What Do Registered Nurses Really Do?

The decision to work towards becoming a registered nurse requires a personal transition from the role of being an aerospace technician to one of a healthcare professional. As part of this transition, I must learn what defines a nurse, understand what I can contribute to the profession, establish and meet professional goals, and be aware of extraneous factors that affect the healthcare industry.

The answer to the question of “What does a registered nurse really do?” is so broad in scope that it becomes difficult to explain effectively with one statement. With many specialty fields of nursing falling under the same general definition, a core set of roles and responsibilities is used to define this answer. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) describes the role of a nurse as one who educates, coordinates, advises, and emotionally supports patients, family, and the public. Within this definition, the BLS says a nurse will perform multiple tasks to include such duties as maintaining patient’s health records, documenting changes in conditions or health, initially diagnose a condition, operate devices and equipment used in treatment, administer drugs and therapies, develop and/or modify treatment plans, perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, instruct others on caring for a medical condition, provide home care instructions, and consult with other healthcare professionals in regards to a patient while working in many settings such as clinical research, mental health, surgical, emergency room, pediatric, geriatric, education, and many other specialty fields. The diversity of each specialized field carries its own particular set of duties and responsibilities while relying on these same core fundamental characteristics of p...

... middle of paper ...

...based care and collaboration across multiple specialized disciplines require nurses to possess ever increasing specialized knowledge and skills themselves. Residency programs, transition into practice, and bridge programs would better prepare nurses for the duties and responsibilities they encounter in the modern healthcare environment. It is also necessary to instill within the nursing culture an attribute of lifelong learning. With these adaptations, nursing professionals can continue to evolve with the changes occurring within the healthcare profession (Battié, 2013)

Understanding that registered nurses roles can vary widely, that I already possess many of the basic skill-sets necessary, having flexible goals, and possessing awareness that competing factors will affect the industry, I believe that I will make the transition into the role of a registered nurse.