient 's family and other team members.