Role of the RN

The Presbyterian professional nursing model identifies three collaborative roles for Registered Nurses caring for patients at the bedside: Education Resource Nurse, Charge Nurse and Staff Nurse. The model was implemented as a way of clarifying, in the practice setting, which RN is appropriately accountable for which aspects of nursing practice.

The model clarifies differences in expectation, knowledge, skills and educational preparation explicit for specific roles. It removes much of the subtle, unrecognized and informal approaches to differing work expectations, preferences and abilities of the nurses who do the work.

While all nurses will continue to be responsible for providing bedside care, broader roles assume additional responsibilities and are compensated for their contribution. Roles are allocated to every nursing department based on needs of the patient population. Descriptions of the roles are as follows:

Staff Nurse, Responsible for utilizing the nursing process to provide direct patient care to an assigned group of patients during a shift. Responsible for prioritizing the delivery of direct nursing care using time and resources efficiently while integrating a standard based framework model.

Charge Nurse, Organize and facilitate unit activities to deliver quality care using standards based practice. Responsible for staffing, patient triage, problem solving and providing leadership for quality improvement projects.

Education Resource Nurse, Develop and coordinate educational opportunities that promote professional nursing practice and maximize patients' potential for health within a defined clinical population. Serves as an expert clinical resource; coordinates unit based: staff education, orientation/competency validation, development of patient education tools and evidenced based practice guidelines.