WHAT DOES A NURSING DO?

Published: Dec 05, 2025 - The Nursing Professional delivers high-quality patient care by performing clinical assessments, administering treatments, and supporting individuals through every stage of the healthcare process. This position involves coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, maintaining accurate medical documentation, and ensuring compliance with safety and infection-control standards. The individual also educates patients and families, promotes preventive health practices, and adapts quickly to diverse medical environments to enhance overall patient outcomes.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Nursing

1. Certified Nursing Assistant Key Accountabilities

  • Core Values: Understand CareThrough’s and ScribeAmerica’s core values as outlined by the organization.
  • Documentation: Perform accurate documentation and reporting of all procedures in accordance with department policy.
  • Nursing Support: Participate in documenting a nursing history and report abnormalities to the supervising Registered Nurse.
  • Patient Assistance: Assist in the delivery of patient care as a team member by performing patient care tasks under the direction of a Registered Nurse.
  • Patient Care: Provide patient care appropriate to age, mobility, acuity, and culture.
  • Emergency Response: Function appropriately in clinical emergencies.
  • Safety Compliance: Follow CDC isolation guidelines, demonstrate appropriate use of PPE, perform handwashing according to policy, and enforce safety regulations.
  • Practice Improvement: Participate in practice changes as a result of performance improvement activities.
  • Quality Support: Support quality standards and initiatives set by the department.

2. Director of Nursing Duties and Roles

  • Patient Assignment: Assign patients for day-to-day management to nursing coordinators and/or Nursing Supervisors/Managers.
  • Communication: Maintain open lines of communication with families and physicians.
  • Referral Evaluation: Evaluate new referrals for admission with recommendations for nursing care.
  • Clinical Monitoring: Monitor the clinical status of all patients and ensure coordination of patient care.
  • Quality Oversight: Monitor patient care to ensure quality and appropriateness of services.
  • Staffing Review: Monitor staffing patterns of all patients.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with the Nurse Practice Act.
  • Staff Supervision: Evaluate and supervise staff based on mutually agreed-upon goals in job descriptions.
  • Policy Updates: Ensure that RN supervisors and clinical care managers are aware of any updated policies and procedures.
  • Nurse Support: Support and assist in registry nurse hiring, orientation, and education PRN.

3. Nursing Faculty Overview

  • Teaching Facilitation: Facilitate effective student learning in the appropriate clinical and lab setting and via the online learning environment.
  • Student Guidance: Provide adequate guidance for students in the clinical and lab setting related to professionalism, practice, and research.
  • Practice Evaluation: Ensure effective evaluations of student practice.
  • Learning Environment: Provide a supportive learning environment.
  • Course Feedback: Provide feedback about the teaching and learning process to Course Coordinators when designated by administrators.
  • Progress Reporting: Provide feedback on progress to the DNS and ABSN Director.
  • Program Support: Assist in ensuring the program meets College-set standards, including persistence, retention, graduation, third-party examinations, and placement.
  • Professional Conduct: Maintain high standards of professionalism and accountability and model positive behaviors for students.
  • Collaboration: Work collaboratively with interdepartmental campus colleagues to ensure program students receive learner support to achieve success.
  • Class Attendance: Be on time and present each day, and conduct class for full class periods.
  • Instructional Support: Act as substitute instructor for academic colleagues.

4. Nursing Home Administrator Job Description

  • Financial Management: Manage financial performance and all business operations of the facility.
  • Quality Assurance: Develop and implement quality assurance plans established by the facility.
  • Financial Insight: Understand the driving factors of the facility's financial performance.
  • Staff Development: Promote the recruitment, retention, career development, and continuing education of staff.
  • Hiring Oversight: Interview, hire, and orient direct reports.
  • Productivity Monitoring: Monitor the productivity of direct reports and implement changes.
  • Record Compliance: Ensure maintenance of accurate medical records for billing, auditing, and regulatory compliance within appropriate approved guidelines.
  • Relationship Building: Establish effective working relationships with team members, residents, facility personnel, and the community.
  • Independent Action: Work and act independently while prioritizing, organizing, and facilitating team members toward effective solutions.
  • Facility Oversight: Provide direction and oversight for all aspects of the facility.
  • Service Leadership: Lead, direct, and manage services and support provided by the facility.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure facility operations are in accordance with current Federal, State, and local standards, guidelines, and regulations governing long-term care facilities.
  • Committee Participation: Fulfill committee responsibilities as a member of the Administrators Committee, Quality Assurance Committee, and Status Committee.

5. Nursing Manager Responsibilities

  • Staff Leadership: Provide leadership, direction, resources, and development opportunities to reporting staff.
  • Competency Management: Ensure reporting staff competencies are maintained through assessment, training, and education.
  • Performance Monitoring: Monitor, manage, and report on the performance of reporting staff.
  • Roster Oversight: Manage rostering, daily authorizing, leave, and overtime.
  • Patient Support: Provide patients with exceptional care and support, tailoring the coordination of treatment to meet individual needs.
  • Patient Communication: Deliver clear and concise information to patients.
  • Clinical Collaboration: Develop and maintain professional relationships with clinical staff.
  • Protocol Adherence: Follow established protocols and ensure the efficient and effective use of resources.
  • Donor Communication: Provide communication to prospective donors, recipients, surrogates, and commissioning couples.
  • Cycle Management: Manage donor cycles and liaise effectively with the Donor and Surrogacy team.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure regulatory compliance and communicate business objectives, policies, and procedures to the team.
  • Accurate Recording: Record actions accurately, completely, and without delay.
  • Issue Resolution: Solve day-to-day operational issues.
  • Mission Support: Support and adhere to the Company’s mission and principles.

6. Nursing Supervisor Additional Details

  • Nurse Supervision: Serve as direct supervisor for nurses at assigned locations.
  • Care Quality: Ensure that Help at Home delivers unsurpassed care.
  • Care Plan Oversight: Guide and implement care plans and oversee compliance.
  • Caregiver Supervision: Supervise highly trained, compassionate, and dependable caregivers.
  • Mission Support: Support Help at Home’s mission to enable the highest level of personal independence and meaningful lives for clients.
  • Staff Training: Train and develop caregivers and other front-line staff.
  • Workflow Management: Assess the workflow of back-office MA staff and schedule accordingly, covering absences, illnesses, and breaks.
  • Performance Feedback: Provide feedback and observations to management for corrective actions.