ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF A

NURSE

1. CAREGIVER
- assist the client physically and
psychologically while preserving th clients
dignity
- full care for the completely dependent client
- supportive/educative care to assist clients to
attain the highest level of health & wellness
- nurse can directly or delegate task to others

2. COMMUNICATOR
- Nurse identifies clients problems and
communicate these verbally or in writing to
other health team members
- Nurse must be able to communicate
clearly and accurately in order to met the clients
health needs

3. TEACHER
- Nurse helps clients learn about their health
and health care procedures they need to
perform, to restore or maintain their health
- nurse assesses the learning needs and
readiness to learn, set specific learning goals,
enacts strategies and measures learning

4. CLIENT ADVOCATE
- Acts to protect clients right(help clients
speak for themselves)
- Nurse represents clients needs and wishes
to other health care professionals

5. COUNSELOR
- helps client recognize and cope with stressful
psychologic or social problems, to develop
improved interpersonal relationships and
personal growth
- provides emotional, psychologic, and
intellectual support
- encourages client to look for alternative
behaviors, rcognize the choice and develop a
sense of control

5. CHANGE AGENT
- helps client make modifications in their behavior
- act to make a change

6. LEADER
- Influences others to work together to accomplish a
specific goal
LEADERSHIP a learned process requiring an
understanding of the needs and goals that motivate
people

7. MANAGER
- delegates activities to ancillary workers,
supervise and evaluate performance
- requires knowledge about the organization, skills
& actual work
8.

CASE MANAGER

- works with the multidisciplinary health care team

to measure the effectiveness of management plan
- monitors outcomes
- help ensure that case is oriented to client while
controlling costs

9. RESEACHER
- does research to improve clients care
- in the clinical area, nurse should
a. be aware of the nursing process and
language of research
b. be sensitive to issues related to protecting
patients rights
c. participate in the identification of
significant researchable problems
d. be a discriminating consumer of research

10. EXPANDED CAREER ROLES

A. Nurse practitioner
- advanced education and a graduate of
advanced program
- deal with nonemergency acute or chronic
illness and provide primary ambulatory care
B. Clinical nurse specialist
- advanced degree or expertise
- provides direct client care, educates others,
consults, conducts research & manages care

c. Nurse anesthetist
- carries preoperative visits and assessments
and administers general anesthetics for surgery
- assesses postoperative status of clients
d. Nurse midwife
e. Nurse researcher
f. Nurse administrator
g. Nurse educator
h. nurse entrepeneur

Benners stages of nursing expertise

1. Novice
2. Advanced Beginner
3. Competent
4. Proficient
5. Expert