Beyond the time-honored reputation for compassion and dedication lies a highly specialized profession, which is constantly evolving to address the needs of society. From ensuring the most accurate diagnoses to the ongoing education of the public about critical health issues; nurses are indispensable in safeguarding public health.
Nursing can be described as both an art and a science; a heart and a mind. At its heart, lies a fundamental respect for human dignity and an intuition for a patient’s needs. This is supported by the mind, in the form of rigorous core learning. Due to the vast range of specialisms and complex skills in the nursing profession, each nurse will have specific strengths, passions, and expertise
Nurses play significant roles in hospitals, clinics, and private practices. They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine, and supervising nurses' aides.
Here are some of the roles of nurses that may surprise you:
1. Noticing irregularities and problems
Nurses are the vanguard for changes in patient symptoms. The formal and informal assessments they do give them front-row seats to every patient’s particular situation. They catch any changes, knowing which symptoms might be expected and which are indicators of a deeper problem. “I don’t think the public realizes the vital role nurses have in the care team,” says Amelia Roberts, BSN, RN and owner of The Business of Nursing.
2. Teaching
“I did not expect that I would also be a teacher,” Valiquette says. “There is a tremendous need to educate your patient and the family—which makes perfect sense because they need to know how to care for themselves or the family member once they get home.”
Nurses regularly educate others about the illness, procedures and symptoms they experience in the healthcare environment, as well as their plan of care upon leaving.
3. Advocating for patients beyond the healthcare environment
It may not be an everyday thing, but nurses are often responders who step in to assist patients long after their time at a healthcare facility. For Pasley, this “duty” is part of a holistic approach to nursing. She says this approach allows her to look at patients from a physical, mental and spiritual perspective and treat the whole patient.
While time restraints are always a factor, Pasley says consolidating resources and removing barriers for patient health might extend far beyond the simple signs and symptoms that brought them to the hospital.
“It is definitely the most rewarding part of the job when you get to know your patients and can provide assistance in a broader context with things like connecting them with a chaplain, working with social services to address food insecurity and more.”
4. Caring for the patient’s loved ones
Nurses often wind up taking care of everyone in the room, which includes the patient, of course, but also the family members, friends and loved ones who may be experiencing devastating emotions.
“You end up providing a lot of emotional support,” Valiquette says.
In the NICU, you may have to give parents bad news about a disease or their child’s progress, Valiquette explains. “In the midst of that, mothers are trying their best to pump breastmilk for their infant, and sometimes it’s a struggle. It’s important to encourage them so they know their hard work is appreciated.”
Sometimes caring for loved ones also means letting them take some of your time or slow you down when you have a lot to do.
trusting of what she needed to do.
5.building trust with patients
When a child needs an IV, you spend plenty of time preparing them first, according to Valiquette. “I couldn’t just walk in the room and stick the IV in. I learned to use their baby doll or teddy bear to my advantage by demonstrating first on that.” After kids saw and even mimicked Valiquette, they felt more trusting of what she needed to do.
This exemplifies some of the emotional work nurses do with their patients—children or otherwise—to make their healthcare experience as painless as possible. “It wasn’t easy, but giving young patients the feeling that they were in control worked better in the long run than just pinning them down and inserting the IV to move onto my next task.” When nurses earn their patients trust, those patients will have fewer barriers to their own healing.
Health4ALL initiative celebrates nurses worldwide, thank you for your contribution to the health sector!
Comments
Post a Comment