The role of the Registered Nurse (RN) is to provide health care to individuals, families, and communities. They provide services designed to promote health, prevent illness, and achieve optimal recovery from or adaptation to health problems.
What does a Registered Nurse do?
- Assessment: helps identify the patient and family’s health status and needs: physical, emotional, and psychological
- Diagnosis: develops an individual plan of care for patients to manage pain, improve function, maximize independence, provide education, strengthen coping strategies, and improve access to community resources
- Outcomes identification: assures that treatment goals are being met
- Planning; serves as a case manager to coordinate various aspects of care and may be involved in program planning for rheumatic diseases at a local and national level for rheumatic diseases
- Implementation: administers, monitors, and educates about medications/therapies. Provides health teaching and health promotion and is an advocate for the patient and family with the health care facility, the community, and legislative arena
- Conducts research to promote evidence-based practice
Where does a Registered Nurse work?
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Home health
- Nursing homes
What kind of training does a Registered Nurse have?
- Hospital-based program with a diploma in nursing
- Two-year community college education with an associate degree in nursing
- Four-year college education with a bachelor’s degree in nursing
- All registered nurses are licensed in the state they practice
- The rheumatology RN has specialized and knowledge and expertise in the care of persons with rheumatic diseases
This information is provided for general education only. Individuals should consult a qualified health care provider for professional medical advice, diagnoses and treatment of a medical or health condition.