Responsibilty of the Nurses
Nurses are the largest task force in the healthcare field. Their main focus is on holistic care and prevention. Their responsibilities depend upon their education, training, and role in the organization. Depending on education and training, the nurse can be seen as a bedside staff nurse, a provider, an administrator, researcher, and or an educator. The nurses are pioneers in the healthcare field. They have their own practice licenses, and every professional nurse is expected to demonstrate high level of integrity.
There are two types of Licensed Nurses, the RNs (Registered Nurses) and the LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses). All nurses are responsible for the care of their own patients, but a RN is usually the one that holds the ultimate nursing responsibility of the patient. The LPNs report to the RNs. LPNs usually provide direct care to the patient. LPNs range of work and responsibility can vary depending on the rules and regulations of their Nursing board, State, and Organization.
The RN is expected to be competent in assessing, planning, and implementing patient care very efficiently for best patient outcomes. Nurses are often responsible for multiple patients; In order to provide efficient care, they must learn to prioritize. RNs are expected to have excellent assessment skills, and up-to-date knowledge of healthcare technology.
Nurses are responsible for total coordination of patient's care. The day to day needs of the patient, patient medicines, tests, teachings, physical therapies, meal times, etc. are all coordinated by the nurse.
So not only is the nurse responsible for the patient's physical and social needs, but all in making sure everyone involved in patient's care understands the goals of patient's care and works together as a team. In other words, a nurse is a team leader.
Nurses communicate their patient's health status, and day to day changes to the Physicians, and other providers. They also initiate consults as needed. For example:
1) Patient becomes short of breath. (LPN will notify the RN). The RN will evaluate the patient and make an assessment as to what could be the cause of shortness of breath. She may immediately start oxygen therapy depending on her assessment, or call respiratory service for respiratory treatment. She will notify the doctor for further consultation and treatment orders.
2) Another example is that nurse (RN or LPN) observes that that a patient has skin break down. RN will initiate a consult for the skin care nurse, notify the doctor. She will make a treatment plan for the patient. Get nutrition service involved. If patient's status allows, then she will get orders to initiate physical therapy, or special bed for the patient. If the treatment plan does not yield the desired outcomes, then she will institute a different plan of care until desired outcomes are obtained.
3) If nurse notes a mental status change, she will notify the doctor and get appropriate care started.
4) Nurses also get religious services involved, as per patient's beliefs and requests.
Nurses are the first ones to initiate care for the patients. They are responsible for overall care of the patient which includes proper and timely medication administration, proper and timely assessment of vital signs, physical examination, and pain management.
Nurses care for the patient in a holistic way; and they provide individualized care to the patient.
When needed they arrange for support groups for the patients, or get social worker involved to get patients into support groups on the outside.
They also make sure that patient's transition smoothly into nursing home or hospice care, as needed.
In addition to patient, nurses are also involved in getting patient for discharge. They are responsible in making sure that patient will transition smoothly from hospital to home. They get social worker involved, so that they can arrange outside resources for the patient.
The nurses are also getting families involved in patient care. So they educate the patient and family about the disease process, and care after hospital discharge.
Nurses teach patients and families about pacemakers, defibrillators, chemotherapy, CPAP, feeding tubes, and other new devices that patients must learn to use and live with.
Nurses are also responsible in educating patients about their disease process, and medications. They teach patients about possible side effects and adverse effects of those medicines.
They make sure that the patients have doctor's appointments before discharge so that they do not get lost in the system.
The nurses are also responsible to keep their licenses renewed, and maintain their education in order to keep their knowledge up-to-date.
The responsibilities of nurses are many. They don't just take orders from the doctors, or administer medications and bedside care; they actually take responsibility for holistic care of their patients. They make sure that all the team players work together to deliver patient focused/ patient centered care.
