Job Description for a General Nurse
General nurses care for many types of patients facing general medical or surgical issues. The diseases they treat span the whole catalog of illnesses, including renal, infectious, respiratory and cardiac diseases. They also treat dermatological, urological, orthopedic and immunological conditions. Commonly known as registered general nurses (RGNs), general nurses form the foundation of the nursing profession, involved in every aspect of a patient's medical care.
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Responsibilities
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General nurses assess patients according to their health complaints, recording and interpreting symptoms. They complete charts and compile family and medical histories into records for the physician to consult. General nurses help physicians examine and treat the patient, working as part of a medical team to maximize the quality of treatment. This often involves handling medical equipment, such as diagnostic imaging machines.
In hospitals and long-term care facilities, general nurses assist patients with personal care tasks, such as eating, dressing and bathing. They administer medications and educate patients and their families on the types of medication and care necessary for recovery. By comforting patients and their families, general nurses also offer emotional support during medical procedures.
Work Environment
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General nurses work in collaboration with physicians, specialists and other medical practitioners. Common workplaces include hospitals, health-care facilities, patient residences, schools, nursing homes and other clinics. Because they are trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses, general nurses can be employed by several facilities at once, transferring their skills into whichever environment needs them the most.
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Community Outreach
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General nurses use their broad knowledge base to educate the public about a variety of medical conditions, promoting good health within the community. Community outreach initiatives include organizing blood drives, immunization clinics and health-screening lectures. By educating the public, general nurses inform the public about the warning signs for common diseases, offering their professional advice on how to manage illness and where to get help if required.
Skills
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Considering they spend the majority of a workday standing and walking, general nurses should be physically fit. This is especially important for general nurses responsible for physically handling patients who experience limited mobility. General nurses must be sensitive to the emotions of others, especially when dealing with a patient's feelings, opinions and behaviors. They should be experienced and comfortable interacting with people of all types, including disabled and elderly patients, as well as children and hostile patients. Because nursing is a high-stress job, general nurses must know how to function effectively even in stressful and dangerous situations. Nurses should be well-organized and possess accurate data entry skills to ensure accuracy when compiling patient records.
Salary
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According to PayScale.com, U.S. general nurses typically earn an average annual salary between $37,364 and $54,101 as of 2010.
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References
- Photo Credit nurse chris image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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nurses are everything to patients from birth to deathe.
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am a BSCN and NOI/C.
