nurse
(nŭrs 
)
[Fr. fr. L. nutrix, nurse]
- One who provides health care. The extent of participation varies from simple patient care to the most expert professional techniques necessary in acute, life-threatening situations. The ability of a nurse to make self-directed judgments and to act independently will depend on professional background, motivation, and opportunity for professional development. The health care team includes the technical nurse, who is technique-oriented, deals with commonly recurring nursing problems and knows stand ardized procedures and medically delegated techniques. Also included is the professional nurse, who is prepared to assume responsibility for the care of individuals and groups in collaboration with a physician. The roles of nurses constantly change in response to the growth of biomedical knowledge, changes in patterns of demand for health services, and the evolution of professional relationships among nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals.
- To feed an infant at the breast.
- To perform the duties of caring for the sick.
- To care for a young child.
advanced practice n.A licensed, registered nurse who has completed graduate education in one of several fields of health care.
SEE: nurse anesthetist; clinical nurse specialist; nurse midwife; nurse practitioner.
ABBR: CRNA
A registered nurse who administers anesthesia to patients in the operating room and delivery room. The knowledge and skill required to provide this service are attained through an organized program of study recognized by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Nurse anesthetists hold at least a master's degree.ABBR: CEN
A nurse who has passed the examination administered by the Board of Certification of Emergency Nursing. To maintain certification as a CEN, a nurse must recertify every 4 years; a formal examination is required every 8 years, and continuing education credits can be submitted as proof of professional competence during alternate 4-year cycles.certified neuroscience registered n.
ABBR: CNRN
A registered nurse who has at least two years’ experience caring for patients with neurological diseases and has passed a board examination administered by the American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN) or the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). To earn certification, a nurse must pass an examination that assesses his or her knowledge of the diagnosis, treatment, and family care of patients with neurological diseases.charge n.The nurse assigned to manage the operations of a specific patient care area. Responsibilities include staffing, admissions and discharge, and coordination of care activities for inpatients. The charge nurse reports to the nurse manager and is responsible for the education, management, and leadership of other health care professionals and serves as a clinical nursing expert for colleagues, subordinates, and patients.
circulating n.A nurse who works as a go-between for the operating room and the rest of the hospital but does not scrub in to surgery. The circulating nurse does the initial assessment of the patient as he or she is wheeled into the operating room and makes sure that the patient is comfortable. The circulating nurse also assists the surgeon and scrub nurse as they clean up and prepare for the surgery. During the surgery, circulating nurses hand packages of supplies to the scrub nurse as necessary and pass messages to staff or family members outside the operating room. After the surgery, the circulating nurse accounts for all opened packages and used supplies and reports any discrepancies.
ABBR: CNS
A nurse with particular competence in certain areas such as intensive care, cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, or psychiatry. A CNS holds a master's degree in nursing, preferably with emphasis in clinical nursing. Clinical Nurse Specialists are licensed registered nurses who have graduate preparation (Master’s or Doctorate) in nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. Clinical practice areas may be organized according to population (pediatrics, geriatrics, women’s health, etc.), setting (critical care, emergency room, etc.), disease or medical subspecialty (diabetes, oncology, etc.), type of care (psychiatric, rehabilitation, etc.), and /or type of problem (pain, wounds, stress, etc.).n. clinician A registered nurse with preparation in a specialized educational program. At present this preparation may be in the context of a formal continuing education program, a baccalaureate nursing program, or an advanced-degree nursing program. The nurse clinician is capable of working independently in solving patient-care problems.
community health n.A nurse who combines the principles and practices of nursing and public health to provide care to the people in a community rather than in an institution. A 1985 consensus conference report of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defined community health nurses as any nurses working in the community, whether or not they had preparation in public health nursing. Public health nurses are nurses with specialty education and clinical practice in public health nursing. Public health nursing specialists have advanced nursing preparation, either a master’s degree or a doctorate, with an emphasis on public health sciences.
dental n.A dental auxiliary trained to provide oral hygiene instruction and dental health care to school children. Formerly, the term applied to dental hygienists, but now it refers to persons trained according to a program developed in New Zealand .
enterostomal therapy n.Wound ostomy continence nurse.
epidemiologist n.A registered nurse with special training and certification in the prevention of community- and hospital-acquired infections in patients. Also called infection control nurses, nurse epidemiologists are public health professionals who specialize in the field of epidemiology. They study statistics to determine the likelihood of a disease or illness developing and then implement strategies to prevent or contain an outbreak. This involves ensuring that institutions and public health agencies have necessary medical supplies, that health care professionals are alert for the signs and symptoms of an outbreak, and that the general public is educated about how to avoid becoming infected with a particular illness.
SEE: infection control nurse.
flight n.A nurse who cares for patients being transported in an aircraft.
general duty n.A nurse not specializing in a particular field but available for any nursing duty.
graduate n.A nurse who is a graduate of a state-approved school of nursing but has not yet passed the National Council Licensure Examination–Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN).
head n.An obsolete term for nurse manager.
health n.A community or visiting nurse whose responsibility is to give information on hygiene and prevention of disease.
SEE: community health nurse.
home health n.A nurse who visits patients in their homes to provide skilled nursing services, such as assessment and patient and family teaching.
infection control n.A registered nurse employed by an agency to monitor the rate and causes of nosocomial infections and to promote measures to prevent such infections.
ABBR: LPN
A graduate of a school of practical nursing who has passed the practical nursing state board examination and is licensed to administer care, usually working under the direction of a licensed physician or a registered nurse. SYN: licensed vocational nurse.ABBR: LVN
Licensed practical nurse.n. manager A nurse responsible for a unit in a hospital, nursing home, or ambulatory care setting. The nurse manager supervises staff performance and patient care.
n. midwife A registered nurse who has completed specialized theory and clinical courses in obstetrics and gynecology and is certified by the American College of Nurse Midwives. The nurse midwife's practice includes providing primary obstetrical, neonatal, and preventive gynecological care to essentially healthy women and their normal newborns, usually in collaboration with an obstetrician-gynecologist.
ABBR: OCN
A nurse with special training and experience who has passed a certifying examination in core areas of knowledge pertinent to the care of adult cancer patients.ABBR: NP
A licensed registered nurse who has had advanced preparation for practice that includes 9 to 24 months of supervised clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of illness. Most contemporary NP programs are at the master's degree level; graduates are prepared for primary care practice in family medicine, women's health, neonatology, pediatrics, school health, geriatrics, or mental health. Nurse practitioners may work in collaborative practice with physicians or independently in private practice or in nursing clinics. Depending upon state laws, NPs may be allowed to write prescriptions for medications.SEE: nurse clinician; nurse midwife; advanced practice nursing.
prescribing n.A nurse who is allowed to prescribe drugs. Certain U.S. states permit nurses to prescribe only certain types and classes of drugs; most states require that prescribing nurses work with a supervising or collaborating physician; approval for prescribing is granted only to nurse practitioners.
private duty n.A nurse who cares for a patient on a fee-for-service basis, usually in an institution. The nurse is not a staff member of the institution.
psychiatric n. practitioner A registered nurse with advanced preparation who combines medical and nursing skills in the care and treatment of psychiatric or mental health patients.
public health n.A community health nurse with primary responsibility for the health concerns of large groups of individuals within a community.
ABBR: RN
A nurse who has graduated from a state-approved school of nursing, has passed the professional nurse licensure examination (NCLEX-RN), and has been granted a license to practice within a given state.school n.A nurse practicing in a school or college who is responsible for the health of enrolled children, adolescents, or adults.
scrub n.An operating room nurse who directly assists the surgeon, primarily by passing instruments and supplies.
specialist n.Clinical nurse specialist.
visiting n.A community health nurse with primary responsibility for individual patients in their homes.
wet n.A woman who breast-feeds someone else's child.
wound ostomy continence n.A nurse specially trained in the use of ostomies, the care of the patients who use them, and the problems associated with them. SYN: enterostomal therapy nurse.