The importance of nurses in healthcare cannot be overstated. Nurses contribute to patient care in several ways, such as by spending time with patients, fulfilling responsibilities, using their skills, wearing many hats, having high ethical standards and committing to lifelong learning.
The importance of nurses in healthcare cannot be overstated. They make it possible for patients to recover and move through challenging health situations. Let’s take a closer look at the role of nurses in healthcare and how they make a difference for patients.
If you feel called to become a nurse, you can earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in as few as 16 months through University of the Incarnate Word’s (UIW) Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track.
Why is a bachelor’s degree important when becoming a nurse? See nine benefits of a BSN in nursing.
1. Nurses Spend a Lot of Time with Patients
Because patients spend more time with their nurses than with doctors and many other healthcare professionals, nurses get to know their patients on a personal level and can notice small details and changes in their patients’ conditions. As a result, patients trust their nurses and feel comfortable sharing with them.
2. Nurses Have Great Responsibility
Today, nurses have higher levels of responsibility and independence and have become an integral part of the healthcare team. The role of nurses in healthcare includes more expansive outcomes such as improving the patient experience, reducing medical errors, lowering costs and decreasing hospital readmissions.
3. Patients Rely on Skilled Nurses
One of the foundational ways nurses show their importance of nurses in healthcare is by using their technical and patient-care skills to improve patient outcomes. Some of the better-known responsibilities of a nurse in today’s healthcare climate include:
- Performing physical assessments and reviewing patients’ medical histories.
- Promoting health and wellness through counseling and education.
- Administering medications, vaccines, treatments and other interventions.
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4. Nurses Wear Many Hats
Within the healthcare environment, nurses fulfill many roles and contribute to patient care in several ways. This multi-faceted contribution makes the importance of nurses in healthcare all the more apparent. Nurses provide these functions within healthcare:
- Coordinator
- Holistic Healer
- Teacher
- Specialist
- Researcher
- Preventer
5. Nurses Have High Ethical Standards
Nurses’ ethical responsibilities govern their interaction with patients and colleagues, placing a high value on the principles of justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, accountability and autonomy. This is why they are considered the most trusted profession in the U.S. for over 20 years running, according to the latest Gallup poll.
6. Nurses Continuously Improve
Nurses are committed to lifelong learning. They are responsible for maintaining professional competence by staying up to date on developments in their field. Experienced nurses can then teach these lessons to the next generation of nurses.
Becoming a Nurse: Start Where You Are
Now that you’re familiar with the importance of nurses in healthcare, you might be curious about what it takes to become a registered nurse (RN). UIW’s Accelerated BSN track allows those who have already completed a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 non-nursing college credits to earn a BSN in as few as 16 months.
If you’d like to know more about the requirements and benefits of the ABSN track at UIW, reach out to us today. An admissions advisor will contact you directly.