How Does a Registered Nurse Spend a Work Day?
General Overview
A registered nurse is a health professional who works with doctors, other nurses and patients in the health care industry. A registered nurse, usually abbreviated as RN, uses the nursing process to assess and evaluate the injured, sick or elderly, and provide them with proper nursing care. There are four branches of nursing that an RN can choose to specialize in after completing the general portion of her education, and those are adult nursing, child nursing, mental health nursing and learning disabilities nursing. In their line of duty, nurses consult often with other nurses and physicians. An RN can work in a hospital, nursing home, home health care center or as a personal nurse to an individual.
Typical Work Day
On a typical day, a registered nurse who works at a hospital is engaged in taking care of the patients that come in and out throughout the day. An RN is responsible for monitoring the vital signs such as temperature, heartbeat and motor signs of every patient within her care. Additionally, the RN makes sure that each patient takes the correct medication and dosage at the right time, and she monitors the patient's progress throughout the day, reporting to the doctor in charge if there are any significant changes. If necessary, the RN also administers shots and takes blood and urine samples for diagnostic tests.
Other Duties
Though her most important duties are to assess and implement nursing care to ill and injured patients, an RN also has other duties such as making sure those under her care are eating on time, performing mild exercises, going to the restroom regularly and other common activities that generally become difficult for the sick. As a personal caretaker to ill individuals, the RN often accompanies them during the entire day, monitoring their health and making sure that they don't injure themselves. An RN is also expected to keep detailed accounts of a patient's basic information, insurance information and health history.
Tags: registered nurse, health care, making sure, Nurse Spend, Nurse Spend Work
