The Emergency Duties of the Industrial Nurse

Abstract

The preceding pages have dealt with the more common emergency conditions encountered by the industrial nurse and the basic principles of handling these conditions. However, the industrial nurse often deals with the patient during the entire period of convalescence and rehabilitation from an injury or illness. The industrial worker is not just a “case” to the industrial nurse, but a total person with all the problems of working and living in the community. Mary Louise Brown1 summarizes thus the five most important concepts of the fundamental responsibility of the industrial nurse: “The first and most important concept centers on the fundamental responsibility of the nurse to conserve life and promote health. To do this for each worker, the occupational health nurse must like people and respect the dignity and worth of every individual. “Second is the nurse's role in helping the worker to be responsible for maintaining and improving his own health. “Third is an understanding and appreciation of work to recognize the value of creative competition and what work and earning a living mean to each person. “Fourth is the relationship between the nurse and the physician in charge in the health service. This should be one of mutual respect based upon recognition of the physician's legal responsibility under the medical practice act and the part that the nurse can play. “Fifth is the need and desire of the nurse to grow in personal and professional maturity and become able to assume wider responsibility for independent nursing decisions.”