Nurse Employment: 8 Typical Duties of a Registered Nurse in New Orleans

Registered nurses are in demand nowadays no matter what specialization they have. More and more people are getting interested in becoming a nurse due to the competitive compensation nurses get. Working with a nursing employment agency in New Orleans can be a good way to get more job opportunities if you are a nurse. But before you start your career as a nurse know the duties of a registered which are as follows:

1. Conduct physical exams

The first thing nurses do to determine the condition of patients is doing a physical examination. These physical examinations include recording patients’ weight, getting their temperatures, checking their blood pressure, and monitoring heartbeats. By getting the patient’s vitals they will know if it’s within normal or beyond. 

2. Take detailed health care histories

Nurses have to know the patient’s history before they can start with any medications. The nurses ask their patients about their medical history, if they had any surgery, and also their allergies in that way they can determine if the medication given to the patients will not give any contraindication or complication to their condition. They also record the symptoms of the patients admitted. Then updates on any new medication or new procedures should also be noted. 

3. Listen to patients and analyze their physical and emotional needs

A nurse should be a good listeners since most of the time they will be acting as emotional support for their patients and even for their family members. Patients have episodes of becoming emotional due to their condition and as a nurse, you should have the sympathy to understand your patient’s situation. You don’t only respond to their physical needs but also their emotional needs. Patients who have a caring nurse can recover faster. 

4. Provide counseling and health care education to patients

Educating your patients and their handlers is part of a nurse’s responsibility. They have to let the patients understand their condition and the purpose of each medication given to them. Educating their family members who will be taking care of them is also important so they can get the care and medication they need once they get discharged from the healthcare facility. Nurses should have the skill to explain to them most simply so they can understand. 

5. Coordinate care with other health care providers and specialists

Each patient has specific needs and these needs should be provided by the medical team who would come up with a treatment plan to make the patient’s condition better. As a nurse coordinating with other medical staff and physicians is essential to get the right medication for the patient and give the necessary procedure they need. All important information should be passed on to each medical staff who handles the patient, so consistency in the treatment will be followed. 

6. Stay current with advances in health care options, medications, and treatment plans

In the field of medicines, updates are important since they can help you give the right medication your patient needs. Get updated with the latest medication as well as the latest machines and equipment on how to operate them. Updates on medication should also be followed since changes can tell you if they are still good for your patients or not. 

7. Draw blood, and perform another health-related testing

Patients will be needing different procedures to determine their body’s response to the medication or to determine what their body needs. To get an accurate reading about the body’s needs procedures such as a drawing of blood and other procedures are done. As a nurse you should be able to do these procedures properly and in a sterile condition 

8. Check a patient’s vital signs

Vital signs can convey a lot of diagnoses for the patients. The nurse should be familiar with what each vital sign change indicates so they can easily tell the condition of their patients.  

Now that you are enlightened with the information on Nurse Employment: 8 Typical Duties of a registered nurse in New Orleans then start self-evaluation and determine if you are capable of becoming a registered nurse and start becoming one by getting the right education. So you can help in making the community better for everyone by working as a nurse in the future.