The Nurse's Role in Week One

Valeria Mendoza

Hello there, and welcome to the very first episode of “ron”—our little haven for early nursing students or, honestly, anyone who’s curious about what a nurse actually does beyond the scrubs and stethoscope. I’m your host, and I’ll be with you each week as we pick apart the art and science of this remarkable profession. So, what does it really mean to be a nurse? I think sometimes we all start out picturing a nurse as someone who gives out medications and takes blood pressure, but it's so much more involved than that. The role is actually a blend—a true integration—of both art and science, and I’d even argue heart as well.

Valeria Mendoza

If you look at how the American Nurses Association defines it, nursing focuses not just on treating illness, but on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health, the alleviation of suffering, and—importantly—advocacy for people, families, and whole communities. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Then you’ve got the World Health Organization reminding us that health is not merely the absence of disease. It’s about a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. That bit really struck me the first time I heard it—physical, mental, and social. Our job as nurses is not just to patch people up and send them on their way. It's about supporting them—in whatever sense they need.

Valeria Mendoza

Let me give you a more concrete example. When I was working in hospice, I remember a gentleman who had very advanced cancer. If you looked at things strictly from a medical perspective, the aim was symptom management, pain relief, comfort measures—the basics. But part of my role, and honestly the part that brought the most meaning, was in sitting with his family, helping them voice their fears, or facilitating a video call with distant loved ones. One evening, I just listened to them reminisce about family holidays. That, I think, was as vital as adjusting his medication for pain. Because nursing is about seeing the whole person—not just a collection of vital signs or a disease to treat.

Valeria Mendoza

It’s funny, you start to realise fairly quickly that every interaction is a chance to meet needs that go far beyond what’s in the chart. So we’re fostering dignity, building trust, making sure people feel heard, and helping them meet whatever needs—be it food, safety, belonging, or even just a sense of normalcy during the hardest times. I still remember that. Funnily enough, helping someone feel connected or understood can sometimes do more than any medicine we administer. Right, let’s keep moving, because actually, all this ties right into how we work with our teams.

Valeria Mendoza

Now, if you’re new to nursing, you’ll quickly see that it’s never a one-person operation. There’s a whole cast involved—think of it like a theatre play, but with heart rates and hand hygiene. Every day, you work with unlicensed assistive personnel, or UAPs, licensed vocational nurses, or LVNs, and of course, your fellow registered nurses. Plus you’ve got respiratory therapists, physical therapists, environmental services—the list goes on. The magic is in knowing who does what, and how to match the right task with the right person.

Valeria Mendoza

I’ll admit, I still remember the first time I had to delegate anything as a brand new nurse—I was absolutely terrified. Genuinely, I spent way too long worrying I’d give the wrong job to the wrong person, or that I’d come across as bossy. But delegation is more than telling someone what to do. It’s about patient safety, resourcefulness, and being a bit strategic really.

Valeria Mendoza

Take the UAPs—they help with tasks that don’t need a nurse’s clinical judgment, like helping patients with bathing or gathering vital signs. LVNs are a step up; they can give medications and perform skills like wound care, as long as it’s within their training. The RN—well, that’s you, you’re managing the overall plan of care and making sure everything lines up safely. Ancillary staff—respiratory therapists, case managers, all of them—each has their piece of the puzzle. I always try to remember, just because something seems “basic” doesn’t mean it’s unimportant.

Valeria Mendoza

Now, before handing off any task, you want to go through the five rights of delegation. Right circumstance, right task, right person, right direction and communication, and right supervision. It’s quite a mouthful, isn't it? But it really boils down to: is this safe, is it clear, and is it within scope? One scenario I see a lot in exams and on the floor is giving meds—only the LVN or RN should do that. Assisting with basic ADLs? UAP is perfect for it.

Valeria Mendoza

I’d be lying if I said it’s always smooth. Sometimes barriers pop up—lack of experience, not having confidence in the team, poor staff coverage, unclear policies, that sort of thing. I’ve definitely micromanaged when I was overwhelmed or unsure, and it’s something a lot of new nurses fall into. But at the end of the day, our job is to keep patients safe and make sure care actually happens, not just worry ourselves into knots. If you’re ever in doubt, err on the side of patient safety—ask questions, clarify, and never just assume.

Valeria Mendoza

Which brings us neatly into how we talk with each other—and with other professionals—because without good communication, all the delegation in the world won’t keep people safe.

Valeria Mendoza

Let’s chat SBAR—a real staple in nursing now. That’s Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. You’ll use it all the time, whether you’re calling a physician about a new fever, or just updating a coworker at shift change. The goal is clarity, brevity, and—well—making sure what’s urgent gets addressed right away.

Valeria Mendoza

Let’s say you need to report that a patient’s potassium is rising, which, by the way, can be very dangerous, especially if they’ve got renal disease or they’re on certain meds like spironolactone. Imagine you’re calling Dr. Patel—“Hi Dr. Patel, this is Nurse Smith on telemetry, I’m calling about Mr. Holloway in Room 312. His potassium is now 6.1; he’s had CKD and was admitted for heart failure...” and so on. You go through the facts, give your assessment—like if he has symptoms or EKG changes—and then you make a clear request like, ‘Should we start treatment? Should we keep him on cardiac monitoring?’ That’s what makes your call actionable rather than just informational.

Valeria Mendoza

This tool, honestly, has saved me from more than a few communication mishaps. And it keeps the focus on what matters: the actual clinical picture. Which, speaking of, brings us around to AAPIE—the nursing process: Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation. Bit of a mouthful, but it’s the backbone of how we care for people and apply our clinical judgment.

Valeria Mendoza

So, let’s walk through a real scenario—imagine you’re looking at potassium trends. Day one, the lab says 4.5. Day two, 5.1... and now by day three, it’s 5.8. The patient’s got chronic kidney disease and is on spironolactone. What do you do first? Well, I’ll tell you what not to do: never ignore a rising potassium, and definitely don’t tell them to eat more bananas. The right thing is to notify the healthcare provider quickly, because high potassium could mean real trouble for the heart.

Valeria Mendoza

That’s why keen observation, clear communication, and rapid decision making genuinely matter. Clinical judgment isn’t just about noticing what’s abnormal—it’s thinking critically about what it means, what risks it presents, and doing something about it. I think we’ll spend loads more time on this as we go, but for today, just remember: ask good questions, trust what you see, and never be afraid to speak up for patient safety.

Valeria Mendoza

And that’s a wrap for our week one overview! I hope you’re feeling a bit less daunted and a bit more inspired. Nursing’s a lot, but you’re never in it alone. We’ll keep building on these skills together—every episode, every shift. Until next time, take care of yourselves and your patients.