In this article, we’re talking about nurses in doctors or physician offices. Specifically, we’re going to be looking at the role nurses play in a doctor’s office.
To start with we’re going to answer the question, do nurses work in doctor’s offices?
Yes, nurses do work on doctor’s offices. Many primary care or physician offices will typically hire nursing staff to handle high-level critical thinking activities that would be above what would be expected for an unlicensed hospital staff.
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The Role of the Nurse in a Doctor’s Office
When you go to a doctor’s appointment, nurses are often the first medical professionals you encounter.
So, it’s important that we learn about the role they play and how they impact our lives.
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Nurses Display a Varied Skill Set
Not everyone can be a nurse. It takes a special type of person to do this critical job.
Nurses need to be intelligent and able to adapt to various situations that may arise throughout their workday.
Great nurses are detail-oriented, carefully monitoring, and evaluating any patient in his or her care.
They must also demonstrate emotional intelligence. In other words, they must show compassion and tact when dealing with sensitive and stressful situations.
A typical day may find a nurse comforting a patient who recently received a serious diagnosis or speaking with a family about the medical treatment for a sick loved one.
Each day is different, and nurses need to be ready for any scenario they face.
Nurses Administer Medication
When a doctor prescribes medication for patients, it’s often the nurse that administers it.
The nurse will also answer any questions the patients may have. Typically, doctors don’t have the time to answer all the questions a patient may have. So, whenever the doctor moves on to the next patient, it’s up to the nurse to fill in the gap.
Some of the questions you’ll see nurses answer could be explaining why the doctor prescribed the medication and any potential side effects. Or maybe it’s how long the patient has to take the medication.
Regardless of the question, the nurse’s knowledgeable explanations can help erase any fears patients may have concerning the medication they are about to take or the treatment they’re about to have.
Nurses Provide Health Information to Patients
As educated medical professionals, nurses play a huge role in preventative health care, educating patients with information that helps them be as healthy as possible.
For example, nurses provide information about a wide range of health topics, including the importance of exercise and good nutrition.
Nurses will counsel patients on healthy lifestyle choices that prevent a host of diseases and medical conditions.
Nurses Perform Other Important Tasks
Nurses do more than show compassion, administer medication, and provide health information.
Those who work in a doctor’s office tackle even more tasks throughout the day. Just to name a few, they…
- Check vital signs.
- Supervise nursing assistants and other unlicensed hospital staff.
- Draw blood.
- Perform diagnostic tests.
- Collaborate with other healthcare providers.
- Contact patients with messages from the doctor.
- They keep accurate records as they talk to patients about their medical histories and relay this critical information to the physician. As a result, the doctor receives a more accurate picture of the patient’s symptoms and health concerns.
The duties of a nurse go on and on.
So it goes without saying that nurses need to be good listeners as well as good communicators.
Final Thoughts
Nursing is a marriage of art and science. A good nurse shows compassion toward patients while still providing them with expert medical care.
In fact, nurses are critical members of a healthcare team, and we should appreciate their tireless efforts to assist doctors in the goal of cultivating a healthier community.
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