What is our job description anyway?

[R!XTER]

I came across some job descriptions on nursing job postings say things like

"provide quality care to patients and their families"

"Use the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation"

"Collaborate with physicians and other healthcare members"

How does this even begin to encompass what we do??

If I had to write a nurse's job description, it would include: educator (to willing listeners and brick walls), babysitter (both adult and child), therapist, waitress, transporter, diaper-changer, medication dispenser, advocate, comedian, plebotomist, actor.

Job Responsibilities include lots of talking, listening, sympathizing and empathizing, hand-holding, butt wiping, wound cleaning and dressing, blood drawing, IV starting, providing food, withholding food, physically and chemically restraining, foley-ing, suctioning, administering meds PO, PR, IV, IO or via G-tube, rear-end kissing of patients, families, and co-workers, real smiling, fake smiling, inner eye-rolling, laughing, sometimes crying, assessing, documenting, running, walking, rarely sitting, barely eating, turning and positioning, vital signs monitoring, EKG rhythm monitoring, call bell answering, toileting, ambulating, ventilating, chest compressing, cooling, warming, hydrating, diuresing.

Applicants most also have the ability to identify the following odors:

C-diff

Melena

Raging UTI

Homelessness

Alcohol intoxication

DKA

Feet

Body odor/lack of personal hygiene

Vomit

Halitosis

Rotting flesh

The faint of heart need not apply.

[LobotRN, BSN, RN]

Thanks for that, I needed it today!

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

ahh Happy Friday!!!

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Good old ADPIE! The only time I have seen it since school is in job descriptions!

[rngolfer53]

Job descriptions should never be confused with the actual job assignment, in nursing or anywhere else for that matter.

I'm pretty convinced that job descriptions are written as broadly as possible so HR folks don't have to trouble themselves with writing accurate ones for the many different kinds of positions, or having to update them more than once every century or so.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I came across some job descriptions on nursing job postings say things like

"provide quality care to patients and their families"

"Use the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation"

"Collaborate with physicians and other healthcare members"

How does this even begin to encompass what we do??

If I had to write a nurse's job description, it would include: educator (to willing listeners and brick walls), babysitter (both adult and child), therapist, waitress, transporter, diaper-changer, medication dispenser, advocate, comedian, plebotomist, actor.

Job Responsibilities include lots of talking, listening, sympathizing and empathizing, hand-holding, butt wiping, wound cleaning and dressing, blood drawing, IV starting, providing food, withholding food, physically and chemically restraining, foley-ing, suctioning, administering meds PO, PR, IV, IO or via G-tube, rear-end kissing of patients, families, and co-workers, real smiling, fake smiling, inner eye-rolling, laughing, sometimes crying, assessing, documenting, running, walking, rarely sitting, barely eating, turning and positioning, vital signs monitoring, EKG rhythm monitoring, call bell answering, toileting, ambulating, ventilating, chest compressing, cooling, warming, hydrating, diuresing.

Applicants most also have the ability to identify the following odors:

C-diff

Melena

Raging UTI

Homelessness

Alcohol intoxication

DKA

Feet

Body odor/lack of personal hygiene

Vomit

Halitosis

Rotting flesh

The faint of heart need not apply.

^It also needs to be the description for nursing school...with a few adjustments.

[icemanof92]

I had a nursing professor who said the thing that separates nursing from other health professions is that we take care of "the whole patient". I couldn't disagree more. I think it's every health professional's responsibility to address more than just the physical needs of their patients. I think what does make nursing unique is that we are "care coordinators" in that we not only provide direct assessment and care but we also assess for the need for, and provide for, and coordinate, and bridge the gaps BETWEEN various disciplines of care ie PT, respiratory, psych, SW, nutrition, radiology, MDs, and ourselves. We as nurses not only care for patients in our own right but also juggle all those and many more aspects of a patient's care both in and out of the hospital. Therefore I would say what nurses' jobs really are: Care Coordinators. Almost sounds like a better name for us...

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Our job: Whatever nobody else wants to do....

[ANnot4me]

Tidying the room

Mopping the floor

Cleaning the toilets

Making sure beds are perfectly centred under over-head light

Dodging thrown objects

Tolerating 360 degree abuse (verbal and physical)

Holding urine for hours

Overcoming hypoglycaemia

Accepting blame without rebuttal

Anger management (our own)

Finding joy and self-worth despite constant degredation

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Customer service represenative

Quality assurance coordinator

Enviromental Services Engineer

Master Plumber

Family Centered Care Consultant

Hygiene Therapist

Referee

Coach

Crisis Intervention Specialist

I wonder if there's differential to be made in any of these sub-categories? Wait, I will ask the most ironic of the unit--the "Nurse" Manager

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Finder of TV channels! For sure!

[rngolfer53]

Finder of TV channels! For sure!

I recently had a confused gentleman whose normal home routine was watching a couple old TV programs and a game show. He knew the channel numbers on his cable at home....but ours was naturally different, and with fewer channels.

Anyway my first morning with him, I managed to find his game show just as it was starting. He gave a big smile....then promptly fell asleep for the whole show. :) That's nursing for you.

He was one of the patients I had a chance to get to know a bit, and I really enjoyed him.