From the moment you are born you are placed into the hands of a nurse and from there on out, whenever you are ill or need treatment at a doctor’s office, it is a nurse who administers the care prescribed by the physician. Did you ever stop to think of what life would be like if there were no nurses? What would ever happen if this profession just ceased to exist? If you’ve ever stopped to wonder just what it is that nurses do, here are just a few of their duties and as more and more of them are seeking a doctorate in nursing practice, even more duties will be added to the list.
A Summary of the Most Basic Duties of a Nurse
No matter what kind of healthcare facility you step into, be it a hospital or a doctor’s office, it is the nurse who takes your vitals, performs the initial exam and takes your health history. From there you see the doctor who perhaps prescribes some form of injectable medication which the nurse proceeds to administer. In a hospital setting the nurse also hands out oral medicines and continues to monitor your vital signs. An RN will oversee others responsible for your care such as nursing assistants and LPNs. Nurses often make immediate decisions on intervention in the absence of a doctor and nurses also advocate for any changes necessary to improve patient care. But that’s just the very tip of the iceberg.
An Overwhelmed Healthcare System
In that most hospitals and a great number of doctors’ offices are understaffed and overworked, it is typically a nurse who steps up to the plate to be where doctors can’t be. More and more of these nurses are recognizing the need for some kind of healthcare reform and so are going on to study for a DNP online such as you can see here. With a doctor of nursing practice degree a nurse can move on to administration where real changes are effected. It is here that doctors rely on nurses to provide them with an accurate assessment of what is happening on the floor and what needs to be done to improve patient care.
Follow-up and Aftercare
There are times when a patient needs to be seen or contacted after a surgery or other procedure and it is often the nurse who makes the call. Nurses follow up after surgery and will often be the voice on the other end if you have need to call the office with any question regarding your care. Nurses remove bandages and change them as needed, often remove minor sutures and nurses examine wounds to see if further treatment is required. At this point a doctor is called in, but usually not before.
Can you imagine a world without nurses? What would life be like and in many cases, would there be life? A doctor can only do so much so without the support and assistance of nurses, patients simply wouldn’t get the care they need. It’s a noble profession and altogether too often one that is taken for granted. The next time you see a nurse, offer a word of thanks for all the do. Without them, where would you be?