WHAT DO RED CROSS NURSES DO?

Red Cross Registered Nurses

Responsibilities:

· Perform physical and psychosocial assessments/exams and health histories

· Provide health promotion, counseling and education

· Administer medications, wound care, and numerous other personalized interventions

· Interpret client information and make critical decisions about needed actions

· Coordinate care, in collaboration with a wide array of healthcare professionals

· Direct and supervise care delivered by other healthcare personnel like LPNs and nurse aides

· Conduct research in support of improved practice and patient outcomes 

Settings:
Red Cross RNs practice in across all of the organization’s business lines, integrating nursing responsibilities into the following areas: Service to Armed Forces (SAF), Preparedness Health and Safety (PHSS), Disaster Services (DS), Biomedical Services (Biomed), and International Services. Their practice setting in the American Red Cross is the community setting, which can be a disaster shelter, first aid station, phone triage center, sporting or community event, community instruction to include Certified Nurse Assistants, or a blood drive area. Red Cross nurses also have the unique ability to individually credential and volunteer in Department of Defense and Veterans Administration (VA) health care systems, to include hospitals.

Scope and Standards of Practice:

Recommended Reading:

ANA Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (2010).

ANA Scope and Standards of Public Health Nursing Practice (2010).