As an advocate, the RN plays a crucial role in protecting patients from harm when they are unable to do so themselves. The LPN is also able to take some role in sheltering the patient from danger and keeping the best interests in mind. The UAP, while still able to listen to the concerns of the patient, is unable to hold the advocate role. The nurse advocate from a legal standpoint acts as the patient’s attorney and speaks on their behalf to all doctors, therapists, and other hospital personnel (Taylor, 2008). With the continuing growth in technology and need for informed consent and advance directives, it is essential that patients understand and are able to interpret what they are signing or willing to do. It is because of all this that nurse plays a critical role in helping the patient make the most informed, safe, and effective decision regarding their care (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2015). All in all, advocacy is an important role of the nurse. Without it, the patient may be placed in harm’s way or facing a situation without anyone standing in their …show more content…
As a manager, the RN is to ensure that the care provided to the patient is unified and effective (Taylor, 2008). The manager role requires that the nurse coordinates with other members of the health care team to “motivate, innovate, and solve problems” (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2015). The nurse manager communicates with fellow nurses to guarantee that proper patient care is being provided and in some instances improve upon the care that is being provided. Aside from overseeing nursing duties, the nurse manger also plays a critical role in nursing delegation and training. As a nurse manager, it is important to be able to delegate tasks to the nursing staff and train all new nurses. Delegation relies on the nurse to be able to manage a group of people and differentiate which individual is fit and able to do a specific nursing responsibility (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2015). The role of manager is a key component of nursing as it supervises nurses in providing excellent quality of care.