Acute Care Nurses

<ul><li>Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.</li><li>Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.</li><li>Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.</li><li>Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.</li><li>Assess urgent and emergent health conditions, using both physiologically and technologically derived data.</li><li>Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.</li><li>Assess the impact of illnesses or injuries on patients' health, function, growth, development, nutrition, sleep, rest, quality of life, or family, social and educational relationships.</li><li>Interpret information obtained from electrocardiograms (EKGs) or radiographs (x-rays).</li><li>Obtain specimens or samples for laboratory work.</li><li>Refer patients for specialty consultations or treatments.</li><li>Collaborate with patients to plan for future health care needs or to coordinate transitions and referrals.</li><li>Set up, operate, or monitor invasive equipment and devices, such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines.</li><li>Distinguish between normal and abnormal developmental and age-related physiological and behavioral changes in acute, critical, and chronic illness.</li><li>Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members.</li><li>Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments.</li><li>Assess the needs of patients' family members or caregivers.</li><li>Perform administrative duties that facilitate admission, transfer, or discharge of patients.</li><li>Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in acute care.</li><li>Provide formal and informal education to other staff members.</li><li>Treat wounds or superficial lacerations.</li><li>Participate in patients' care meetings and conferences.</li><li>Participate in the development of practice protocols.</li></ul>