The Nurse in the Modern Hospital

Abstract

In the modern hospital, the nurse is an essential member of the healthcare team, collaborating to facilitate care and advocating for the patient and family. The nurse uses professional knowledge and skills to provide direct care and to protect the patient from harm. The nurse is uniquely placed in the healthcare system to identify and promote opportunities for patient- and family-centered care and to efficiently coordinate care. Nurses play a key role in assuring that patients and families have the knowledge and skills needed for safe transitions of care with individualized, evidence-based teaching strategies. Specialized roles, including advanced practice registered nurses, provide advancement opportunities to individuals and support both team and institutional goals while keeping expertise close to the bedside. Nurses at all levels practice holistically and scientifically, using evidence-based strategies to improve care. The chief nursing officer uses transformational leadership to create an organizational culture of excellence. Effective interpersonal communication and interprofessional collaboration ensure patient safety and engage nurses in highly performing teams. Changes in healthcare delivery, changing patient care needs, and new technology require innovative nursing approaches and lifelong learning. The quality of nursing care in the modern hospital is measured in the outcomes of care and institutional achievement of strategic goals, through nurse-sensitive quality indicators and through awards for excellence such as the Magnet® Recognition Program.