What is a Nurse Attorney? Nurse attorneys have both nursing and law degrees, so they can adequately represent and defend medical professionals in court. Most nurse attorneys choose a courtroom career, so they help consult on disputes with insurance companies and help health care professionals who are involved in malpractice suits. Other nurse attorneys choose a career in public health to advocate for better legal policies, support nursing associations and lobby to mass new laws. Nursing Meets the Law Most nurse attorneys represent health care professionals in court, serve as expert witnesses in medical legal cases and analyze personal injury or insurance claims. They usually perform comprehensive reviews of medical data, records and charts to establish medical facts, determine clinical relevancy and identify proof of injury through the health care providers’ diagnosis or treatment. They work with hospital attorneys and paralegals to prepare medical record summaries and documentation. For example, they may create a full chronology of the client 's medical and injury history. Their jobs are structured, multifaceted, fast-paced, patient-centered and highly independent. Some work as writers for legal journals and professional nursing groups. Risk and Insurance Management …show more content…
They act as legal nurse consultants with clinical staff on risk management issues. They may conduct professional licensure investigations and attend claims management team meetings. One of the keys of proper legal-medical risk management is the education of staff members. All health care professionals must understand the inherent dangers from malpractice lawsuits, especially when the claims are justified. Risk and management departments in hospitals exist to promote safe clinical practices, continually improve the quality of care and support clinical investigations, risk analyses and improvement
Advocate-Seeks ways to meet identified patient and community needs Agent of Change- Coordinates activities to bring about positive changes in the health care system Clinician- Brings advanced clinical judgement to the bedside Collaborator- Works as part of interdisciplinary team to improve patient, community, and system outcomes Leader- Supervises individuals and groups in developing and implementing processes to improve the delivery of care. Researcher-Identifies and investigates clinical problems to advance nursing knowledge
sexual assault nurse examiner are registered nurses who specialize in working with those who need medical care as a result of a sexual assault. These nurses play an important role in solving sexual assault cases as they are trained to collect physical evidence of the victim that can lead to the conviction of a suspect. They also support the victim through physical examination, which by itself can make the victim feel like she's being traumatized again. Due to the sensitivity of cases of sexual assault nurse examiners sexual assault should have training beyond nursing Basic AA A sexual assault nurse examiner is a certified advanced studies in forensic examination of survivors of sexual assault nurse.
The role of Nurse Practitioner came into inception in the mid 60s. This was in response to a shortage of physicians across the nation. With the demand for primary care services for all ages, one option to close the demand gap and increase the number of providers is the option for states to revisit the laws governing how Nurse Practitioners practice and provide care to patients in different settings like hospitals, outpatient clinics and others. Whether they work autonomously or under a physicians' supervision, their scope of practice involves but is not limited to assessment and planning with a goal to provide the the best care for optimal patient health and outcomes.
This part of the paper will explain what a CNA is and what task is safely delegated inside their scope of practice. A certified nursing assistant (CNA) is a healthcare professional who assists patients with various healthcare needs, under the direct supervision of a registered nurse(RN), or a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Responsibilities of nursing assistants vary from state to state, but for the most part they play an integral role in the health care process. Nursing assistants help physicians and nurses care for patients by feeding, cleaning and transporting patients. Nurse aides can receive additional training to specialize in specific kinds of care, such as midwifery, and may be required to have additional certifications to work in a labor room.
The first was that of acting on behalf of the patient which implies the nurse represent patients who are unable to or those that feel they are unable to represent themselves. The second attribute is protecting patients which entails actions that promote the respect of the patients. Lastly, intervene in the provision of healthcare. This attribute regards nurses addressing inequalities in healthcare and services. These attributes parallel the attributes identified by Baldwin (2003) in a concept analysis discussing patient advocacy.
Nursing is an age old profession of compassion, encouragement, and support to the injured. With the development of learned abilities nurses are able to heal by easing suffering, treatment, and encouragement of the care of people, families, communities, and populations. Professional nursing roles entail practices based on evidence that are defensive, recuperative, and promotive when focusing on a holistic manner. Developing professional roles of nurses are highly recognized and nurtured. A nurse plays an essential role in the healthcare system.
They make up the biggest health care occupation in the United States. Nursing job duties include communicating between patients and doctors, caring for patients, administering medicine and supervising nurses ' aides”(study).
Registered nurses are required to deliver wide-range nursing attention and treatment to all persons in a healthcare setup (American Nurses ' Association, 2000). Notably, they have to offer emergency care and guarantee the safe execution of treatment. It is mandatory for nurses to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the laws and regulations that are in line with their profession. Additionally,
Ethics of Advocacy Advocacy is an important concept in nursing practice used to describe the nurse-client relationship. Patient advocacy encompasses patients’ rights. Nursing advocacy derives from the philosophy that everyone has the right to promote his or her own well-being, as understood by that individual. The concept of advocacy can be tricky when it comes to children (Kanne, 2011).
I have always thought about working in the medical field, but where was the question. I started looking at the field of nursing. My mom works as a nurse so it was obvious that I start there. From my research I found out all of the great things about being a nurse. This research answered my question.
Brittany, I liked your statement "Nurses are the front-line defense for patient safety and are responsible for positive patient outcomes. " The role of an advocate requires the nurse to act as a communicator, liaison, educator, interpreter, and caregiver. Choosing a career in nursing means wanting to fill that role while providing optimal care and striving for positive outcomes for all patients. Every nurse has the opportunity to make a positive impact on their patients. Good Post.
Introduction “Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put on Earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes a spiritual calling,” said by the infamous Vincent Van Gogh. When a person decides to go into the field of nursing it gives them so many more opportunities than being a “floor” nurse all of their life. Working as a floor nurse can be exhausting. One particular field of nursing to look into would be forensic nursing; it deals with healthcare providers working with the law enforcement to collect evidence, teach risk reduction strategies, identify injuries and their causes, and testifying in court to apply what they find to public and legal proceedings (Master of Science in Nursing,
The concept of nurses as advocates within the healthcare system has not changed but the techniques and practices associated with patient advocacy are continuously advancing; there is already an extensive range of existing nursing definitions of patient advocacy (Wellard, 2014). In general, the nurse in the healthcare team is the member with the greatest therapeutic communication, contact and relationship with patients; putting them in an optimal position to utilize their advocacy skills to facilitate contact between the patient and family members and other health care professionals and departments (University Alliance, 2015). Additionally, by pursuing a career in nursing it means fulfilling many roles, such as educator, caregiver, interpreter,
Nursing Laws and Regulations The public’s ideals of nursing have vastly changed over the last decade as the population expanded their knowledge about the profession. The American Nurses Association defines nursing as “the protection, promotion,... alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.” Doctor Oz stated that nursing in the past faced the preconceived notion that it is simply bathing and cleaning patients. However, he notes that nurses are patients greatest advocates, which many patients understand after receiving care from a nurse.
Importance of nurses A nurse is a health care professional who is engaged in the practice of nursing. Nurses are men and women who are responsible (along with other health care professionals) for the treatment, safety and recovery of acutely or chronically ill or injured people, health maintenance of the healthy, and treatment of life-threatening emergencies in a wide range of health care settings. Nurses may also be involved in medical and nursing research and perform a wide range of non-clinical functions necessary to the delivery of health care. Nurses develop a plan of care, sometimes working collaboratively with physicians, therapists, the patient, the patient 's family and other team members.