Professional Role of a Nurse

A nurse is defined as a person that is trained to take care of the sick as well as those who are injured, especially in the hospital. Nursing, however, is defined as the promotion and protection of health and abilities; the prevention of illness and injuries. Having a clear understanding of the history of nursing allows other nurses to gain more of an appreciation for the important role that the profession has played in the Health Care System. (Egenes, 2007) According to the American Nurses Association, the environment that you work in plays a very large role in one’s ability to provide quality health care. The atmosphere of the facility that a nurse works in is very important because it has an impact on everything from the safety of the patient to the work that the caregiver preforms. Having an unstable environment can affect a patient’s outcome, how long they might stay, increase or decrease a chance of death, and even prevent the nurse from working to their greatest ability. Registered nurses work in a variety of place settings. They may work in busy intensive care units or even health clinics in small neighborhoods. Nurses can work in emergency rooms, operating rooms, oncology centers, schools, rehabilitation centers and can even perform home care. They may work with a variety of patience that range from newborns, small children, teenagers, adults and even the elderly. Some nurses even work providing health services to mental health patience and those in need of psychiatric assistance. Nurses often work in places where they perform hands-on care to patients which involves nurses having to administer medication, monitoring a patience condition, maintaining patient’s records and also communicating with other staff members as well as the patient and their family. Nurses are responsible for contributing to a moral environment that encourages respectful interactions with colleagues, support of peers, and identification of issues that need to be addressed ("Nursingworld.org," 2010). All nurses promise to do no harm to any patient. They are expected to uphold fundamental responsibilities to help prevent illness and restore health to the sick. To relieve pain and suffering as well as promote good health. In the course of their practice, nurses are held accountable for their judgments that are made as well as the actions they take whether it is while they are working with a patient or just being in the work place. They have the lives of others in their hands and there is no room for error or having flawed judgment. Nurses have an Ethics Code to follow. Nurses are expected to practice respect and kindness no matter the situation or who they are providing care for. Nurses have dual obligations, but their first and most important obligation is to their patient. They have to treat their patient to their greatest ability and protect their privacy and ensure their safety. By following the Code of Ethics, Nurses will be more trusted and be able to make more reliable and concrete decisions when it comes to their patients’ health. Quality health care is needed to ensure that people have health equality which means improving people life through the health care they receive. To receive quality health care, you must have healthcare providers that follow the healthcare system. In environments that offer healthcare, nurses almost always have the closest relationship with the patient. Nurses are the front-line providers; clinical leaders. They have first-hand knowledge of patients’ conditions that other health care providers may not know about. Nurses serve as educators for patients and the public for preventing illnesses and injuries. They assist with cures and provide care. Nurses also participate in rehabilitation and provide mental and even physical support for patients. A nurse’s around-the-clock presence allows doctors to provide their patients with better diagnosis as well as better treatments. The United States currently has the opportunity to transform their health care system. It is strongly believed that nurses could and can play a fundamental role in the needed transformation of the healthcare system. The nursing profession alone makes up the largest segment of the nation’s healthcare work force, with over three million registered nurses. It is believed that nurses should be required to achieve higher levels of training through an improved education system. In the future, nurses would like to be seen as being partners with physicians and other professionally that provide health care. Nurses are caregivers and they play a very essential role on the health care profession. Their main focus is always on their patient’s welfare. They function as nurturers, providers, and comforters. Nurses are expected to practice respect and kindness no matter the situation or who they are providing care for. The traditional practice of nursing is steadily evolving. It requires nurses to have a certain keen awareness of healthcare. Nurses are required to secure a higher-level of education and learn new skills to perform in different environments. Without nurses, the environment in which care is provided would not be the same and other health care providers’ jobs would be much more complicated.

Works Cited
American nurses association. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing
American nurses association. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/WorkplaceSafety/Work- Environment
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. D. O. L. (2012). Registered nurses. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm
Catalano, J. T. (2011). Nursing now, today\ 's issues, tomorrow’s trends. (6 Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F A Davis Co.
Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements [Web log message]. (2010, 15 11). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNur ses/Code-of-Ethics.pdf
Egenes, K. (2007). History of nursing. Retrieved from http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763752258/52258_CH01_Roux.pdf

Cited: American nurses association. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/What-is-Nursing American nurses association. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/WorkplaceSafety/Work- Environment Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. D. O. L. (2012). Registered nurses. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm Catalano, J. T. (2011). Nursing now, today 's issues, tomorrow’s trends. (6 Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F A Davis Co. Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements [Web log message]. (2010, 15 11). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNur ses/Code-of-Ethics.pdf Egenes, K. (2007). History of nursing. Retrieved from http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763752258/52258_CH01_Roux.pdf