Roles of the Nurse

1. Coordinator

Coordinates and Plans Care

Piece together fragmented care

Prepares pt. for discharge

Liaison in health care team

2. Communicator

Establish rapport

Establish therapeutic (helping)  relationship

Be aware of verbal & nonverbal communication

Assertive communicator

3. Teacher

Educate pt. to develop self-care abilities

Provide Knowledge to allow pt. to make  informed decisions

Demonstrate needed  skills

Promote health, prevent illness, restore health & facilitate coping

Teaching-Learner Process

Teaching-planned  method to help  someone learn

Learning - process by which an individual increases their knowledge or changes their behavior as a result of an experience

Learning Domains

Cognitive learning- acquiring new knowledge

Psychomotor learning- acquiring a new physical skill

Affective learning- acquiring /changing values, feelings or attitudes

Developmental Considerations

Children learn through play & experience

Adolescents learn  through their peers

Take into account  their motor  development along  with their intellectual  development

Take into account  their intellectual,  developmental,  maturity and  psychosocial  development

Developmental considerations  (androgogy)

Adults - most must believe they need to  learn before they are willing to learn

Adults - bring life experiences as resources  for learning

Adults - believe learning should be useful  immediately (rather than in the future). They Want relevance!

Adults   – internally motivated and capable  of self-regulation

Developmental Considerations  (older adults)

Assess for perceptual impairments

– Visual

– Auditory

– Memory

– Longer reaction times

– Generational learning differences

Learning Styles

 Visual

 Auditory

 Tactile

 Combination

 Concrete Versus Abstract

 Active Versus Reflective

 Right Versus Left Brain

 Multiple Intelligences - Verbal, Logical, Visual, Body, Musical, Inter or Intrapersonal

Principles of teaching-learning

Communication is important

Thorough  assessment of pt. learning needs  and factors affecting their learning

Include pt. in planning

Use varied teaching strategies

Utilize patient’s previous life experiences

Utilize nursing process

Barriers to Learning 

Language

Cognitive level

Lack of interest

Cultural differences

Literacy

Health

Stress

Utilizing Nursing Process

Assessment:

 Readiness to learn

 Ability to learn

 Learning strengths

 What do they know  already???

 Do they WANT to  LEARN?

Analysis:

 Knowledge deficit

Planning:

 Who, what, when, where & how. Determine whether cognitive,  psychomotor, or affective goal.  Write with an “action verb”

 Get Client Commitment

Implementation:

 Include written, visual and tactile materials 

 Select strategy and methods:  Content – Sequence – Timing  Demonstration?Discussion?Role Play

Evaluation:

 Has pt. Learned/goal met? Return Demo

4. Counselor

Assist and guide  pt. in solving problems or making decisions 

Utilize the  interpersonal (helping) relationship

Nurse doesn’t tell pt  how to solve the  problem Guides pt to decisions (self-determination)

Utilize the nursing  process

“Could you just listen”

Manager

Plans

Organizes

Directs

Controls

Delegates

Management Process

Planning-Identify needs, dev. goals

Organizing - Identify resources to meet goals

Directing - leading others in reaching goals

Control - monitoring ongoing evaluations

Delegates

5. Delegation

The five rights of delegation -

– Right task

– Right person

– Right circumstances

– Right communication

– Right feedback

Nurse who delegates maintains accountability

Only the task is delegated NOT the accountability

Who can you delegate tasks to?

6. Managers and Leaders

Managers

Administrators 

Relies on control

Short term plans

Eye on bottom line

Leaders

Innovators

Inspires trust

Long term plans

Eye on the horizon

Does the right thing

Have visions to energize others

Motivates others to achieve goals

Encourages others to do their best

Works collaboratively

Have wider variety of roles then  managers

Leadership Skills

 Cognitive Knowledgable

 Interpersonal  Genuine  Inspires trust

 Ethical/legal  Integrity always

 Communication  Open

 Problem solving Critical thinker; Out of the box  Flexible

 Management  eOrganized

 Self-evaluation Reflects, adapts, changs

Characteristics of Great  Leaders

Intelligence-knowledge, judgment & decisiveness

Personality- confidence, creativity,  adaptability, integrity & independent

Abilities - enlist cooperation,  diplomacy, social participation &  interpersonal skills

A great leader cannot be appointed!

Leadership Styles

Autocratic - leader has complete control of group

Democratic - shared leadership between leader and group

Laissez-Faire- leader  gives group control

Transformational - charismatic leader creates change by empowering group

Situational  – leader changes style to fit situation

7. Team Player

Nurses are part of a team

Don’t  work in isolation

Who are the other team members?

What does being a team player  mean?

8. Motivator

Motivation - Internal impulse that  allows one to take action or change  behaviors.

Nurses motivate patients to make  changes by: having a positive attitude,  listening to patient needs, encouraging,  rewarding, and devoting time and  energy to assist with changes.

Critical Thinker

A way of looking at problems other than the obvious

“ Thinking outside the box”

Looking at the big picture

Question why something is being done

Ask, “what if…..”

Open to new ideas

Innovator

Takes action to make things happen

Initiates change

Sees a problem and looks for solutions. Instead of, “Oh well, there’s nothing  that can be done about it” the innovator will be proactive.

9. Researcher

Collect data to improve nursing  practice

Provides  info for evidenced-based  practice

Studies are done on nursing practice, education & administration

Provides  professionalism to nursing

10. Advocate

Protect and support the pt.

Patient representative for ALL pt.

Assertiveness

Promote self determination