The Responsibilities of Nursing Practitioner to Society - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION Every status or level in the society comes with duties, responsibilities and roles for the individuals concerned. Right from one’s childhood to adulthood, duties and responsibilities take on dynamism in line with the demands of that particular level. While students are basically taken to be children, they have a role to play both in the society and in the institutions in which they are. However, higher education comes with relatively more roles and responsibilities for the students since they are basically considered as adults. While there is no uniformity as to the roles of students in particular institutions, there are roles that students in higher education would be under an obligation to play not only in their respective institutions but also in the society. These include but are not limited to the following. a. Dedicating all their efforts to furthering and attaining the highest levels of excellence for the better of the institution and society at large. As much as students in every other institution are expected to play this role, the responsibility is more pronounced for students in higher education. This is because they have more freedom which definitely comes with more responsibility as to their affairs. In this case, furthering their knowledge and academic excellence in particular fields is their ultimate responsibility all in an effort to make the institution and the society better. b. Orienting other or new coming students to the system in the particular higher education institution they are in- more often than not, there will be new students or at least some individuals who are not conversant with the system of the institutions. While it would be possible for such individuals to be oriented to these systems with time, the students play a critical role in fastening the orientation process. This has the effect of stabilizing the institution and ensuring that all processes run smoothly. This also ensures quick implementation of the policies and other fundamental frameworks that exist to guide the smooth running of the institution. c. Contributing to improving the systems and structures of the institution in order to enhance efficiency- in many institutions, students play a very minute role in determining the systems within which they will be operating. However, this would be a bit farfetched as far as students in higher institutions are concerned. They are expected to come up with ideas on how the structures and policies guiding the operations of that institution should be made in order to ensure high levels of efficiency in delivery of services. In fact, this is recognized as the only way in which the students would feel part of the system or as if they own the system and therefore contribute to ensure it runs smoothly. d. Following rules and regulations of the institution in order to safeguard peaceful coexistence in the system both with the administration and the other students. As much as the students may not have contributed in the making of the existing rules and regulations, they are charged with the responsibility of observing them in order to safeguard peace in institutions and societies. This however, does not limit or undermine their duty to make the policies better or offer ideas on how these policies could be structured to make them better and align them with the current times. Conclusion While the role of students may not really be recognized in many education systems, it is important to acknowledge that they play a very crucial part in enhancing the excellence of the education system not only today but also in the future (Astin, 1984). Roles of nurses Introduction Quality is one of the major areas of focus in healthcare facilities more so as pertaining to patient safety, quality improvement, quality assurance and regulatory quality. For all these aspects, the importance of nurses cannot be gainsaid as far as enhancing the smooth running of a particular institution is concerned. Right from the very first day, they assume a very responsible role in the healthcare system. This underlines the importance of knowing their roles and responsibilities in order to attain the highest level of integrity both for him/her and for the institution. While these roles change vary with the particular area of practice, there are some shared roles which crosscut every aspect of the career. These include the following a. Care provider or caregiver- this is the most essential and traditional role of the nurse irrespective of the particular setting they operate in. They are charged with the responsibility of nurturing and provision of direct care in an effort to promote the comfort of the client. These roles involve knowledge as well as sensitivity to the things that matter and of importance to the clients. In this case therefore the nurse should be concerned with the welfare of the client and accept the patient as an individual. b. Teaching- nurses are charged with the responsibility of providing information and assisting the clients to learn and acquire technical skills and knowledge pertaining which would help them in the healing process. In essence, they should encourage the patients to comply with the prescribed therapy and advise them on how to promote a healthy lifestyle. Interpreting information pertaining to the illness and therapy to the patients is also their responsibility. c. Advocate of the patient- the nurse should show concern for and act on behalf of the patient in order to bring about any modification. In this case, the nurse should be promoting the clients’ best interests and ensuring that the needs of the clients are met while safeguarding their rights. On the same note, the nurse should be able to offer explanations in the language of the patient or client and support their decisions in line with their welfare. In essence, the nurse should be a change agent where he or she should initiate changes and assist the patients in making changes in themselves as well as the healthcare systems. d. Researching- nurses play a role in the identification of considerable researchable problems. Basically, he or she participates in the necessary scientific investigation and is required to use incorporate the research findings in the practice. He or she should be aware of the research language and processes and be sensitive to the issues pertaining to safeguarding the rights of the human subjects. e. Managing the affairs of the healthcare institution he or she is operating in- nurses are supposed to make decisions pertaining to the diverse issues that may crop up, coordinate the activities of other people, allocate resources and evaluate the personnel and the care provided to the clients. They are supposed to incorporate proper planning, direct the personnel under them, develop staff and monitor the particular operations taking place. They should also fairly reward their staff and represent the staff as well as the administration as required. Conclusion The roles of nurses are diverse depending on their areas of practice and levels of education. Some will be specialists, practitioners, midwives, anesthetists, educators, entrepreneurs and even administrators. Either way, they have a crucial role in ensuring the quality of services in healthcare facilities (Schroer, 1991). Bibliography Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308. Schroer, K. (1991). Case management: clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner, converging roles. Clinical nurse specialist, 5, 189-194. Siegel, E., & Bryson, S.C (1963). Redefinition of the role of the public health nurse in child health supervision. American journal of public health, 53, 1015-1024 Rose, S. B., All, A. C., & Gresham, D. (2003). Role preservation of the clinical nurse specialist and the nurse practitioner. The internet journal of advanced nursing practice, 5, 1-11. Read More