Nursing Job Responsibilities
Nursing is a vital profession that is expected to grow in the coming years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Much more involved than merely "assisting" doctors, nurses must contend with a range of on-the-job responsibilities. Amplifying the importance of nursing responsibilities is the medical nature of the profession: In some cases, it really may be a matter of life or death.
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Demeanor
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Nurses are generally expected to be sensitive and sympathetic while at the same time maintaining a professional distance and stoicism in the face of trauma and death. Nurses must balance these sometimes contradictory demands in order to adequately provide care while dealing with the rigors and stresses of medical crises and emergencies.
Patient Evaluations
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Nurses are charged with conducting routine patient evaluations, including phlebotomy, measuring height and weight, monitoring vital signs, and IV placement.
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Medical Procedures
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Nurses are often responsible for discrete medical procedures. These may include dressing wounds, replacing bandages, taking blood samples, administering enemas, or turning patients to prevent bedsores.
Working with Doctors
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Regardless of setting, be it emergency room, surgical facility or public health clinic, nurses must work closely with doctors to deliver care. They must be responsive to requests and directives from doctors and assist doctors with unforeseen problems or needs. In some high-pressure, urgent situations such as emergencies or major surgeries, nurses must be ready to adapt to quickly changing situations and support the multitasking needs of medical procedures.
Education
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Education is an important, though sometime overlooked, responsibility of nurses. Nurses must instruct patients in self-care procedures and teach them about preventive care methods. Nurses may also be responsible for instructing other caregivers, such as family members, in how to tend to a patient following surgery or while undergoing treatment for a chronic illness.
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References
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