Registered Nurse (RN)

Tasks

• Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.

• Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.

• Record patients' medical information and vital signs.

• Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.

• Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.

• Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.

• Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.

• Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.

• Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.

• Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.

• Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.

• Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.

• Refer students or patients to specialized health resources or community agencies furnishing assistance.

• Consult with institutions or associations regarding issues or concerns relevant to the practice and profession of nursing.

• Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.

• Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.

• Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.

• Hand items to surgeons during operations.

• Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.

• Conduct specified laboratory tests.

• Direct or coordinate infection control programs, advising or consulting with specified personnel about necessary precautions.

• Engage in research activities related to nursing.

• Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices, or other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, inhalation therapy, or related therapeutic procedures.

• Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.

• Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.

• Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.

• Provide or arrange for training or instruction of auxiliary personnel or students.

• Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.

Skills

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.