Overview
Nurses play a crucial role in the healthcare system, providing compassionate and skilled care to patients across various healthcare settings. Their responsibilities encompass a wide range of clinical, administrative, and educational tasks aimed at promoting health, preventing illness, and delivering quality patient care.
Duties
Patient Care:
- Nurses assess patients' health status, perform physical examinations, and obtain medical histories to develop individualized care plans.
- They administer medications, treatments, and interventions prescribed by physicians, and monitor patients' responses to therapy.
Clinical Procedures:
- Nurses perform various clinical procedures such as inserting urinary catheters, starting intravenous lines, and conducting diagnostic tests like blood pressure monitoring and blood glucose testing.
- They assist physicians and other healthcare providers during medical procedures and surgeries, ensuring patient safety and comfort.
Care Coordination:
- Nurses collaborate with interdisciplinary healthcare teams, including physicians, therapists, social workers, and pharmacists, to coordinate patient care and achieve optimal outcomes.
- They communicate patient progress, changes in condition, and care plans during shift handoffs and team meetings to ensure continuity of care.
Qualifications:
- Completion of a nursing program accredited by the relevant regulatory body or nursing council.
- Valid nursing license issued by the regulatory authority in the country or state of practice, demonstrating competency and authorization to practice nursing.
- Proficiency in clinical nursing skills such as patient assessment, medication administration, wound care, IV therapy, and emergency response.
- Capacity to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and cultural sensitivity in interactions with patients and families, recognizing their unique needs, preferences, and experiences.
Nurses play a pivotal role in promoting health, preventing illness, and caring for individuals across the lifespan, contributing to positive patient outcomes and the overall well-being of communities.