Professional Nurse Role Paper

Roles of the Professional Nurse The role of the professional nurse in today's healthcare setting continues to expand as our healthcare delivery system in the United States changes. Historically, nurses have delivered care in a system that has been "illness" centered. Increases in knowledge of disease, coupled with a desire to decrease the costs of delivering health care have shifted the U.S. model of care to one of prevention (IOM, 2010, p. 1-1). The professional nurse continues to have eight interrelated roles in caring for their patients. The eight roles, which will be further explored in this paper, are that of caregiver, advocate, critical thinker, teacher, communicator, manager/administrator/executive, researcher, and rehabilitator.

The nurse acting in the caregiver role can administer medications, take vital signs, bathe a patient, help a patient to use the bathroom, feed a patient, or perform wound care. The nurse, as a caregiver, is interested in caring for their patient in a holistic fashion. The nurse is concerned about their patient's psychosocial, cultural, mental health, spiritual, and physical needs. Providing hands on, holistic care of the patient is the primary role in bedside nursing, and often the most rewarding part of the nursing job.
Advocate
Nurses also function as the primary advocate of the patient. Patients often find themselves in a vulnerable position; they are sick, sometimes alone, and are frequently uneducated regarding their illness. It is up to the nurse to advocate for the patient's care, health, and safety. The nurse must educate their patient regarding their health in terms that the patient can best understand. The nurse then must listen to the patient regarding their needs, so that the nurse can advocate to the health care team on behalf of the patient.
Critical

The nurse must be able to communicate with an interdisciplinary team to advocate for their patient and to advance the plan of care. The nurse must also be able to successfully communicate with their patient to provide teaching and comfort. The nurse must remember that an important part of communication is listening to the needs of the patient and their families.
Manager
To be an effective nurse, one must be able to assume the role of manage, delegator, and coordinator of care. At my hospital, we are frequently reminded that we are "captain" of our patient's care, as most coordination of care is done through the nurse. For patients to receive optimal care, nurses must also be able to delegate caretaking responsibilities. The nurse must be comfortable delegating tasks to the patient care techs such as vitals, linen changes, and emptying of foley catheters, so that the nurse has time to fulfill their many roles.