Nursing is a career in the healthcare sector which focuses on taking care of patients, communities, and families so that they may recover from illnesses and achieve optimal health and a good quality of life. The nursing profession, like any other healthcare profession, is in constant transformation. The profession is continually becoming composite because healthcare provision is transforming from the hospitals to outpatient and primary care settings. For a number of years, nursing care has been developing from the bedside care provision to dedicated members of a medical team (American Nurses Association, 1985). For the effectiveness of a healthcare provider institution, all the healthcare personnel form a team which works hand in hand to ensure proper delivery of healthcare. So one may ask: what nurses exactly do? Registered nurses have duties which vary according to their areas of expertise. They play important roles which help in promoting the well-being and welfare of individuals by performing various types of services. Registered nurses normally spent much of their time taking care of patients and educating them on the process of early recovery and methods of preventing the disease from happening again. Therefore, nurses access the health of a patient, evaluate their needs while developing and executing nursing care plans. They also play a key role in updating and upholding patient’s medical record. Generally, these are the key roles of nurses although there are finer details on what nurses really do. The work environment plays a significant role in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of nurses (American Nurses Association, 1985). The profession comes along with a number of complexities and major roles to achieve. It is a very challenging job which requires versatility and alertness during work because they determine whether a patient will get well or not.
Nurses defend sick people from the dangers and outcomes of diseases, infirmity, and disabilities. They also shelter patients from the risks and consequences that are caused by the process of treatment. Nurses are also there for patients who are vulnerable to risks that are accrued to illnesses and which makes it difficult for patients to perform their daily activities. They perform the most emotional works which is creating a relationship with the patients and their families. When they construct the relationship with the close relatives of the patients, they are rescuing the patients from social isolation, stigma of illness, and terror. They also play a huge role in making relative cope with their love one’s illnesses. They do so by providing advice, courage, and guidance, among others. When people have a sick relative, they become anxious and nervous because they do not know the final outcome of the disease (American Nurses Association, 2001. But nurses come in and provide a helping hand, consolation and courage to the relatives. They also keep updating them on the progress of the patients. Nurses have been trained to focus on their virtues and not their knowledge when it comes to concrete daily practices. This is why nurses may spend the whole day talking to patients and relatives trying to console with them and offer guidance and updates on the progress. They have also been trained to put on their heart rather than their brains on their sleeves. While talking and socializing with the patients, nurses are also supposed to record the behavior of the patients. The behavior of the patients could give a clear lead on the progress of the patients and also determine the next stage of medication. Since nurses are the ones who spend a significant time with the patients, they are the ones who are responsible for that duty (American Nurses Association, 2001).
It is also important to note that the duties of a nurse will depend on the type of a nurse on what the nurse has specialized in. There is a significant distinction amid Licensed Practice Nurse (LPN) and the Registered Nurses (RN). The LPN does much of “hands-on” duties which most of nurses are seen doing in healthcare facilities. Their roles include giving medicine and shots to the patients, drawing blood, taking temperatures, recording the heart rate, cleaning wounds, and taking weight and blood pressure, among others. All these information is important for the doctor in charge of the patients. On the other hand, RN occasionally does some of LPN duties. RN receives extensive training which they use in any part of the world (American Nurses Association, 2001). For instance, Registered Nurses may work in places like war zones, as a teacher, on planes, as nurse practitioners and as researchers. As an approved practical nurse, the responsibilities are meant to offer essential care and aid to patients whenever they need it. They also provide help to injured, disabled, and other patients in different contexts. Different states have different roles for LPN but all in all, they tend to perform the same duties. The general duties of the LPN are: measuring and recording vital signs, colleting samples that need to be analyzed, administering intravenous medication to patients, and helping to attend to wounds and offering disinfectants. They also observe and record patients’ reactions to medication, assist patients with personal hygiene, and educating relatives and families on how to handle and care for patients. LPN also maintains a clean environment which complies with the healthcare procedures (Cronenwett, 2009). These are the standard roles of LPN although sometimes they are called to help the registered nurses with their duties.
Registered nurses have duties which essentially different from those of LPN. First, the RN coordinates with physicians and other healthcare practitioners in order to create and evaluate customized care plans. The care plans are plans set out by a team of healthcare professionals on the treatment and handling of patients. They also provide a harmonious environment which provides an emotional and psychological support to patients and their relatives. The Registered Nurses also diagnose diseases by analyzing symptoms of the patients and advise the proper actions in order to achieve recovery. They also maintain an updated report of patients’ medical histories which helps them to determine the right diagnosis to be used on them. It is the Registered Nurses who carry out requisite treatment and medication. The registered nurses also offer direction and supervision to LPN and CAN (Certified Nursing Assistant) (Cronenwett, 2009). They provide daily routines and supervision to their subordinates. They ensure that the subordinates are effective and efficient in their duties. They also cross-check the stock on regular basis in order to maintain an inventory level and place new orders if need be. They also adhere to the protocols, rules and regulations, and norms of the hospital setting in order to maintain a complete medical record. Although they are directly involved in the purchasing of the stock, they are supposed to forward the request to the relevant department. They are also constantly conducting research in the field of nursing so that they can improve the nursing practices and the outcomes of healthcare. In the event of a medical emergency like a car accident or a heart attack, they are the ones who take charge of the patients. They also prepare patients for examinations and assist doctors during surgeries (Cronenwett, 2007). These are some of the duties that registered nurses do.
When a nurse applies for a nursing job they should fully consider the KSAs that are specific in the publication. The KSAs is a short form for Knowledge, Skill, and Ability. The above factors are determined individually for every vacancy posted. Knowledge is a planned piece of data which is procedural or factual in the natural world. For instance, having good information on human resource rules and policies can be applied as a KSA for a Human Resource expert slot. In order to react to the KSA, it is vital to indicate the human resources resource regulation one is familiar with. Skill is the proficient use of physical, oral, and mental treatment of information and other factors. For instance, having a skill in operating all types of computers can be put into use in the position of the KSA computer expert position (Cronenwett, 2007). Ability is the capability of a person to execute a certain action or duty. For instance, having the aptitude to utilize a diversity of laboratory apparatus can be used in the Laboratory Technician slot. To respond to this KSA, a person is expected to specify the types of instruments one has used. KSAs are used to determine whether a person is qualified for a job or not. The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) program is used to address the main problems faced by institution as they try to prepare future nurses. QSEN defines the quality and safety competencies for nurses and the proposed targets that ought to be achieved in the KSAs. It has also partnered with representatives of organizations which represents the advanced practice nurses and drafter the proposed KSAs (American Nurses Association, 2001). It has also partnered with other institutions to incorporate quality and safety in competencies.
References
American Nurses Association. Task Force on Standards of Nursing Practice in Correctional Facilities, & Council of Community Health Nurses (American Nurses' Association). (1985). Standards of nursing practice in correctional facilities. The Association.
American Nurses Association. (2001). Scope and standards of nursing informatics practice. Amer Nurses Assn.
Cronenwett, L., Sherwood, G., Barnsteiner, J., Disch, J., Johnson, J., Mitchell, P., & Warren, J. (2007). Quality and safety education for nurses. Nursing outlook, 55(3), 122-131.
Cronenwett, L., Sherwood, G., Pohl, J., Barnsteiner, J., Moore, S., Sullivan, D. T., & Warren, J. (2009). Quality and safety education for advanced nursing practice. Nursing Outlook, 57(6), 338-348.
