13 Important Nursing Responsibilities

13 Important Nursing Responsibilities 1. Record medical history and symptoms Nurses record and maintain accurate documentation of their patients' health to ensure they receive the proper treatment. Most nurses begin this process by asking patients questions about their medical history to gather information about previous diagnoses and surgeries, current medications, allergies and relevant family medical information. They may also ask the patient questions about any symptoms they are currently experiencing and record their vitals. If the patient receives a new diagnosis, medication or treatment plan during their visit, a nurse may be responsible for updating their medical record with this information. Maintaining detailed and accurate medical records is critical for ensuring patients receive the best possible care. 2. Administer medications and treatments Most nurses can administer medications and treatments to their patients with a physician's order. They can also help develop a treatment plan for their patients. Specialized nurses, such as nurse practitioners, may be able to prescribe medications without a doctor's approval. Some treatments nurses may help with include cleaning and dressing wounds, changing bandages and inserting catheters. Nurses may also assist doctors with more advanced procedures or administer emergency care to patients in critical condition. 3. Collaborate with teams for patient care Nurses play a vital role in collecting information from patients and sharing it with the rest of their medical team. Because this is such a key responsibility for those in the nursing profession, nurses must have excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively collaborate with physicians and other healthcare providers. Clear, concise communication can also ensure that patients and their family members understand all of the information they receive. 4. Perform diagnostic tests Nurses may perform a wide variety of diagnostic tests, including checking vitals and collecting tissue, blood, stool or urine samples for analysis. It is important for nurses to pay close attention to detail to ensure these tests are administered properly because they need this information to diagnose patients and develop treatment plans. Nurses may also be responsible for analyzing the results and sharing what they find with the rest of their medical team. 5. Conduct physical examinations Nurses often conduct a physical examination of patients at the beginning of their visit to assess their overall health. This may involve taking the patient's temperature, recording their weight, monitoring their heartbeat and checking their blood pressure. This examination may also include testing the patient's reflexes, checking their lymph nodes and examining their eyes, ears, nose and throat. The physical examination provides nurses and the rest of the medical team with a current update on the patient's health and an opportunity to talk to patients about their health goals and concerns. 6. Monitor patients' health Nurses must carefully monitor and observe their patients to record any symptoms or relevant information that could lead to a diagnosis or a change in their treatment plan. This may involve carefully checking patient records to ensure the correct medications and dosages are listed, maintaining intravenous (IV) lines to ensure they are changed regularly and monitoring the patient's vital signs. Nurses must also pay close attention to nonverbal cues from their patients to help them identify underlying causes for their health-related issues. 7. Provide support and advice to patients It is important to make sure patients feel cared for, listened to and understood, especially when nurses need to deliver challenging medical news. Patients often look to nurses for support and advice to help them process their diagnoses and determine what steps they should take next. Nurses who are empathetic toward patients and their family members can provide comfort and guidance during these situations. They may also equip their patients with effective coping strategies or provide them with inpatient and outpatient resources. 8. Operate medical equipment Nurses use a wide variety of diagnostic tools to care for their patients, including stethoscopes, glucometers, pulse oximeters, thermometers and blood pressure machines. Depending on where they work and what licenses they hold, nurses may also be trained to operate more specialized machinery, such as intravenous infusion pumps, ventilation equipment and wound drainage systems. Having a strong background in technology and mathematics can help nurses properly operate medical equipment and analyze the results. 9. Educate patients about how to manage an illness Part of a nurse's role is to educate their patients about various medical conditions and provide clear instructions on how they can manage their symptoms. This could include explaining what medications the patient needs to take, when the patient should schedule a follow-up appointment and instructions for rehabilitative exercises or practices. Nurses may also be responsible for explaining additional post-treatment home care needs to a patient's family or caregiver. This can include recommendations for the patient's diet and nutrition, exercise routine and physical therapy. Some nurses may also proactively educate people about common diseases by speaking at seminars, helping with blood drives or offering their services at health screening and immunization clinics. 10. Advocate for the health and well-being of patients In order to properly care for their patients and ensure their safety, nurses may often act as advocates for their health and overall well-being. This can involve translating the medical information or diagnosis a doctor provides to ensure the patient understands the important details, encouraging patients to ask questions or connecting patients with resources at another facility that's better suited for their needs. Nurses can also advocate for their patients by taking the time to actively listen to their concerns, respecting their wishes and communicating what the patient wants with their family or other staff members. 11. Provide basic bedside care Nurses may be responsible for a wide range of basic bedside care tasks, depending on their particular working environment. These tasks can include helping patients bathe, use the bathroom and perform other hygiene-related activities. Bedside nurses also offer their patients emotional support, administer medications and track their vitals. 12. Train and educate staff In addition to the clinical work they do to take care of patients, qualified nurses with an appropriate amount of experience may help train and supervise newer members of their medical team, including practical nurses and nurses' aides. Some nurses may even work with nursing students by offering training courses through a local college or providing continuing education programs for nurses looking to advance in their careers. 13. Maintain inventory Experienced nurses may take on extra job roles, such as maintaining inventory and ordering supplies. This is often a shared responsibility, but tenured nurses may supervise entire departments. Making sure supplies are properly organized, accounted for and restocked on time can help ensure the medical team has all of the resources they need to provide quality care for their patients. Nurse role and responsibilities plus the skills needed RNs typically perform the following duties: Assess their patient’s health conditions Record their patient’s medical histories and symptoms Monitor a patient’s health or recovery while recording their observations Administer medications and/or treatments to patients while under their care Collaborate with physicians and other members of the healthcare team Operate and monitor medical equipment Perform and analyze the results of various diagnostic exams Teach patients and their families how to manage their illnesses or injuries Educate patients and their families on how to follow their prescribed treatment and recovery instructions upon returning home Registered Nurse (RN) duties and responsibilities The primary task of Registered Nurses is to ensure that patients get adequate care and support and recover on time. Some of their main duties and responsibilities include: Recording patients’ vital signs and medical information Monitoring patients, record and reporting symptoms or changes in their conditions to provide the most suitable care and advice Performing routine procedures such as administering non-intravenous medications, taking blood pressure measurements and completing patients’ charts Administering medications to patients, monitoring them for potential reactions or side effects and reporting to the physician Assisting Surgeons during operations and emergencies Creating and maintaining accurate, comprehensive healthcare records and reports of patients Working with physicians and other health professionals to create personalised treatment plans for patients Training and supervising Nursing Assistants and Licensed Practical Nurses Attentive and nurturing care One of the primary responsibilities of nursing is to provide round-the-clock support for every individual patient in their care, whether this is on a hospital ward, in a care home, doctor's clinic, surgical theatre or medical centre. This involves giving individuals adequate food and water throughout the day and making sure they are comfortable and supported properly in their beds and rooms. The patients are to receive sufficient daily exercise or if this is not possible, some daily leisure time. A nurse carries out caregiving in the most nurturing and friendly manner. Patients not only need physical care, they also need emotional support and interaction throughout their time under a nurse's supervision. Thus, make sure you are polite and inviting with each patient and take time to understand their unique situation and needs, allowing you to provide more personal and nourishing care. Administering treatment and medicine to patients Not only are you responsible for giving patients general care, but also administering the required medicine and treatment prescribed to tackle their specific health issues. Patients might require certain forms of medicine daily or a change of dressings or IV drips, so it is your job to ensure they receive the correct dosage/treatment at the right times throughout the day. Also, they may require treatment in the form of procedures or physical movements/exercises and a nurse ensures they partake in this treatment whenever necessary. Observing and monitoring the health and behaviours of patients Another responsibility of a nurse is to closely observe and monitor the health of each patient and provide records and assessments on their progress. For their health to improve in the best way possible, you accurately track the progress of their health to determine how effective the treatment is and whether it needs altering to achieve better results. Creating detailed records and assessments of patients helps you more accurately manage their health and better identify any patterns, improvements or areas of concern that can be further treated promptly. Informing patients of their health specifics and needs Another one of a nurse's responsibilities is to not only record and observe the health of each patient, but to ensure that you are continuously informing the patients themselves of their conditions, progress and treatment options. Whilst you are helping treat their illness from your end, patients also play a huge part in their own health and can do many things to assist in their improvement. Thus, you inform patients of how they can aid the improvement of their health, whether it be through a detailed diet plan or informing them of what movements/activities to avoid. Skills You'll need to have:  interpersonal and verbal communication skills in order to liaise with other medical and healthcare professionals          the ability to gain patients' trust and support them both emotionally and through advice and information empathy, sensitivity and emotional resilience, to help those in difficult circumstances written communication skills to keep patient records and write care plans observation skills and attention to detail the ability to deal with a variety of patients at once excellent teamworking skills a flexible approach to work and the ability to work well under pressure good judgement good organisational and managerial skills, particularly as your career progresses. Responsibilities As an adult nurse, you'll need to:             write patient care plans implement plans for tasks such as preparing patients for operations, treating wounds and monitoring pulse, blood pressure and temperature observe and record the condition of patients check and administer drugs and injections set up drips and blood transfusions assist with tests and evaluations carry out routine investigations respond quickly to emergencies plan discharges from hospital and liaise with GPs and other healthcare professionals reassure patients and their relatives and communicate effectively with them advocate on behalf of patients educate patients about their health - this may include running clinics and education sessions on     topics such as diabetes, weight loss and quitting smoking organise staff and prioritise busy workloads mentor student and junior nurses maintain patient records make ethical decisions related to consent and confidentiality.