Nursing Role

Critical Analysis: The Role & Responsibilities of the Nurse

The Role & Responsibilities of the Nurse

Introduction

Nurses play one of the most significant roles in the facilitation of healthcare services. A patient is the focus of the nurse's care. Nurses take care of the ill and wounded in hospitals and clinics, where they strive to preserve health and safety and help relieve the pain of those suffering. A lot of people still need nursing care even when they are moved home from hospital, so nurses often render home care to such patients on the very same lines as in the hospital (Feldman, 2008, pp.24).

Discussion

A nurse performs a wide range of roles in a healthcare environment. Nursing involves looking after the sick, performing the procedures suggested by the doctor, and collaborating closely with the doctors and the entire medical team for assessing the patient and treating his or her illness (Watson, 2008, pp.16). The main functions performed by a nurse are as follows.

Delegation

Delegation in the health care setting is very important for the nurses, unlicensed assistive personnel, and for the patients. The delegation of indirect and direct patient care allows the Registered Nurse (RN) to spend more time toward the patient care, education, and patient advocacy. The delegation model is composed of four cycles. These are assessment, planning, intervening and evaluation. To start with is the assessment phase of the model, which implies that we, as registered nurses, must assesses the situation, select the right delegate to perform the task, ensure the delegate is competent for the task they are delegated. Also it is important to know the policies and procedure of the place you are employed and to know the job description and expectations of the person of which you are delegating tasks to.

The Right Stake Holder for the Job

The implications of appropriate delegation of nursing tasks for school nurses center around four major themes: development of school policies, competence in the five rights of delegation, education, and building relationships. Each of these themes will be discussed below.

School nurses need to work with their administrators, whether in a school or any healthcare setting, to establish policies and procedures regarding delegation in an effort to offer safe, quality care to all. School nurses play a critical role in the development of such policies due to their knowledge and expertise regarding health-related needs and the delivery of healthcare. Policy development provides an opportunity for the school nurse to educate administrators, board members, and parents about the legal, regulatory, and educational requirements of delegation. The steps of policy development and implementation include: defining the issue or problem, gathering the necessary information to inform the problem/issue at hand, proposing recommendations, debating and discussing the recommendations with a broad group of stakeholders, finalizing and adopting the recommendations, providing oversight to ensure implementation, and assuring ongoing evaluation of the policy (Parker & Smith, 2010, pp.110).

Care for the Patient

Caring is the essence of nursing. Nurses provide care to the patients continuously round the ...