Changing Role Of The Nurse And Nurse Practitioner

In the 1800s, nurses made beds, changed dressings

, washed and fed patients.

In the 21st century, the role of nursing in medical care has changed dramatically and will continue to change in the future. It is expanding and has become more complex.

Because of the tremendous advances in medical knowledge and the complexity of healthcare today, nurses need to have much more training and education to handle their responsibilities. Healthcare is shifting more from a hospital-based model to primary and preventive care. So nurses now need to be able to do their job in different kinds of environments, in and out of hospitals. They need to be able to work more independently in managing their cases, making decisions, supervising other medical personnel, helping patients through the labyrinth of healthcare resources, and educating patients about treatment and living healthy lifestyles.

There is more emphasis on the nurse's role in primary healthcare in the community, in promoting healthy lifestyles and in coordinating care in a cost-effective way.

The work of a nurse has expanded to now include more of a managerial and leadership role. Nurses today need to have greater knowledge about promoting good health, preventing disease and reducing health risks as they move more toward this community-based primary care work.

Because of these changes in healthcare, the role of the nurse practitioner is changing as well.

As more and more care is being shifted to outpatient visits, nurse practitioners are handling more acute and chronic cases outside of the hospital. Also, there are some healthcare facilities where nurse practitioners now are admitting patients to hospitals and managing their care. With fewer primary care physicians available, the role of acute care nurse practitioners has expanded a great deal. In some cardiology practices, for example, acute care nurse practitioners manage acute myocardial infarctions and hypertensive crises, and also focus on lifestyle changes made by patients to reduce the risk factors for heart disease.

The role of the nurse practitioner is evolving as the needs of society and healthcare change. Nurse practitioners now have the opportunity to become a major part of healthcare delivery. They play a number of roles in the healthcare arena, including healthcare provider, mentor to other professionals, educator to consumers, researcher, and administrator. Because of these vital roles, nurse practitioners also will more and more have a greater influence on public policy related to healthcare. They will play an important role in expanding and designing primary care services in the United States, and they will be an important model for other countries to emulate as they confront the shortcomings in their own healthcare systems.

by: Jean Henshaw

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