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Running head: Nurses: The Role of Many
Nurse’s: The Role of Many
Yolanda Wingster
Nursing 3192 Professional Development Perspectives
Spring, 2014
School of Nursing
Columbus State University
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Nurses: The Role of Many
Nurses: The Role of Many
Nurses are the primary source to direct patient contact. Nurses observe and address
patient needs, they relay information between physicians and other members of the health care
team, and they advocate for patients. Nurses are moving beyond traditional roles to provide high
quality healthcare. The Institute of Medicine recommends removing barriers that limit what
nurses can do. (
) The IOM further suggest allowing nurses to perform to the
maximum degree of their education. (
) Nurses take on eight valuable roles that often go
unrecognized to include: caregiver, advocate, critical thinker, teacher, communicator, manager,
researcher, and rehabilitator.
Caregiver
The role of caregiver has been performed by every nurse at some point in their career. As
a caregiver nurse4s share their skills and knowledge to provide the best possible form of health
and wellness. Nurses utilize the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the
patient and reach a satisfactory level of health. In order to provide the optimal level of care
nurses must look at patients holistically and provide education to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Advocate
Nurses work as patient advocates by gaining trust from patients and performing on their
behalf. Being a patient advocate could mean a matter of life or death. According to an article in
the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, nurses make up the largest group profession in
healthcare. (Tomajan, K., 2012) Patients instill their trust in nurses and expect the best care. It
is important for nurses to get involved in order to help patients make the best decisions regarding
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Nurses: The Role of Many
their health. Nurses advocate for patients by communicating with the interdisciplinary team and
coordinating care which involve the best preventions and treatments.
Critical Thinker
Critical thinking is a key element in providing good nursing care. Critical thinking is a
nursing skill that is taught in school and put to use on the job. Nurses must be able to assess all
pertinent information, and act on observations while caring for a patient. Critical thinking
involves the nurse to apply learned skills, review and process data, monitor signs and symptoms,
and initiate interventions which may reduce the risk of potential complication. (Pickett, J., 2009)
Critical thinking is a fundamental component in providing the optimal level of patient care.
Teacher
Nurses give rise to health promotion and maintenance. As teacher’s nurses help patients
learn about their health in several different ways. Nurses explain medication uses, disease
processes, and instruct of safe health habits. As the role of teacher the nurse must also focus on
the patient’s willingness to learn, and detect if and where there may be a knowledge deficit.
Nurses can also learn from their patients during the teaching process. When teaching nurses
should be good listeners, patients sometimes provide useful information regarding their health
that would help the nurse plan better care. (Kocisko, D., 2010) The role of a teacher prepares
patients and caregivers for self-maintenance and responsibilities that may require them to make
decisions regarding their health.
Communicator
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Nurses: The Role of Many
Communication is a critical nursing role. Communication is essential to build an up
close relationship with patients. Good communication skills are also neede4d to communicate
with physicians, social workers, and other membe4rs of the interdisciplinary team. Nurses
should communicate to patients while providing care and informing them of information
involving their health. Nurses not only communicate to patients they communicate for patients.
For example patients with dementia may have loss the ability to voice their needs appropriately
therefore patients rely on nurses for communication.
Manager
Nurse Managers act as the glue that holds the department together. The nurse manager is
responsible for overseeing the day-to-day production of the nursing unit. RNpedia.com
describes a nurse manager as someone with definite skills and knowledge to guide staff and
improve patient outcomes. (
) Nurse Managers are responsible for assuring that work
is conducted following regulatory guidelines. Nurse Managers are also expected to
communicate with other department managers to make certain the department is able to function
appropriately.
Researcher
Nurses conduct research in various ways. On a daily basis nurses are looking up
medications, researching disease processes, and researching ways to improve the quality of
healthcare. The role of a nurse researcher involves being a patient advocate and looking for
ways to provide better patient care and safety. Education is very important when it comes to the
role as a researcher. Obtaining an advanced degree will allow the nurse to better understand and
apply learned knowledge and skills.
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Nurses: The Role of Many
Rehabilitator
Thinking of the role of a nurse rehabilitator the word stroke comes to mind. Often with
strokes a person had a deficit to some part of the body. While most facilities have a specialized
rehabilitation team nurses work 24 hours 7 days a week. Nurses provide rehabilitation by
promoting patients to participate in activities of daily living. Nurses also encourage patients to
use their affected body to help maintain or improve function. Rehabilitation nurses help patients
adjust to functional lifestyle changes.
Nurses wear many hats that often go unnoticed. Nurses are the front-runners when it
comes to patient care. As mentioned earlier the IOM suggest allowing nurses to practice the
fullest extent of their knowledge. (
) Nurses play many roles to help reduce the
gaps in care and promote health and wellness. Of all the roles mention first and foremost the
nurse is a caregiver. Other nursing roles such as advocate, teacher, manager, and communicator
usually work simultaneously with the caregiver role. With continuous medical advancements the
nurse’s role will continue to expand.