NUR 2868 Intuition vs. Experience in Nursing

In September 2015, Joy Behar of The View received for passing disparaging comments about Miss Colorado and nursing as a profession. In this post-Behar era, I sometimes wonder how the public’s perception of nursing has been rehabilitated since then. What worries me most is that patients and soon-to-be patients do not yet fully understand that it is the bedside nurse’s abilities to advocate for safety, lead necessary change initiatives, coach patients and communities, and coordinate delivery of services, that very often determine health outcomes and the procurement of ethical care.

In this Part I education do-over on what nurses really contribute to health care, we will explore their responsibilities as dictated by professional organizations and the roles they play in promoting health and wellbeing for the public at large. Parts 2 and 3 will clarify how the work of nursing impacts you and your family on a personal level and identify the role differences between nurses and other collaborative partners, such as physicians and physician assistants.

Nursing constitutes the and is the most predominant component of any hospital payroll infrastructure, with the current number of registered nurses being more than four times the number of practicing physicians in the United States. Nurses and their contributions are vital components of any reliable health care organization striving for . It has been suggested that hospitals promoting better nursing environments with above-average staffing ratios experience lower patient mortality, 

In any health facility, from local hospitals to major urban academic medical centers, nursing care is the only hands-on care that is 24/7.

So what do nurses do exactly? According to the  (ANA), the representative organization of America’s 3.4 million registered nurses, some of nursing’s responsibilities include:

• Performing physical exams and health histories,
• Providing health promotion, counseling and education,
• Administering medications, wound care, and numerous other personalized interventions,
• Interpreting patient information and making critical decisions about needed actions,
• Conducting research in support of improved practice and patient outcomes.

Advocate. In hospitals, nurses utilize advanced physical assessment skills and a diverse range of technical competencies to ensure patient safety. They advocate for appropriate treatment protocols, safe medication administration policies, timely symptom management, and needed consultations with specialty services. On a national level they advocate for safe staffing ratios, legislation that ensures equitable care delivery for all Americans, and .

Care coordinator. Hospitals can be overwhelming, intimidating, and dangerous places without someone to guide you and keep you informed. The nurse is the point person for all collaborating departments: medicine, pharmacy, nutrition, social work, physical and occupational therapy, surgery, etc. Nurses assure a patient’s safe passage through the hospital and organize care coordination in order to maximize timeliness, value, and efficiency and minimize injury, error, and inconvenience.  that nursing care coordination contributes to reduced overall charges, significant increases in survival with notable decreases in readmissions, improved quality care delivery, and an increased overall patient satisfaction. If you want to know how the countless spokes of any major medical center’s wheels rotate with such a cohesive sense of safety, ask your nurse.

Coach. Nurses aid patients to attain their health goals and needs by honoring diverse cultures and beliefs, and approaching the patient as a “whole person” with a story worth knowing, respecting the patient as the sum of . To nurses, you are not just a bed number or diagnosis. Coaching is fundamental to nursing practice and promotes partnership in health care, in stark contrast to more traditional and paternalistic approaches to the provider-patient exchange.