Nursing Specialization and Duties

A nurse is a specialist with a specialized medical education who helps a doctor, provides first-aid medical care, and performs many tasks for the needs of a medical institution.

Nursing specializations

Nursing has many different specializations:

  • The chief nurse monitors the work of all nurses, fulfills applications for the purchase of medications, dressings, other medical supplies. It also draws up a schedule of nurse duty, monitors the hospital’s material and technical equipment.
  • The head nurse helps the head of the department, is responsible for the order.
  • The nurse assistant cares for patients, follows the instructions of senior colleagues.
  • The desk nurse is responsible for the implementation of the doctor’s appointments, controls the administration of drugs, relatives’ visits.
  • The ward nurse monitors the condition of patients in the wards of conventional and intensive care, is responsible for maintaining bed rest, diet, measures blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate.
  • The treatment nurse works in the treatment room, makes injections, droppers, medical procedures prescribed by a doctor (nebulizer, aspirator), collects tests and passes them to the laboratory.
  • The scrub nurse helps the surgeon before, during and after the operation: prepares the instruments, assists during the surgical intervention, recounts the instruments and dressings used during the operation.
  • The surgical ward assistant works in the surgical department, in the dressing room, makes dressings, removes stitches, assists the surgeon with minor surgical interventions (opening a boil, catheter placement, drainage).
  • The laboratory nurse takes the biological material and performs the manipulations as directed by the doctor.
  • The patronage nurse monitors the condition of the newborn after being discharged from the maternity hospital, monitors compliance with the schedule of vaccinations and examinations of the baby by specialists.
  • The gerontological nurse practitioner works in a nursing home, in the gerontological department of a medical organization, helps older people maintain their health, and fulfills the doctor’s recommendations.
  • The school nurse monitors the condition of children, provides them access to classes after a previous disease, conducts tempering measures, preventive examinations, performs vaccinations and medical tests, appoints quarantine in case of infections, gives a medical exemption from physical education or sports competitions.

Responsibilities and duties

The main duties of a nurse are as follows:

  • first aid medical care;
  • patient care;
  • assistance to doctors, sterilization of instruments;
  • the collection of biological material for research;
  • execution of medical appointments;
  • management of nursing staff;
  • disposal of medical waste;
  • records management.