In honour of Nurses Week, it is only fitting to learn more about what makes nurses one of a kind and worthy of being feted.
When tasked to write about my nursing experience, this writer was not exactly enthusiastic. How could I write about something I have been on a hiatus from for some time? Yet, though I have filled different corporate roles through the years, and am a writer now, nursing is still in me, and I know well that nurses have numerous roles to play in the span of our careers, not all of which were taught in nursing school.
“If a nurse declines to do these kinds of things for her patient, ‘because it is not her business,’ I should say that nursing was not her calling,” Florence Nightingale wrote in her book Notes on Nursing: What
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There are a lot of other healthcare professionals in the patient care team that you have to collaborate with to ensure that the patient receives continuous care. But sometimes, it can’t be helped when the hospital is short of staff or they're unavailable when they’re needed. This is not an ideal situation but nurses still get things done and they do it well.
With proper skills, certifications and where applicable, nurses assume other roles like a doctor and pharmacist advising the patient about their home care and take home medications. In some cases, nurses draw blood and collect excrement samples when phlebotomists and medical technologists are not around. We also assist patients in doing range of motion exercises when physical therapists are not around. And when the respiratory therapist is out and the patient needs nebulisation badly, the nurse usually takes over.
Psychologist, Family Counsellor, Friend
We’ve all been in a situation when we had to be a psychologist keeping our patient sane amidst the intense stress of hospitalisation and daily life. More often than not, this also comes with the need to counsel the
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Of course, the pain and the loss was still there, but being around at the wee hours pacified her even a little. Some days, we have to act like nothing’s wrong while a patient from the other room is coding or has just passed. There are times that due to high stress, deep seated family feuds erupt while in the midst of taking care of the critically ill patient and you have to keep everyone calm. Getting caught in these situations requires great malleability.
Babysitter, Hairdresser, Cosmetologist
We were taught in nursing school that we must provide holistic care to our patients regardless if they are conscious or otherwise. Working with chronically and critically ill patients, especially in the different intensive care units, will give you a chance to perform such and more. Aside from the usual nursing tasks, we must know how to make our patient feel like a million bucks.
I learned how to play Tetris, how to Milkmaid braid, and how to apply lip liner, among many other things which I wouldn’t do for myself. We have a stash of mini pocket games, hair accessories, fancy shampoo or soap, luxurious lotions, and anything we can keep in our lockers ready to give our patients as an extra dose of pampering. While these seem mundane, it makes a huge difference in providing our patients total healing for the
Although nurses do not wield the power of doctors in hospital settings, they are still able to effectively compensate for a doctor’s deficits in a variety of ways to assure patient recovery. Nurses meet a patient’s physical needs, which assures comfort and dignity Nurses explain and translate unfamiliar procedures and treatments to patients which makes the patient a partner in his own care and aids in patient compliance. Nurses communicate patient symptoms and concerns to physicians so treatment can be altered if necessary and most importantly, nurses provide emotional support to patients in distress.
Nurses have a considerable amount of responsibility in any facility. They are responsible for administering medicines and treatments to there patient’s. While caring for there patients, nurses will make observations on patient’s health and then record there findings. As well as consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals to plan proper individual patient care. They teach their patients how to manage their illnesses and explain to both the patient and the patients family how to continue treatment when returning home (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014-15). They also record p...
Everyday in this world, elderly, adults, teens or children become ill or get into accidents and need medical attention. Whether these elderly, adults, teens or children are taken to a hospital, pediatrician, specialist, or clinic, a doctor and a nurse will tend to them. The nurse plays a role that is just as important as the doctor. Nurses work very closely with the families as part of the caring process. Every member of the family plays a role in different ways. The nurses are there to help the patient as well as the family step through the illness or injury. They provide information for the prevention of future illness and injury, and help to comfort the patient and his/her family. It is vital that a nurse understands that to be a nurse, you need a certain personality and understanding of the field.
We are not only responsible for patient care, but we are also included in many other roles. Before nursing school, I thought that the main responsibility of the nurse is to take care of patient. During nursing school, I learned that patient care was not the nurses known just for. We took many general courses and nursing course work to prepare ourselves to be an educated member. For example, it was required to us to take microbiology, anatomy, leadership, professionalisms, etc to help us to become a better nurse and have a foundation base of education. We give patient care in the hospital, but we are also provider of care. We use the nursing process to help and make decision for our patient. Our decisions are based on critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and accountability. We are hold accountable for everything we do and based on our judgment to provide care to the best of patient’s benefit. We are also known for our role as a manager, designer, and coordinator of patient care. I plan and coordinate patient’s care based on their health care needs. In clinical, my patient has a Foley catheter, I will know to plan and implement Foley care to help with personal hygiene and preventing infections. It is important to make decisions based on priorities, time, and resources. As nurses, we need to know how to delegate and ask for assistance when needed. For example, I needed help to ambulate my patient who has a total knee replacement, I then ask
Nurses do play a role that aid their patients. Nurses perform many physical examinations, provide health counseling, administer wound care and medications, interpret patient information and make critical decisions about necessary actions. This proves nurses do have important duties, in contrast to the show, where the nurses giggle at jokes and fulfill all the doctors’ personal needs (“What Nurses
Nurses have many different roles which include promoting health, preventing illness, and the daily care of patients in all different kinds of settings. It is important for nurses to treat the whole patient and address not only the acute concern but all factors that contribute to the patients’ health and well-being. We are each responsible for our health, and it is the role of the nurse to help their patients be accountable for their health. Nurses have also to ensure
Today we admire nurses for how much time they sacrifice to help others. Nursing has been around for many years, as far back as 1751. It may be one of the oldest professions known. A nurse is someone who has been “trained to take care of the sick or infirm, typically in a hospital environment.” Nurses are highly respected and are still experiencing many levels of growth ‘till this day.
When dealing with masses of people on a daily basis, who need a nurse constantly, and who have complaints and needs, there will be major stress to deal with. Difficulties will come and go, but not always with ease. A nurse may deal with a lot of drama, procedure problems, and time limitations. Not all patients are kind, patient,
Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, It requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God’s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts. (Masters, 2005 (p.186)
The nursing discipline embodies a whole range of skills and abilities that are aimed at maximizing one’s wellness by minimizing harm. As one of the most trusted professions, we literally are some’s last hope and last chance to thrive in life; however, in some cases we may be the last person they see on earth. Many individuals dream of slipping away in a peaceful death, but many others leave this world abruptly at unexpected times. I feel that is a crucial part to pay attention to individuals during their most critical and even for some their last moments and that is why I have peaked an interest in the critical care field. It is hard to care for someone who many others have given up on and how critical care nurses go above and beyond the call
Firstly, Nurses must develop the right communication tools when dealing with their patients. For example most nurses do bedside reporting, before they change their shift in the morning, therefore they would be relaying information to the other nurse about the patient they dealt with during the night. The nurse that is going off shift would give a report to the incoming nurse in the presence of the patient. He or she has to discuss the condition of the patient, medications and the procedures so the next nurse would be on the same level. Most nurses in the General Hospital do their reporting by the bedside of their patients.
There is debate over whether a comatose patient is aware of their surroundings and able to hear those around them during their state of unconsciousness or not. The role of the nurse is crucial in the case of a comatose patient, in the sense that the nurse often sets the comatose patient apart as a human being. The patient is given the greatest benefit and recovery when the nurse treats as she would treat a conscious patient. In all treatment, the nurse must care for her patients with respect, and remain adaptable to any situation and patient. Proper treatment of a comatose patient can lead to a regain of consciousness and recovery.
The nurse should understand the patient’s health situation and provide care that will best suit the patient’s situation. This could include allowing the patient to express his or her feelings about anything and the nurse just lending an ear and being there for the patient.
The profession of nursing has both positive and negative effects on the well-being of nurses, which can lead to learning opportunities for those that are new to the profession. To receive an accurate depiction of the nursing profession, an interview with a currently practicing nurse is conducted and the challenges that they face will be analyzed with the intent of exploring different strategies that can be used when coping with these issues. The nurse that was interviewed stated that she has been in the nursing field for the past seventeen years; with the past ten being in the role of a nurse practitioner (Personal Communication, October 26, 2016). The nurse has experience in a variety of settings, as well as holding several degrees and certificates
The medical field is filled with many rewarding jobs and one of those jobs is being a nurse: the job of taking care of people who are sick, injured, or old. Seems like a pretty easy task doesn’t it? Nursing takes time and skill to learn, but a lifetime to perfect it to the best ability anyone can. Being a nurse is one of the