HEAD NURSE

Definition:

A head nurse is the one who assumes responsibility for managing the Human and
material resources of a nursing unit and takes lead in developing to provide quality patient care
and an environment conductive to staff growth and satisfaction.

General Objectives:

Student nurse will be able to develop their potentials of being efficient and productive
Leaders by nurturing and enhancing their leadership skills by providing training in management
in team handling. And be able to familiarize with the different nurse responsibility.

Specific Objective:

As a student head nurses, they will be able to:

 Apply principles on head nursing and provide nursing standards and policies, and
procedures regarding patients care to guide the subordinates.
 Promotes and utilize quality assurance of the program standards.
 Motivate the nursing staff to provide quality nursing care and improvement in nursing
care.
 Manage the flow of activities by implementation of the nursing plan based on the nursing
care.
 Develop a skill in decision-making and other qualities of an efficient head nurse.
 Coordinate and communicate with the other members of the health team in providing
patient care.
 Document accurately the observation of the services rendered to the patient.
 Supervises and evaluate the quality of patient care provided by the staff by observing
them through frequent rounds guided by the evaluation check list.

Subordinates:

 Student staff nurses

Responsibilities of a Head Nurse

Assumes the responsibility for the delivery of quality patient care to patients within the
unit.
1. Provide nursing standards and policies regarding patient care to guide the staff nurses.
2. They have the responsibility of orienting and updating the staff of the systems and
standard of patient care.
3. Responsible for the implementation of the health care programs, and standards of patient
care.
4. Assumes the role of patient advocate.
 5. Assumes the role of staff members advocate.
6. Serves as resource person to nursing personnel under him in assessing, planning,
implementation and evaluating nursing care provided.
7. Coordinates the patient care with the other members of the health care team.
8. Keeps superior informed regarding problems or issues in patient care.
9. Evaluates the quality of patient care through frequent rounds.
10. Evaluates staff nurses in the unit and gives them assignments according to their capacity.

STAFF NURSE

Definition

The staff nurse is to the one responsible for rendering holistic nursing care to patient in
assigned areas, the specific function and responsibilities of which depend upon the
organizational structure of the Nursing service.

General objective:

Student nurses will be able to develop their knowledge, attitudes and skills through
working on this training, and be able to appreciate the importance of team work and working
under a directory.

Specific Objective:

As a student nurses they will be able to:

 Follow the nursing standards and policies imposed by the nursing administration.
 Develop a sense of responsibilities and accountabilities on their action they make.
 Provide a quality nursing care and services.
 Develop a good attitude towards the work.
 Be able to work harmoniously with the fellow students and members of the health care
team.
 Develop good nursing skills, attitude and gain knowledge for the future use.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STAFF NURSE

The staff nurse initiate and perform nursing care and services to meet the needs patient in
assigned areas utilizing the nursing process.

1. Assesses the individual needs for nursing care based on patient’s history, results of
physical, diagnostic, and laboratory examinations.
2. Infers correct nursing diagnosis.
3. Plans and prioritizes nursing care activities considering overall health needs of the
patient.
4. Institute nursing intervention consistent with the overall plan of care with special
consideration of the patient’s safety and comfort.
5. Provides health teaching to patient, his family and significant others so that they may
understand this illness and participate actively in his care.
6. Coordinates patient care services with members of the health team.
7. Evaluates or modifies of nursing care by means of:
 Effectiveness and efficiency of nursing measures rendered.
 Feedback from patient/family and significant others.
8. Documents accurately the observation and services rendered to the patient.
HEADNURSE
1. Supervises and evaluates the quality of patient care through frequent rounds
2. Oversees the action of assigned staff nurse, medication nurse and chart nurse.
3. Familiarized and take care of the emergency cart.
4. Takes note of the special procedures for the patients within the unit.
5. Keep superiors informed regarding the problems and issues in patient care with the
nursing unit.
6. Participates in the selection of nursing staff for the unit.
7. Presents changes or innovations to staff in a positive manner.
8. Provides conducive climate for work and maintains effective communication within the
unit department.
9. Checks daily time record of the staff.
10. Evaluates staff nurses in the unit and gives them assignments according to their capacity.

STAFF NURSE

1. Should know the patient very well.

2. Should always establish rapport with the patient.
3. Assess the patient’s needs for care based on the patient’s history, results of physical
examinations, diagnosis, and laboratory exams.
4. Oversees the activities of the nursing students.
5. Make part of the endorsement for the shift.
6. Proper endorsement (detailed, clear, and updated) of the patient’s incoming shift.
7. Demonstrate good nursing in caring of patients
8. Acts as a role model to fellow students.

MEDICATION NURSE

1. Must know the 10 rights in giving the medication.

2. Must know the drug action, side effects and nursing consideration of each medications.
3. Must know the color coding of the medication cards followed by the institution.
4. Always bring medication tray with you in giving medication.
5. Should always establish rapport with the patient.
6. May give medication only with the supervision of clinical instructor or staff nurse on
duty.
7. Always double check with the doctor’s order
8. Make a drug study as a student’s clinical assignment.
9. Must know the computation concisely and table of equivalents
10. Document all medications given legibly as countersigned by respective clinical instructor
or staff nurse on duty

CHART NURSE

1. Record all the vital signs taken on the TPR sheet on the patient’s chart.
2. Must know the normal values of BP, PR, RR and Temperature.
3. Reports intake and output
 Responsibilities of a Student Head Nurse

Assumes the responsibility for the delivery of quality patient care to patients
within the unit.
1. Provide nursing standards and policies regarding patient care to guide the staff
nurses.
2. They have the responsibility of orienting and updating the staff of the systems and
standard of patient care.
3. Responsible for the implementation of the health care programs, and standards of
patient care.
4. Assumes the role of patient advocate.
5. Assumes the role of staff members advocate.
6. Serves as resource person to nursing personnel under him in assessing, planning,
implementation and evaluating nursing care provided.
7. Coordinates the patient care with the other members of the health care team.
8. Keeps superior informed regarding problems or issues in patient care.
9. Evaluates the quality of patient care through frequent rounds.
10. Evaluates staff nurses in the unit and gives them assignments according to their
capacity.

Responsibilities of the Student Staff Nurse

The staff nurse initiate and perform nursing care and services to meet the needs patient in
assigned areas utilizing the nursing process.

1. Assesses the individual needs for nursing care based on patient’s history, results of
physical, diagnostic, and laboratory examinations.
2. Infers correct nursing diagnosis.
3. Plans and prioritizes nursing care activities considering overall health needs of the
patient.
4. Institute nursing intervention consistent with the overall plan of care with special
consideration of the patient’s safety and comfort.
5. Provides health teaching to patient, his family and significant others so that they
may understand this illness and participate actively in his care.
6. Coordinates patient care services with members of the health team.
7. Evaluates or modifies of nursing care by means of:
 Effectiveness and efficiency of nursing measures rendered.
 Feedback from patient/family and significant others.
8. Documents accurately the observation and services rendered to the patient.
 OBJECTIVES
Head Nurse

General Objective:
As a student nurse, she will be able to acquire knowledge and at the same
time practice her own leadership and management skills, and understand thoroughly
the importance of being systemically in rendering nursing care the patients.

Specific Objectives:

As a student head nurse, she will be able to:

1. Learned and identify the concept of management and leadership
2. Application of Nursing principle as a basis in managing her subordinate
3. Appreciation and evaluation on the work of his/her subordinate through the use
of performance checklist.

Subordinates
General Objective:
As a nursing student, he/she will show a better knowledge, skills and
attitude in rendering their task while working with their fellow students and able to
acknowledge the value of having a director.

Specific Objectives:

1. Be able to know the proper collection of data and using of nursing process, in
assessing the problem of patient and the cause of his disease.
2. Possessing an attitude of being objective and work with their co-student in
Camaraderie.
3. Be able to impact useful health teaching to client specific disease to they can
apply it in their respective lives.