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Nurses' Roles in the Hospital Setting

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Nurses play a vital role in the health team.  They are the ones who come in contact with patients most of the time. Physicians come and go, leaving the responsibility of caring for the patient to the nurses assigned. Physicians give the diagnosis, medical and surgical treatments to the patient but nurses are the ones who work directly with the patient to restore their health and ease them from their sufferings.

In the hospital setting, a nurse has various roles. One of which is being the primary care giver of their patients, 24 hours a day. Some patients are so ill that they cannot go on with their daily life activities alone.  Nurses assist these patients especially if the patient's family members or relatives are not present. Nurses literally take care of their patients, towing them away from further injuries. They make sure that patients have enough fluid intakes and output, that they have enough sleep and rest, protect them from falls and further infection, and prevent them from having bed sores among the others. These are independent nursing actions, all included in his or her nursing care plan.

However, the nurse should limit this assistance and promote the independence of the patient. A nurse is ineffective if the patient's condition do not progress.

Another important duty of a nurse is to educate and advocate for his/her patients and their families. To better help the patient in recovery, it is vital that a nurse teaches his patients all the information he needs.

For example, a nurse cannot just tell the patient to cough and breathe deeply. The nurse should demonstrate the procedure to the patient; the proper positioning, how often it should be done, and etc. The nurse also has the responsibility to enlighten the patients on why some procedures are done, how it will be done and what they should do to avoid discomfort. There are times when a patient fails to comprehend a procedure after his doctor discussed it with him and ends up asking the nurse all about it. In this situation however, the nurse should not elaborate, but call the attention of the physician about the patient's queries.

Nurses work with doctors, therapists, and other members of the health team especially in carrying out treatment and other procedures. The doctors give the orders; nurses carry these orders out. For example, if a physician asks a nurse to administer an intravenous medication to the patient in a specific time, a nurse does so. However, it is important that the nurse remain vigilant of doctors' orders and not just follow them around. In administering medications for example, nurses should calculate if the prescription is appropriate to the patient.  It should be remembered that nurses are the last line of defense against medication errors.

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