ROLES OF THE NURSE

The Associate Degree Nurse interacts with the client by functioning in the three roles of the nurse: Provider of care, Coordinator of care, and Member of a profession. The nurse assists clients across the lifespan in their adaptation to changes in their internal and external environments affecting health. The nurse views clients as unique individuals comprised of interrelated biological, intellectual, psychological, spiritual, sociocultural, and environmental components. The nurse recognizes that clients come from diverse multicultural groups and are members of families and communities. Within these three roles, the nurse uses communication, critical thinking, and caring to provide nursing care to clients for health promotion, health maintenance, rehabilitation, and restoration of health.

Functioning in the role of Provider of care, the nurse uses critical thinking skills to facilitate clinical decision making and practice that is evidence based. The nurse integrates knowledge from multiple disciplines and applies nursing process to provide care for the client. Using cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills, the nurse implements therapeutic nursing interventions and incorporates therapeutic modalities. Communication skills are used by the nurse to verify client needs and to set and evaluate mutually agreed upon goals that foster adaptation to health. The nurse affects health care behaviors by identifying learning needs and implementing teaching plans for clients and families. As Provider of care the nurse exhibits professional caring attributes in the development of therapeutic nurse-client and nurse-family relationships.

Functioning in the role of Coordinator of care, the nurse coordinates care for individuals and multiple clients within the institutional framework of a variety of health care settings. Critical thinking skills assist the nurse to organize and prioritize client care and to delegate human and material resources . Using effective communication skills, the nurse collaborates with clients, families, nursing personnel and the interdisciplinary health care team to coordinate health care delivery. Furthermore, the nurse facilitates discharge planning with the client and family members and verifies referral services to foster continuity of care. As the Coordinator of care, the nurse uses professional attributes of caring when advocating for individuals and families for safe and effective care.

Functioning in the role as Member of a profession, the associate degree nurse is accountable and responsible for maintaining ethical and legal standards. Using critical thinking and communication skills the nurse contributes to the profession of nursing by continually learning and participating in professional activities in response to current and future needs of a changing health care delivery system. As a Member of a profession, the nurse presents attributes of caring by exhibiting commitment to the practice of nursing, projecting a professional image, upholding professional values, and demonstrating professional behavior.

Based on Competencies for National League for Nursing (NLN) and BNE Entry Level Competencies

Original 4/3/01
Revised 4/03

Approved by FA 3/07