The Responsibilities Of Nurses Are Numerous And Diverse

Nursing is one of the most intimate health care professions. They are connected to their patients as soon as they are admitted into their care right through until they are discharged into someone else’s care. With this, nurses have a strict professional identity and scope of practice to prevent a nurse from over stepping their professional boundaries. A nurses’ duty of care does go beyond the average healthcare professional but still does not impair the

A nurse is so much more than someone who administers medication, performs physical examinations, and establishes treatment plans. Nurses do not just listen to their patients needs, they advocate for them. They do not just take care of the suffering and ill, they have empathy for them. They do not just treat injuries and wounds, they heal the mind body and spirit. Being a nurse is not just a job title, it is an identity. It involves many core concepts and incorporates many values and beliefs. Being a nurse includes the concepts professionalism and patient and family - centered care. Both in which relate to the Benedictine values of the College of St. Scholastica.

As nurses we accept the responsibility of caring for the patient therefore, we have to be hold accountable for the care that we provide. It is important for nurses to use their own judgement in accepting responsibility, when to seek consultation and when and what to delegate to others. According to Battie & Steelam (2014), “a prospective nurse should hold themselves accountable for patient advocacy, continuity of care, lifelong learning, to colleagues, the nursing profession, and their organization”.

“Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles” (ICN 2010)

A nurse is given an opportunity to help patients, either if its by helping them through a very serious sickness or just helping a patient get to the bathroom on time, or a time when happiness is overfilling the room and a child is being born. Registered nurses provide a wide variety of patient care services (Mitchell, p.12). A Nurse must always know where to begin and where to stop, as any other career in the health field there is always something that cannot be done by everyone but only the certified person, a nurse must always remain inside her scope of practice to prevent any misunderstandings. A nurse must also follow a code of ethics , the code of ethics of the American Association of Medical Assistants states that a nurse should at all times render service with full respect and dignity of humanity, respect confidential information obtained by a patients file, uphold the honor and high principles the profession and accept its discipline, and last but not least always want to improve her services to better serve the health and well being of the community. (Mitchell, p.65).

The roles and responsibility of a nurse are that most nurses face moral problems similar to these faces by the physician as well as a moral problem uniquely related to their professional role thus nurse must sometimes choose between doing what they believe will promote patients well-being and the respecting the patient ’ self-determination. Lisa explained the role as a role, is a “norm-governed patterns of action that undertaken in accordance with the social expectations” (Lisa page 690). Thus, the ability to serve and work according to the

The nursing profession is a challenge. As a nurse, you must remember every day that you can both alleviate suffering patients by administering treatment prescribed by a doctor and by a good word and a smile. For a good nurse should not matter how hard the day was, how much trouble it encountered, but must remember the core values of the profession and why he/she chose this profession. Nurses play an important role in the healthcare system. This is why they have been correctly referred to as the heart

According to the American Nurses Association, “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2010b). Nursing has come a long ways. From primitive times when caring for the sick was predominantly the rule of medicine-men who acquired the skills from their ancestors, to the era when it was viewed as a mean profession for prostitutes and nowadays when it is considered a noble profession with trained and skilled personnel.

Registered nurses are the primary caregiver to the patient, they enhance the safety and care of the patient. Registered nurses put together the data collected by other nurse in order to maximize the good health status of the patient (Weydt, 2010). The challenges faced by nurses lead to delegation of duties so that there will be clinical influence and financial outcome. The delegation has been one of the most effective, challenging skills that is practiced by nurses. The registered nurse has to understand the need of the patient and family members making sure the appropriate nurse is delegated to the for patient care better outcome (Weydt, 2010). The purpose of delegation, challenges faced and how and when to delegate duties will be discussed.

There are several roles assumed by a nurse in the process of caring for the patients. Berman and Snyder (2013) enlists

Because I am entrusted with the lives of those who come to the hospital for help, as a nurse, it is my duty to pay attention to the needs of my patient. My role in the care of my client is to use my attention to detail to see the physical, social, and psychological changes in them and to act accordingly. The ability to adapt to changes in the hospital environment and client allows for crafted changes in the care plan to seek, implement, and evaluate the changes in the hopes of a better outcome. Maintaining a work ethic, my role is to be mentally and physically present for my patient. It is my role as a nurse and to honor and respect the individuality and diversity of those who come for care and treatment.

A doctor plays an important role in saving a person's life and helping a pregnant woman deliver a baby safely. But the hands that help these doctors are often of nurses, whose acts are overlooked. These nurses rarely get a mention despite their hard work which ensures comfort and timely medicines to the patients. In fact, nurses, take care of patients more than doctors as they are always at the bedside of patients. They work selflessly and with their hearts and ensure that not a single dose of treatment is missed. They

Firstly we will look at ethics in nursing regarding dignity and respect, treating a person as an individual when in hospital can be an important part of any patients healing process, and to make sure these patients

* Nursing- “Nursing is concerned with promoting health, preventing illness, caring for the sick and restoring health”. Providing a social/medical history to the ICU nurse resuming care (Nursing Theories , 2012).

Urgency of acute care varies depending on the situation but can range to anything from emergency surgeries, to injuries, chronic illnesses, and also for the recovery of those procedures. Majority of the patients in acute care settings are critically ill. Nursing responsibilities in acute care settings are vital to patient’s recovery due to the front line position nurses play as well as the wide variety of tasks carried out. Assessments are made during every encounter the nurse has with the patient along with monitoring the patient’s progress. Nurses are responsible for recognizing symptoms the patient may be experiencing due to illness or injury and whether they fall in the spectrum of normal reactions. Vital signs are measured routinely and can be indicators of the patient’s current status. When vitals are questioned diagnostic tests can be arranged to further assess possible comorbidities the patient may have. Care plans are made to plan interventions the health care team can take to help patients through challenges they face, both physical and mental. Nurses administer medications as well as first aid as needed. They are responsible for maintaining special equipment patients may require including monitors and ventilators are well.