NURSING CAREER

The qualities and duties of a good nurse

Nursing is the art of caring for any person who is sick, so that the nurse may derive the maximum
benefit from the treatments ordered by the doctor. This care includes both the mental and physical
welfare of the patient. Patients who are actually ill will usually be transferred to the hospital,
where they can receive the expert care of trained nurses and where the equipment of modern science
is available for their treatment.

Nursing is carried out under the supervision of a doctor and involves strict obedience to all his
instructions. As a career, nursing makes physical and psychological demands on the person and can
be stressful and exhausting at times. But it is also an exciting and responsible job that provides
the opportunity to help others and save people’s lives.

The most important qualities of a good nurse are:

1. Patience, sympathy and understanding, in order to be able to help a patient in his adjustment to
the pain, frustration and limitation his illness. She must exercise tact in her relationship with
the patient and his relatives, and must show tolerance to their likes and dislikes.

2. Gentleness and willingness in the carrying out all nursing duties however trivial, exercising
self-control and remaining calm and gracious at all times.

3. Reliability. All the instructions given must be carried out correctly and conscientiously, and
she must always observe complete honesty in deed and word.

4. Resourcefulness, so that she may act immediately in emergency using her common sense to protect
the patient from harm.

5. Power in observation, so that she may report accurately any changes in the patient’s
requirements immediately.

The duties of a nurse are: to the patient, to the doctor and to herself.

Duty to the Patient

The most important duties to the patient result from what was written above. The nurse - patient
relationship must be one of absolute trust, and the nurse must do everything in her power to
relieve patient’s pain, to support his comfort, to allay his fear and to help him recover. She must
take care of his rest, adequate sleep, toilet, food and diet and his cleanliness. After the acute
stage of the illness some form of activity is desirable to keep the patient happy and interested,
as boredom retards recovery.

Duty to the Doctor

The nurse must observe absolute obedience to the doctor, carrying out his instructions correctly in
every detail. To do this, she must understand the instructions given to her, and should never
hesitate to ask for an explanation when an order is not clearly understood. A mistake on her part
may have disastrous consequences to the patient. She must keep an accurate report of all treatments
given and all changes occurring.

A brief written report avoids the risk of omission and it should include:

a) The temperature, pulse and respiration,

b) Any action of the bowel, nature and composition of the stool,

c) Type and amount of urine passed,

d) Amount and type of sleep,

e) Appetite and type of food taken,

f) Any complaints of pain and the steps taken to relieve it,

 g) Any vomiting that has occurred and the nature of amount and material vomited,

h) Any cough and the nature of sputum coughed up,

i) Any medicines given,

j) A chart of fluid intake and fluid output is often required.

Duty to Herself

 All the factors influencing the patient’s health apply to the nurse as well and she must be wise
in observing the rules of personal hygiene in order to maintain the maximum efficiency. The chief
rules are:

a) Cleanliness,

b) Professional appearance - uniform, hair, appropriate cosmetics,

c) Health food or diet,

d) Avoiding harmful substances - drugs, alcohol, tobacco,

 e) Rest and exercise,

 f) Self-discipline.