Roles and Responsibilities of a Newly Qualified Nurse. Professional Essay

Roles and Responsibilities of a Newly Qualified Nurse. Professional Role Development - Essay Example This statistic demonstrates the importance of professional role adaptation, growth and development, as well as the significance of knowledge in the roles and responsibilities of a newly trained and qualified nurse. The school-bred values should reconcile with the ‘real world’ values of nursing practice. This is crucial in mitigating discrepancies that may occur when the new graduates take up their roles in healthcare service delivery (Duchscher 2008, p.3). Knowledge on roles and responsibilities is crucial in the pre-empting of role ambiguity and resultant job dissatisfaction and career disillusionment that may arise. The consolidation of the attained knowledge and skills is essential in availing a smooth transition from student to a professional practitioner. For a newly qualified nurse, the core concerns lie in care delivery and management as well as personal and professional development (Burton and Ormrod 2007, p.2). Critical Discussion The fields of practice that new ly qualified nurses can specialize in are diverse and may incorporate acute care of the elderly, coronary and palliative care, mental health nursing, or substance abuse. The roles of a nurse span from being caregivers to counsellors. They also advocate for the client and are change agents in the sense of modifying the client’s lifestyle in a healthier pattern. The primary role of a nurse is provision of proper care and protection to the patients to safeguard their health and wellbeing (Duchscher 2008, p. 5). Nurses’ roles include providing proper health and social care in a safe and valuable manner to patients (Burton and Ormrod 2007, p. 3). In addition, nurses should also respond to patient’s needs and deliver care within their context such as drug administration and infection control. Nurses also provide knowledge and support to patients and monitor vital signs of patients. Newly qualified nurses have a responsibility of maintaining the set standards of care a s well as conform to the set ethical and legal decisions. The transition into the nursing profession, especially the initial adjustment is usually marred by feelings of anxiety, insecurity, inadequacy, and instability. This revolves around the newly trained and qualified nurse’s roles, responsibilities, relationships, and knowledge (Burton and Ormrod 2007, p.4). Transition shock is occasioned by the fact that new graduates are confronted by a wide range and scope of physical, intellectual, emotional, developmental, and sociocultural changes as they take up their fresh roles. The newly trained and qualified nurses must, therefore, institute mechanisms that shape readiness for the new roles. Preparedness and reinforcement in role transition is essential in order to reconcile the associated intensity and duration of the transition experience. Newly trained and qualified nurses should be ready for the escalating workplace expectations. A newly trained nurse should be competent in handling the new roles. The essence of having prior knowledge of the profession and workplace expectations is outstanding as it bridges the transition shock. Knowledge on role transition is crucial in constructing successful integration of nursing professionals into the potentially stressful and highly dynamic context of professional practice. This calls for a better