Profession nurse responsible for general care

Nurses responsible for general care are in charge of promoting and restoring patients` health by providing physical and psychological support to patients, friends, and families. They also supervise assigned team members.

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Personality Type

• Social / Investigative

Knowledge

• Nursing science

  The factors that influence human health and the therapeutic interventions that promote health with the purpose to improve individual`s mental and physical health.

• Palliative care

  The methods of pain relief and quality of life improvement for the patients with serious illnesses.

• Primary care

  The regular, routine medical care provided to patients, usually performed by a physician or a nurse, that leads to a decision on the following course of action required to solve the health problem of the patient.

• Evidence-based nursing care

  The nursing principles that require to apply quality decision-making and nursing care based on proven clinical expertise as well as the most recent research developments in the field.

• Paediatrics

  Paediatrics is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

• Patient autonomy

  The patient`s safety, autonomy and rights to make the decisions about whether to follow a prescribed treatment or not.

• Psychiatry

  Psychiatry is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

• General medicine

  General medicine is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

• Hygiene in a health care setting

  The procedures related to maintaining a hygienic environment within a health care setting such as hospitals and clinics. It can range from hand washing to cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment used and infection control methods.

• Human anatomy

  The dynamic relationship of human structure and function and the muscosceletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, integumentary and nervous systems; normal and altered anatomy and physiology throughout the human lifespan.

• Innovation in nursing

  The methods and tools used to bring about innovative changes and quality improvement in the nursing field.

• Pharmacology

  Pharmacology is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

• Dietetics

  The human nutrition and dietary modification for optimising health in clinical or other environments. The role of nutrition in promoting health and preventing illness across the life spectrum.

• Adolescence medicine

  Topics related to the adolescent period of development such as sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancy, contraception, substance abuse, menstrual disorders, acnee, eating disorders.

• Biological chemistry

  Biological chemistry is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

• Scientific research methodology

  The theoretical methodology used in scientific research involving doing background research, constructing an hypothesis, testing it, analysing data and concluding the results.

• Surgery

  The essential procedures in surgical practice such as the principle of safe surgery, the pathophysiology of wound healing, knot tying, tissue handling, retraction and any other instruments and procedures used in the operating room.

• Safe management of medicines

  The methods and principles required to handle, store and prescribe medication with the aim of improving the safety and quality of medication usage.

• Person centred care

  The person centered care approach involves treating patients as equal partners in the planning and developing of care, patients and their needs being at the core of all decisions.

• Pedagogy

  The discipline that concerns the theory and practice of education including the various instructional methods for educating individuals or groups.

• Health care legislation

  The patients` rights and responsibilities of health practitioners and the possible repercussions and prosecutions in relation to medical treatment negligence or malpractice.

• Psychology

  The human behaviour and performance with individual differences in ability, personality, interests, learning, and motivation.

• Public health

  The principles of health and sickness affecting the population, including the means for health promotion and prevention and community and primary care.

• Nursing principles

  The ethics, the codes of conduct, the philosophy of nursing, the philosophy of human rights and nursing theories and concepts.

• Geriatrics

  Geriatrics is a medical specialty mentioned in the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

• Resuscitation

  The emergency procedure applied to individuals with no pulse to restore them to consciousness.

• Leadership in nursing

  The management and leadership principles and methods applied in nursing care, such as recognising and rewarding success to motivate nursing staff.

• Pathology

  The components of a disease, the cause, mechanisms of development, morphologic changes, and the clinical consequences of those changes.

• Citizen involvement in healthcare

  The means and methods required to raise the participatory levels of the population in healthcare matters and strenghten their involvement.

• Impact of social contexts on health

  The social and cultural contexts of individuals` behaviours, and the impact on their health within their social and cultural context.

• Sociology

  The group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

• Human physiology

  The science that studies the human organs and its interactions and mechanisms.

• Acute care

  The type of care administered to patients for a brief and critical sequence of illness such as trauma or recovery from surgery.

• Infection control

  The routes of transmission and methods of preventing spread of common and important infecting organisms together with the methods available for sterilisation and disinfection of pathogenic organisms in the prevention of infection.

• Newborn care

  The procedures required to take care of newborn infants immediately after their birth up to 28 days (WHO).

• First aid

  The emergency treatment given to a sick or injured person in the case of circulatory and/or respiratory failure, unconsciousness, wounds, bleeding, shock or poisoning.

• Disability care

  The specific methods and practices used in providing care to people with physical, intellectual and learning disabilities.

Skills

• Accept own accountability

  Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.

• Participate in health personnel training

  Participate in the practical training of health personnel on the basis of the knowledge and skills acquired.

• Provide nursing advice on healthcare

  Give advice to, instruct and support persons needing nursing care and their attachment figures.

• Develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship

  Develop a mutually collaborative therapeutic relationship during treatment, fostering and gaining healthcare users' trust and cooperation.

• Provide professional care in nursing

  Provide professional care, adequate to the health and nursing care needs of the individuals, families and groups, taking into account the scientific developments, as well as the quality and safety requirements established in accordance with the legal/professional conduct regulations.

• Work in multidisciplinary health teams

  Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare related professions.

• Communicate effectively in healthcare

  Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.

• Promote human rights

  Promote and respect human rights and diversity in light of the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of autonomous individuals, taking into account their opinions, beliefs and values, and the international and national codes of ethics, as well as the ethical implications of healthcare provision, ensuring their right to privacy and honouring for the confidentiality of healthcare information.

• Adapt leadership styles in healthcare

  Adapt leadership styles and approaches to different situations concerning nursing clinical practice and healthcare.

• Implement nursing care

  Implement nursing care when treating patients in order to improve professional practice.

• Manage personal professional development

  Take responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional development based on reflection about own practice and through contact with peers and stakeholders.

• Use e-health and mobile health technologies

  Use mobile health technologies and e-health (online applications and services) in order to enhance the provided healthcare.

• Deal with emergency care situations

  Assess the signs and be well-prepared for a situation that poses an immediate threat to a person's health, security, property or environment.  

• Apply health sciences

  Apply a broad range of bio-medical, psycho-social, organisational, educational, and societal aspects of health, disease, and healthcare to improve healthcare services and to improve quality of life.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Contribute to continuity of health care

  Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.

• Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice

  Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.

• Empower individuals, families and groups

  Empower individuals, families and groups towards healthy lifestyles and self-care.

• Ensure safety of healthcare users

  Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

• Provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health

  Identify possible treatment protocols for the challenges to human health within a given community in cases such as infectious diseases of high consequences at the global level.

• Implement scientific decision making in healthcare

  Implement scientific findings for evidence-based practice, integrating research evidence into decision making by forming a focused clinical question in response to a recognised information need, searching for the most appropriate evidence to meet that need, critically appraising the retrieved evidence, incorporating the evidence into a strategy for action, and evaluating the effects of any decisions and actions taken.

• Educate on the prevention of illness

  Offer evidence-based advice on how to avoid ill health, educate and advise individuals and their carers on how to prevent ill health and/or be able to advise how to improve their environment and health conditions. Provide advice on the identification of risks leading to ill health and help to increase the patients' resilience by targeting prevention and early intervention strategies.

• Evaluate nursing care

  Evaluate nursing care assessing mechanisms and processes for continuous quality improvement in nursing care, considering the scientific, technical and ethical development.

• Listen actively

  Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Promote inclusion

  Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.

• Apply person-centred care

  Treat individuals as partners in planning, developing and assessing care, to make sure it is appropriate for their needs. Put them and their caregivers at the heart of all decisions.

• Delegate activities

  Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.

• Interact with healthcare users

  Communicate with clients and their carer’s, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguarding confidentiality.

• Manage information in health care

  Retrieve, apply and share information among patients and healthcare professionals and across healthcare facilities and community.

• Comply with legislation related to health care

  Comply with the regional and national legislation that is relevant to one`s work and apply it in practice.

• Work in a multicultural environment in health care

  Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.

• Empathise with the healthcare user

  Understand the background of clients` and patients’ symptoms, difficulties and behaviour. Be empathetic about their issues; showing respect and reinforcing their autonomy, self-esteem and independence. Demonstrate a concern for their welfare and handle according to the personal boundaries, sensitivities, cultural differences and preferences of the client and patient in mind.

• Plan nursing care

  Plan care, defining nursing objectives, deciding on nursing measures to be taken, paying attention to health education and preventative measures and ensuring continuity and fullness of care.

• Respond to changing situations in health care

  Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.

• Address problems critically

  Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various abstract, rational concepts, such as issues, opinions, and approaches related to a specific problematic situation in order to formulate solutions and alternative methods of tackling the situation.

• Inform policy makers on health-related challenges

  Provide useful information related to health care professions to ensure policy decisions are made in the benefit of communities.

• Apply nursing care in long-term care

  Enable the promotion and the development of nursing care in long term care, co-morbidity and in situations of dependency in order to maintain individuals’ personal autonomy and relationships with the environment in each moment of the health/illness process.

• Analyse the care quality

  Analyse the quality of care in order to improve the own professional practice as a general care nurse.

• Apply sustainability principles in health care

  Take into account the sustainability principles in healthcare and strive for the rational use of resources.

• Diagnose nursing care

  A judgment based on a comprehensive nursing assessment. 

• Promote a positive image of nursing

  Present and preserve a positive image of nursing in specific environments of the healthcare and educational spectra.

• Advise on healthcare users' informed consent

  Ensure patients/clients are fully informed about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments so they can give informed consent, engaging patients/clients in the process of their care and treatment.

• Follow clinical guidelines

  Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.

• Have computer literacy

  Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.

• Provide health education

  Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.

• Initiate life preserving measures

  Initiate life-preserving actions by taking measures in crises and disaster situations.

• Advise on healthy lifestyles

  Promote healthy lifestyles, preventive measures and self-care by strengthening empowerment, promoting health and enhancing behaviours and therapeutic compliance, providing patients with the adequate information in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments, medication and nursing care.

• Apply organisational techniques

  Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.

• Coordinate care

  Coordinate care for patient groups, being able to manage a number of patients within a given amount of time and provide optimum health services.

• Apply context specific clinical competences

  Apply professional and evidence based assessment, goal setting, delivery of intervention and evaluation of clients, taking into account the developmental and contextual history of the clients, within one`s own scope of practice.

• Solve problems in healthcare

  Carry out actions, by previously identifying and analysing problems, that facilitate seeking the most beneficial solution for the patient, the family and the community, reaching objectives, improving outcomes and keeping the quality of their work.

• Implement fundamentals of nursing

  Implement the nursing theoretical and methodological fundamentals and principles, basic nursing interventions on scientific evidence and the resources available.

• Use electronic health records in nursing

  Use electronic health records to document nursing assessment, diagnosis, interventions and outcomes based on comparable nursing classification systems and nursing taxonomy.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB