Development of Nursing

5. ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE NURSE

Nurses assume a number of roles when they care to clients. They carry these roles concurrently, not exclusively of one another. Nurses role required at a specific time depends on the needs of the client ad aspects of the particular environment. The following are some roles and function of a nurse:

• Care and assist the client physically and psychologically while preserving the client’s dignity, which encompasses: Physical, Psychosocial, Developmental, Cultural and Spiritual level. Examples of required nursing actions are: Full care of the dependent client; Supportive and educative care to assist client attain their highest possible level of health and wellness. The Nursing process provides the nurse with a framework for providing care. A nurse may provide care directly or delegate it to other caregivers.
• Communication is integral to all nursing roles Nurses communicates with: Client, Support persons, Other health professional and People in the community. The role of the communicator is when the nurse identifies client’s problems and communicates these verbally or in writing to other member of the health team. The nurse must able to communicate clearly and accurately in order for a client’s health care needs are met.
• Nurse teach clients learn their health and the health care procedures they need to perform, to restore or maintain health. Activities includes: Nurse assesses client’s learning needs and readiness to learn; Sets specific learning goals in conjunction with the client; Enacts teaching strategies. Nurses also teach unlicensed assistive personnel to whom they delegate care and share expertise with other nurses and health professional.
• Client Advocate. Nurse acts to protect the client. In this role the nurse may represent the client’s needs and wishes for information to the physician, also assist clients in exercising their rights and help them speak up for themselves.
• Counseling is the process of helping a client to recognize and cope with stressful Psychologic and social problems. The nurse counsel healthy individuals with normal adjustment difficulties and focuses on helping the person develop new attitudes, feelings and behavior and encouraging clients to look at alternatives’ behaviors, recognizing the choices and develop a sense of control.
• The nurse acts as a change agent when assisting others (clients) to make modifications in their own behavior. Nurses continually deal with change in the health care system such as: Technological change; Change in the age of the client population and Changes in medication.
• Nurse leader who Influences other to work together to accomplish a specific goal. The leader role can be employed in different level: Individual client; Family; Group of clients; Colleagues; The community.
• Nurse case manager works with the multidisciplinary healthcare team to measure the effectiveness of the case management plan and to monitor the outcomes. The case manager works with the primary or staff to oversee the care of a specific caseload. For some agencies, the case manager is the primary nurse or provides some level of direct client care and family. Insurance companies also develop a number of roles for nurse case manager, and responsibilities.
• Research Consumer. Research work of the nurse includes Have some awareness of the process and language of research; Be sensitive to issues related to protecting the rights of human subjects; Participate in the identification of significant researchable problems; lastly be a discriminating consumer of research findings.
• Nurses are fulfilling expanded roles, such as: Nurse practitioner; Clinical nurse specialist; Nurse midwife; Nurse educator; Nurse researcher and Nurse anesthetist.