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Nursing roles and responsibilities

Whether you decide to become a paediatric, ICU or a registered nurse, your workday may involve these nursing roles and responsibilities:

Nursing roles

Depending upon your education and experience, you can have different roles and work in a variety of environments, including:

• Hospitals: the kind of work you do in a hospital largely depends upon your specialisation. For example, a cardiac nurse works in the cardiology department and may perform stress test and monitor heart-related vital signs.

• Physician’s clinics: in such a work environment, your job will be to help physicians by processing lab tests, assisting in minor procedures, administering medicines and vaccinations and maintaining patient records. Such a role is usually a nine-to-five job.

• Outpatient medical facility: in this type of work, you are responsible for changing dressings, monitoring vital signs and administering medicines. You also supply the required surgical tools and equipment to doctors during medical check-ups and minor surgeries.

• Rehabilitation facilities: in rehabilitation centres, you will primarily take care of people recovering from injuries and chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. You may also need to provide patients with physical therapy to help improve their mobility and flexibility, reduce pain and increase strength.

• Home setting: in this setting, you travel to a patient’s home to administer medicines, monitor their progress and check their vital signs. Usually, senior citizens and people with disabilities hire you for nursing services at home.