When a person thinks about a nurse, they only have some idea about what a nurse does. While all of us have seen a nurse at some point in our lives, it is mostly checking upon the patient, giving medications, and attending the patient. Another common opinion is that
nursing agency pay rates are pretty high and nurses earn a lot of money for the job they are doing. However, the job of a nurse is a lot more than this. Read the following points to know more.
1. Spotting problems and irregularities
Nurses are the first people to know about changes in a patient’s symptoms. The informal and formal assessments they perform provide the nurses with an idea about the medical situation of the patient. A nurse easily spots any changes, knowing which kind of symptoms are expected, and which symptoms indicate a deeper problem.
The job of a nurse can be understood like the work of Sherlock Holmes. They have to apply assessment skills to detect the underlying problems and the way they are affecting the patient. Although a nurse has been educated about every body part and how the body functions, connecting all the dots together and critically thinking about how the patient will be affected mentally, spiritually, and physically.
2. Advocating for patients beyond healthcare environment
Nurses may often be responders stepping in to assist the patients long after their period at a healthcare facility. This is to know about the mental, physical, and spiritual perspectives of the patient and treat them entirely.
3. Teaching
A nurse’s role is also to teach the patients and their families about how to take care of the patient once they got home. Nurses regularly spread knowledge to others about procedures, illnesses, and symptoms they experience in healthcare environment and their care plan upon leaving. The nurses provide a lot of knowledge to new mothers about breastfeeding, caring for the infant, handing the infant, and bathing the baby.
4. Building trust with patients
If a kid needs an injection, a good nurse does not directly perform the job. They have to first spend some time with the kid and gain their trust, or distract them. Similarly, the nurse also has to build trust with the patients by talking to them, explaining them about the procedure, and then performing it so that the patients are completely relaxed during the process.
5. Taking care of the patient’s family
Working in a hospital often involves giving unfortunate news to the patient’s family. Working as a nurse involves handling the loved ones during their tough time and providing a huge amount of emotional support. The nurse may also have to spend time for a longer duration than expected with the patient’s family. They have to remain strong yet warm enough to help the family during tough times. In NICU, encouraging new mothers to pump breastmilk while their new born is in intensive care can be difficult. The mothers need to get appreciated for their hard work, which is also a nurse’s responsibility.
6. Staying up-to-date
The medical world comes up with new devices, vaccines, medications, techniques, exercises, etc. with time. As a nurse, it is the duty of them to remain updated about the latest advancements so that they can provide better care to the patients. Also, they have to be updated about the patient’s condition. They have to keep monitoring their health and make reports on time so that no mistake is committed.
7. Adhering to protocols
The job of a nurse is not easy because they have to follow particular protocols regarding cleanliness, safety, and procedure. They have to be completely attentive while working and cannot afford to miss any details of the patient. For example, a lot of patients are allergic to some medicines or already take particular medications. If the nurse does not pay attention to this, the drug prescribed for the current treatment may affect the patient adversely. Even applying injection wrongly can cause harm to the patient.
8. Maintaining patient records
The main part of a nurse’s job is to maintain the patient’s records, including medication, health issues, and symptoms. This is crucial so that the job of the doctor becomes easier. The records will tell other medical professionals and nurses about the history and health condition of the patient and assess them in a better way. A nurse will not be there for a patient the entire time, and generally, 2-3 nurses take care of one patient. So, maintaining records becomes even more important.
The Bottom Line
The above-mentioned are some of the duties a nurse has to perform. Although they are challenging, a nurse loves her job and takes pride in being able to help those in need. Also, there are many benefits of being a nurse like immense job opportunities, the demand for their work in each corner of the world, the ability to advance their careers, etc.