Nurses play essential roles in healthcare. These professionals provide their patients with the care and support they need to thrive. Nurses work extremely hard to meet their responsibilities, with many going above and beyond for those in their care.
This article will cover how nurses play important roles in our healthcare system. If you’re also interested in becoming a nurse, you’ll want to know more. There’s a lot to learn, so make sure to keep reading!
The Essential Roles of Nurses
Nurses fill many different and essential roles. They’re responsible for keeping a medical record and history of their patient’s symptoms. Nurses also advocate for their patients and need to monitor their signs and properly administer medications and treatments.
As trusted health experts, nurses must have great communication skills to talk with their patients easily. They make them feel comfortable and discuss their healthcare options with them. Plus, they need to know how to explain medical terminology in simple words, so their patients can easily understand.
Nurses have a lot of responsibilities, making them very trusted in their communities. They have many roles, which we’ll cover in more detail below.
Nurses Are on “The Front Lines”
First, nurses are on the front lines of healthcare. These experts are often the first healthcare professionals that you see. After you check in at a doctor’s practice, you meet with a nurse first. They’ll check your vitals and record important information.
The nurse also will spend some time getting to know you and your medical history. They’ll listen to you and discover important medical information. Then, after the doctor meets with you, the nurse will answer any questions you have before you leave.
Nurses spend the most time with their patients- even more than other healthcare professionals. Overall, nurses fulfil important roles on the front lines- they’re the ones you see the most often in a hospital and are the first to discuss your health with you at a practice.
Nurses Act as Patient Advocates
Next, nurses act as patient advocates. Because nurses spend the most time with their patients, they have the best idea of what they need. Your nurse will advocate your rights, wants, needs, and more to other health experts in the field.
The American Nurses Association considers advocacy to be their pillar of nursing. That means nurses always advocate for their patients. They support their patient’s well-being, try their best to understand them, and promote their rights to care.
Advocacy is important because it ensures that no harm comes to patients. Since nurses will speak on their behalf, they can intervene in decisions that aren’t helpful to the patient.
Overall, nurses fulfill this essential role every day! Advocacy is important in healthcare- you want to know that a health professional has your best interests in mind and can stand up for you.
Nurses Closely Monitor a Patient’s Health
Nurses also have to monitor a patient’s health. Healthcare is very complicated, and they need to keep consistent and accurate records of a patient’s health. Even though other professionals, like physicians and doctors, also monitor a patient, the nurse is in charge of watching their health constantly.
The nurse needs to understand their vitals and record them correctly. Plus, they need to know the patient’s history and what medications they have. Nurses are in charge of billing too, so they need to track everything.
Nurses spend more time than we realize documenting information. They update health records and then share the information with the rest of the patient’s team. In short, nurses are the first to collect and document critical health data.
Nurses Have High Health Literacy
Next, nurses must have higher education and high health literacy. They need to understand health conditions and explain them in basic ways to patients. Nurses spend much of their time talking with patients, so they can easily explain treatments and medicines to them. That way, the patient can make informed decisions regarding their health.
Many nurses today also pursue a Master’s Degree in Nursing to provide their patients with skilled care and increased health literacy. Nurses are valuable in the health community because of their experiences and education.
While doctors also deeply understand health, many don’t communicate it simply to their patients. Nurses have the background to use medical terms with their patients without confusing or scaring them.
To summarize, nurses fulfil the role of health literacy. Only they can communicate with patients effectively, allowing them to understand everything about their health. Many nurses also fill the positions of those with higher education in health and medicine.
Nurses Are the First To Act
Lastly, nurses are often the first to act in the healthcare field. They have more autonomy or freedom to provide treatment than they did in the past. When a nurse discovers a medical problem, they alert a physician and then attend to the patient.
Often, a nurse will need to get a patient into a stable condition before another professional arrives. Because of this, there are instances where they can act first- without permission from a doctor.
To do this, nurses must have a complete understanding of the practice and strong relationships with their colleagues.
For example, suppose a nurse identifies that you’re deficient in a nutrient. In that case, they can give you essential supplements without asking the doctor for their permission first. That way, you receive the care you need as soon as possible.
In many cases, being the first to act allows nurses to save lives. They need to fill this important role since they spend the most time around their patients.
Nurses Have Many Important Roles
In short, nurses are professionals with many important roles in the healthcare industry. They’re often the first to meet with a patient and advocate for them. Plus, nurses are often the first to act when a patient needs stabilizing.
Overall, nurses are intelligent, qualified professionals within healthcare. They’re very trusted by their community and fulfil many essential roles. These benefits provide nurses with a great sense of worth and accomplishment.
