what do nurses do..seriously

Katnip, RN · Jul 31, 2005

Let's see. Nurses do initial or daily physical assessments on patients and monitor throughout the patient's stay for any changes.

We are there far more than physicians and if we see a patient take a turn for the worse, start interventions to save the patient before a physician can arrive.

We interpret laboratory values and notify the doctor and prepare for any treatments that may be necessary.

We administer medications and are responsible for knowing what the meds do, how they could interact with others, and any potential side effects that could present.

We edcuate patients about their various disease processes, medications they need to take, and how to make lifestyle changes to improve their quality of life.

We read and interpret cardiac rhythms and usually are the first to know when one goes awry. And based on that, we perform appropriate interventions while waiting for a physician.

We initiate and perform advanced life support when a patient crashes.

We assist in surgical and medical procedures.

We teach med students and young residents some of the finer points of healthcare.

We talk with families about how best to help a patient

We comfort families when a healthcare team fails to save a patient.

We do that and much more throughout the day.

Oh, and we even do sponge baths. :)

FungManX · Jul 31, 2005

wow.. that sounds pretty good!

do nurses do the same things in canada -van.bc specifically? (all the things listed?)

Also.. theres something that I don't think I can tolerate.. catheder insertions.. the very thought of it makes me fall on my knees and tear up :crying2: .. are nurse aides/students available to do this job when it has to be done? Or .. will I eventually grow into it..?

anyway thanks for the reply! I'm one step closer to getting my BSN!

ocb_dave_ocb, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

wow.. that sounds pretty good!
do nurses do the same things in canada -van.bc specifically? (all the things listed?)
Also.. theres something that I don't think I can tolerate.. catheder insertions.. the very thought of it makes me fall on my knees and tear up .. are nurse aides/students available to do this job when it has to be done? Or .. will I eventually grow into it..?
anyway thanks for the reply! I'm one step closer to getting my BSN!

We did catheter insertions during clinicals... i was just like you in the begining.. I though Gosh I dont think that i can do one... But enentually you will be able to do it without thinking another thing about it.

talaxandra · Jul 31, 2005

Nurses are women and men who are part of the health care team responsible for the wellbeing and recovery of acutely ill or injured people, palliation of the dying, education and health improvement of the healthy, and treatment of life-threatening emergencies. This occurs in a wide variety of health care settings and a multitude of specialties.

The actual technical work varies greatly depending on where a nurse is working (various wards within a hospital, other hospital departments like theatre, in the community, in psychiatry etc), the area of specialty (there are over 200 areas, including paediatrics, cardiology, and dialysis), and position.

The education required varies from country to country, and there are also diferent kinds of programs. Common to all countries, though, is that nurses belong to a register (hence "registered nurse"), maintained by an independant board. A registered nurse has completed a proscribed amount of training, including clinical placement, and passed a number of clinical and theoretical tests. It is illegal to practice as a nurse, pass yourself off as a nurse, call yourslef a nurse, or employ as a nurse, someone who is not registered to practice in that role, in the state or province of employment. In other words, a person registered as a nurse in Victoria, Australia, cannot practice as a nurse in Ontario, Canada without being accepted as suitable by the Ontario register.

According to the US Department of Labor's revised Occupational Outlook Handbook (2000), 'Registered nurses (RNs) work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities. When providing direct patient care, they observe, assess, and record symptoms, responses, and progress; assist physicians during treatments and examinations; administer medications; and assist in convalescence and rehabilitation. RNs also develop and manage nursing care plans; instruct patients and their families in proper care; and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health.'

A significant body of research has demonstrated that

RNs are the first-line defense of hospitalized patients against disability or death from infection, cardiopulmonary arrest, and other serious complications. Higher ratios of registered nurses to patients has been shown to decrease certain complications of illness including death in patients. Registered nurses are educators, managers, executives, therapists, intensive care experts, symptom managers, professional mentors, researchers and community members. In hospitals, registered nurses perform diverse roles such as writing policies, responding to emergencies, managing professional, technical and ancillary staff, determining budgets, performing strategic planning, and supervising construction projects.
Most RNs work in a hospital. A registered nurse has a very portable job skill. In many cities, RNs can enter their names in a "registry" and work a wide variety of temporary jobs. Beside hospitals, RNs work in schools, home health care, in office and occupational or industrial health settings, free-standing clinics and physician offices, nurse-run clinics, long-term care facilities, camps, and as advisors and consultants to the healthcare and insurance industries. Some RNs work with attorneys as Legal Nurse Consultants, reviewing patient records to assure that adequate care was provided. Some RNs are attorneys. http://www.answers.com/nurse&r=67

ocb_dave_ocb, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

Nurses are women and men who are part of the health care team responsible for the wellbeing and recovery of acutely ill or injured people, palliation of the dying, education and health improvement of the healthy, and treatment of life-threatening emergencies. This occurs in a wide variety of health care settings and a multitude of specialties.
The actual technical work varies greatly depending on where a nurse is working (various wards within a hospital, other hospital departments like theatre, in the community, in psychiatry etc), the area of specialty (there are over 200 areas, including paediatrics, cardiology, and dialysis), and position.
The education required varies from country to country, and there are also diferent kinds of programs. Common to all countries, though, is that nurses belong to a register (hence "registered nurse"), maintained by an independant board. A registered nurse has completed a proscribed amount of training, including clinical placement, and passed a number of clinical and theoretical tests. It is illegal to practice as a nurse, pass yourself off as a nurse, call yourslef a nurse, or employ as a nurse, someone who is not registered to practice in that role, in the state or province of employment. In other words, a person registered as a nurse in Victoria, Australia, cannot practice as a nurse in Ontario, Canada without being accepted as suitable by the Ontario register.
According to the US Department of Labor's revised Occupational Outlook Handbook (2000), 'Registered nurses (RNs) work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities. When providing direct patient care, they observe, assess, and record symptoms, responses, and progress; assist physicians during treatments and examinations; administer medications; and assist in convalescence and rehabilitation. RNs also develop and manage nursing care plans; instruct patients and their families in proper care; and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health.'
A significant body of research has demonstrated that

WELL PUT, but what about LPN's they practice for the same reason....

tridil2000, MSN, RN · Jul 31, 2005

We did catheter insertions during clinicals... i was just like you in the begining.. I though Gosh I dont think that i can do one... But enentually you will be able to do it without thinking another thing about it.

caths don't bother me.

putting an ngt down a fully awake person's nose makes the hair on back stand every time... you know, when you have to push it past that area of resistance....

ugggghhh....

answering the op's question:

we have to know every disease, every sign and symptom, every drug, every complication, every body system, insert tubes in every orifice correctly, monitor what comes out, know every button and value on a ventilator, every possible rhythm your heart makes, interpret every lab value and its relationship to your disease, play shrink, play dietician, play physical therapist and be able to do all of this for several patients at the same time.

people are truly clueless as to what we do until they're sick and flat on their backs.

still, your mechanic and plummer get paid more. :crying2:

PennyLane, RN · Jul 31, 2005

Ditto all of the above.

As an RN in the ED I care for 3-4 patients at a time. I'm the first to assess the patient when they get to their room, perform any needed interventions at the time (i.e. start respiratory treatments on asthmatics, start IVs, hang fluids if indicated, medicate for fever or cardiac-related chest pain, insert foleys, perform EKGs, place on O2 or cardiac monitor etc).

Once the doc has seen the patient I administer meds as directed, but first I must know what the med is, how it works in the body, what the side effects are, interactions, etc. I then monitor the pt for effectiveness and side effects, . Alert the MD of any changes in pt's condition, or ineffectiveness of therapy.

At discharge, I teach the pt about their meds and their condition. Answer any questions. Trouble-shoot lifestyle issues that may come up related to their disease. If the pt is admitted, I ship them upstairs and get ready for the next patient to arrive.

Oh, and as a nurse, you will need to be able to place catheters. Yes, you can delegate to your tech, but you will need to know how to do it too. In my experience, most techs are great and will help you a lot, but they get busy too.

HRM672 · Aug 1, 2005

Your question is a good one because I don't think most people know what nurses do. I certainly didn't, when I decided to quit my job and go to nursing school. I thought I did. I'm still learning what nurses do. The best thing is, the more I learn about it, the more I love it. These are my ideas so far--I learn more about nursing every day.

I am not sure what I thought before, but I probably had the idea, like most people do, that nurses are doctor's assistants, and that there is no distinction between nursing and medicine except for the number of years of school. However, that's not the case--they are different.

Medicine is the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nursing is caring for people. Sometimes this means listening to them, and helping them deal with their illness or approaching death. Sometimes it means educating them to keep them healthy. Sometimes it means, as you said, giving them a sponge bath.

And there is an incredible amount of science involved. I have trouble explaining exactly which science is involved, because it's the kind of thing I didn't know about before I went back to school. It's knowing a vast amount about the human body, about medicine, and about disease--about knowing and understanding the physicians orders and working with an entire healthcare team--and about thinking critically and constantly to evaluate a patient and care for him/her.

I'm not a nurse(yet), so I may be wrong about my impressions of nursing. All I can say is if you want a challenging job that combines the science of medicine and the art of caring for people, you'll love nursing.