The Role of the Nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of the Nurse - Essay Example Craig and colleagues (2006) discuss that assessment is a crucial first step in the delivery of health care, and often serves as the initial point of patient/nurse communication or contact. During the initial meeting with the patient, it is usually the nurse’s role to make a thorough evaluation of the patient (from head to toe) as a means of establishing baseline parameters for the patient’s general condition. This baseline is also the point of reference for nurses in order to monitor the patient’s progress from their point of admission to their point of discharge (Craig, et.al., 2006). The assessment as carried out by the nurse would also serve to guide the development of the nursing care plan. The role of the nurse in the assessment is to ensure a holistic evaluation of the patient, including the patient’s needs and the purpose of the medical consult (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2011). As the assessment is carried out, the health issues of the patient – from the physiological to the psychological – would be established. During the assessment, it is also the nurse’s task to establish the patient’s medical history, which would include major and relevant health issues he has suffered in the past, including previous surgeries, allergies, and current medications (Rosdahl and Kowalski, 2011). ... 1). Frequency of sunbathing without any sun block as well as frequency of tanning sessions Question 1: At what time of the day do you usually sunbathe without using sun block? Rationale: It is important to determine the time of day the patient has usually sunbathed because there are certain times of the day when the rays of the sun are strongest, and exposure to the sun during these times increases one’s risk for getting skin cancer (Leiter and Garb, 2008). There is a need to establish whether or not the patient has often sunbathed at 11 am to 4 am where the risk for exposure to UV rays is at its peak (Leiter and Garb, 2008). Question 2: How often do you get sunburns? Rationale: It is also important to establish how often the patient has suffered sunburns because the repeated healing and burning of the skin during sunburns have a cumulative effect (Qureshi, et.al., 2012). Every sunburn incident represents skin damage and repeated incidents of sunburn would cumulatively increas e one’s risk for developing skin cancer (Qureshi, et.al., 2012). It is important to ask this of the patient in order to determine the level of risk she has already exposed herself to. 2) Mole is irregularly shaped two toned papule, with ill-defined light brown to pink medial and lower borders Question 1: Describe the changes which your mole has undergone? Rationale: Any irregularities in the shape of a mole often signify possible melanoma; more often than not, ill-defined moles signal skin cancer (Psaty, et.al., 2010). Question 2: Do you notice any pain in the area of the mole? Rationale: Pain on the moles may qualify the mole to be a suspicious mole which may also signal skin cancer or melanoma (Psaty, et.al., 2010). 3. Rapid change in the