Essential Functions

Certain physical and mental abilities are essential to function as a student and a nurse generalist. These include that students and nurses must be able to:

• Function in an environment characterized by frequent exposure to blood, body tissues and fluids, moving equipment, situations requiring use of special equipment or wearing of special clothing.
• Read small print, see objects at a distance, discriminate color, and discern depth.
• Hear normal sounds in the presence of average levels of background noise (as in answering the telephone while others converse in your presence) and to hear certain sounds such as normal speech and sounds associated with providing patient care (such as those heard when taking a manual blood pressure reading or performing physical assessments).
• Engage in effective verbal, electronic, and written communications.
• Perform written work in a timely fashion and be able to relate information to and from the medical record and other documents or media.
• Lift persons/objects weighing from 50 to 100 pounds; smaller items (up to 10 pounds in weight) will need to be carried various distances on a frequent basis.
• Spend prolonged periods of time walking, standing, sitting, bending, and climbing, as well as reaching, pushing, and pulling.
• Perform fine motor skills such as finger movements and manipulating small objects.
• Perform tasks that require hand/eye coordination and perform upper and lower body movements in a coordinated fashion.
• Focus on a task or function at any time for 10 consecutive minutes; longer periods of concentration may be required.
• Exercise judgment in regard to patient and other clinical situations, have the ability to set priorities, and adapt to change.
• Detect problems and errors and be prompt and assertive in actions to resolve problems.
• Concentrate on fine detail with constant interruption on a regular basis (as when preparing and administering medications).
• Understand and apply, simultaneously, specific ideas and theories as they relate to various concepts.
• Assess the skills and knowledge of others and supervise others in the performance of care.
• Relate in a professional manner with patients, their friends and families, physicians, and other members of the healthcare team.
• Remember multiple tasks and assignments given to self and others during the course of the day.