- Provide or direct the provision of postoperative care.
Occupations with related tasks Save Table: XLSX CSV
- Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
- Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
- Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
- Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.
- Record patients' medical information and vital signs.
- Maintain accurate, detailed reports and records.
- Provide health care, first aid, immunizations, or assistance in convalescence or rehabilitation in locations such as schools, hospitals, or industry.
- Consult and coordinate with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, or evaluate patient care plans.
- Direct or supervise less-skilled nursing or healthcare personnel or supervise a particular unit.
- Instruct individuals, families, or other groups on topics such as health education, disease prevention, or childbirth and develop health improvement programs.
- Modify patient treatment plans as indicated by patients' responses and conditions.
- Conduct specified laboratory tests.
- Assess the needs of individuals, families, or communities, including assessment of individuals' home or work environments, to identify potential health or safety problems.
- Work with individuals, groups, or families to plan or implement programs designed to improve the overall health of communities.
- Prepare patients for and assist with examinations or treatments.
- Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.
- Order, interpret, and evaluate diagnostic tests to identify and assess patient's condition.
- Prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices, or other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, inhalation therapy, or related therapeutic procedures.
- Direct or coordinate infection control programs, advising or consulting with specified personnel about necessary precautions.
- Prepare rooms, sterile instruments, equipment, or supplies and ensure that stock of supplies is maintained.
- Administer local, inhalation, intravenous, or other anesthetics.
- Provide or arrange for training or instruction of auxiliary personnel or students.
- Refer students or patients to specialized health resources or community agencies furnishing assistance.
- Perform physical examinations, make tentative diagnoses, and treat patients en route to hospitals or at disaster site triage centers.
- Consult with institutions or associations regarding issues or concerns relevant to the practice and profession of nursing.
- Inform physician of patient's condition during anesthesia.
- Engage in research activities related to nursing.
- Monitor all aspects of patient care, including diet and physical activity.
- Administer medications to patients and monitor patients for reactions or side effects.
- Monitor, record, and report symptoms or changes in patients' conditions.
- Observe nurses and visit patients to ensure proper nursing care.
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
- Prescribe medications and observe patients' reactions, modifying prescriptions as needed.
- Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members.
- Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability.
- Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions.
- Assess urgent and emergent health conditions, using both physiologically and technologically derived data.
- Set up, operate, or monitor invasive equipment and devices, such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines.
- Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes.
- Interpret information obtained from electrocardiograms (EKGs) or radiographs (x-rays).
- Perform administrative duties that facilitate admission, transfer, or discharge of patients.
- Obtain specimens or samples for laboratory work.
- Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments.
- Assess the needs of patients' family members or caregivers.
- Participate in patients' care meetings and conferences.
- Treat wounds or superficial lacerations.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in acute care.
- Provide formal and informal education to other staff members.
- Collaborate with patients to plan for future health care needs or to coordinate transitions and referrals.
- Analyze the indications, contraindications, risk complications, and cost-benefit tradeoffs of therapeutic interventions.
- Distinguish between normal and abnormal developmental and age-related physiological and behavioral changes in acute, critical, and chronic illness.
- Assess the impact of illnesses or injuries on patients' health, function, growth, development, nutrition, sleep, rest, quality of life, or family, social and educational relationships.
- Participate in the development of practice protocols.
- Assist patients in organizing their health care system activities.
- Adjust settings on patients' assistive devices, such as temporary pacemakers.
- Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests and screening procedures based on assessment results, differential diagnoses, and knowledge about age, gender and health status of clients.
- Refer patients for specialty consultations or treatments.
- Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions.
- Prescribe medications and observe patients' reactions, modifying prescriptions as needed.
- Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
- Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
- Observe the behavior and condition of animals and monitor their clinical symptoms.
- Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books.
- Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
- Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
- Restrain animals during exams or procedures.
- Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures.
- Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.
- Provide veterinarians with the correct equipment or instruments, as needed.
- Perform dental work, such as cleaning, polishing, or extracting teeth.
- Give enemas and perform catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages.
- Fill prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers.
- Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.
- Prepare animals for surgery, performing such tasks as shaving surgical areas.
- Take and develop diagnostic radiographs, using x-ray equipment.
- Discuss medical health of pets with clients, such as post-operative status.
- Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
- Take animals into treatment areas and assist with physical examinations by performing such duties as obtaining temperature, pulse, or respiration data.
- Prepare treatment rooms for surgery.
- Maintain laboratory, research, or treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, or supplies.
- Maintain instruments, equipment, or machinery to ensure proper working condition.
- Dress and suture wounds and apply splints or other protective devices.
- Provide assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains.
- Schedule appointments and procedures for animals.
- Provide information or counseling regarding issues such as animal health care, behavior problems, or nutrition.
- Monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low.
- Supervise or train veterinary students or other staff members.
- Perform a variety of office, clerical, or accounting duties, such as reception, billing, bookkeeping, or selling products.
- Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush or cut animals' hair.
- Conduct specialized procedures, such as animal branding or tattooing or hoof trimming.
- Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
- Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
- Observe the behavior and condition of animals and monitor their clinical symptoms.
- Monitor patient progress following cardiac surgery.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress, and reevaluate treatments, as necessary.
- Administer emergency cardiac care for life-threatening heart problems, such as cardiac arrest and heart attack.
- Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, or disease prevention.
- Answer questions that patients have about their health and well-being.
- Calculate valve areas from blood flow velocity measurements.
- Compare measurements of heart wall thickness and chamber sizes to standards to identify abnormalities, using the results of an echocardiogram.
- Conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments.
- Conduct exercise electrocardiogram tests to monitor cardiovascular activity under stress.
- Conduct research to develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures that prevent or control disease or injury.
- Conduct tests of the pulmonary system, using a spirometer or other respiratory testing equipment.
- Design and explain treatment plans, based on patient information such as medical history, reports, and examination results.
- Diagnose cardiovascular conditions, using cardiac catheterization.
- Diagnose medical conditions of patients, using records, reports, test results, or examination information.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
- Inject contrast media into patients' blood vessels.
- Observe ultrasound display screen, and listen to signals to record vascular information, such as blood pressure, limb volume changes, oxygen saturation, and cerebral circulation.
- Obtain and record patient information, including patient identification, medical history, and examination results.
- Operate diagnostic imaging equipment to produce contrast-enhanced radiographs of heart and cardiovascular system.
- Order medical tests, such as echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and angiograms.
- Perform minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as implanting pacemakers and defibrillators.
- Perform vascular procedures, such as balloon angioplasty and stents.
- Prescribe heart medication to treat or prevent heart problems.
- Recommend surgeons or surgical procedures.
- Supervise or train cardiology technologists or students.
- Talk to other physicians about patients to create a treatment plan.
- Monitor patient progress following cardiac surgery.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress, and reevaluate treatments, as necessary.
- Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.
- Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
- Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
- Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
- Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.
- Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
- Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
- Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
- Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.
- Operate sterilizing devices.
- Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
- Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.
- Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
- Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.
- Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
- Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.
- Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.
- Transport patients to operating room.
- Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.
- Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.
- Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.
- Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.
- Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.
- Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.
- Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
- Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
- Examine eyes, using observation, instruments, and pharmaceutical agents, to determine visual acuity and perception, focus, and coordination and to diagnose diseases and other abnormalities, such as glaucoma or color blindness.
- Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan.
- Prescribe, supply, fit and adjust eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision aids.
- Prescribe medications to treat eye diseases if state laws permit.
- Educate and counsel patients on contact lens care, visual hygiene, lighting arrangements, and safety factors.
- Remove foreign bodies from the eye.
- Consult with and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other health care practitioner if additional medical treatment is determined necessary.
- Prescribe therapeutic procedures to correct or conserve vision.
- Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation.
- Provide patients undergoing eye surgeries, such as cataract and laser vision correction, with pre- and post-operative care.
- Measure the amount of radioactivity in patients or equipment, using radiation monitoring devices.
- Design the arrangement of radiation fields to reduce exposure to critical patient structures, such as organs, using computers, manuals, and guides.
- Plan the use of beam modifying devices, such as compensators, shields, and wedge filters, to ensure safe and effective delivery of radiation treatment.
- Identify and outline bodily structures, using imaging procedures, such as x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography.
- Calculate the delivery of radiation treatment, such as the amount or extent of radiation per session, based on the prescribed course of radiation therapy.
- Calculate, or verify calculations of, prescribed radiation doses.
- Develop radiation treatment plans in consultation with members of the radiation oncology team.
- Supervise or perform simulations for tumor localizations, using imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, or positron emission tomography scans.
- Create and transfer reference images and localization markers for treatment delivery, using image-guided radiation therapy.
- Record patient information, such as radiation doses administered, in patient records.
- Advise oncology team members on use of beam modifying or immobilization devices in radiation treatment plans.
- Fabricate beam modifying devices, such as compensators, shields, and wedge filters.
- Perform quality assurance system checks, such as calibrations, on treatment planning computers.
- Fabricate patient immobilization devices, such as molds or casts, for radiation delivery.
- Develop requirements for the use of patient immobilization devices and positioning aides, such as molds or casts, as part of treatment plans to ensure accurate delivery of radiation and comfort of patient.
- Teach medical dosimetry, including its application, to students, radiation therapists, or residents.
- Conduct radiation oncology-related research, such as improving computer treatment planning systems or developing new treatment devices.
- Develop treatment plans, and calculate doses for brachytherapy procedures.
- Educate patients regarding treatment plans, physiological reactions to treatment, or post-treatment care.
- Measure the amount of radioactivity in patients or equipment, using radiation monitoring devices.
- Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
- Take and document patients' medical histories.
- Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
- Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes.
- Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements of the eye or surrounding tissue, such as axial length measurements.
- Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
- Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
- Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
- Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
- Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.
- Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism.
- Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.
- Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
- Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment.
- Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.
- Assess refractive conditions of eyes, using retinoscopes.
- Assist patients to insert or remove contact lenses.
- Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
- Adjust or make minor repairs to spectacles or eyeglasses.
- Assist patients to select eyewear.
- Order supplies.
- Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
- Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding.
- Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.
- Perform or interpret the outcomes of diagnostic imaging procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology treadmill studies, mammography, or ultrasound.
- Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.
- Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.
- Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.
- Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.
- Confer with medical professionals regarding image-based diagnoses.
- Develop or monitor procedures to ensure adequate quality control of images.
- Provide counseling to radiologic patients to explain the processes, risks, benefits, or alternative treatments.
- Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel.
- Coordinate radiological services with other medical activities.
- Instruct radiologic staff in desired techniques, positions, or projections.
- Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and develop expertise.
- Participate in quality improvement activities including discussions of areas where risk of error is high.
- Perform interventional procedures such as image-guided biopsy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, transhepatic biliary drainage, or nephrostomy catheter placement.
- Develop treatment plans for radiology patients.
- Administer radioisotopes to clinical patients or research subjects.
- Advise other physicians of the clinical indications, limitations, assessments, or risks of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radioactive materials.
- Calculate, measure, or prepare radioisotope dosages.
- Check and approve the quality of diagnostic images before patients are discharged.
- Compare nuclear medicine procedures with other types of procedures, such as computed tomography, ultrasonography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and angiography.
- Direct nuclear medicine technologists or technicians regarding desired dosages, techniques, positions, and projections.
- Establish and enforce radiation protection standards for patients and staff.
- Formulate plans and procedures for nuclear medicine departments.
- Monitor handling of radioactive materials to ensure that established procedures are followed.
- Prescribe radionuclides and dosages to be administered to individual patients.
- Review procedure requests and patients' medical histories to determine applicability of procedures and radioisotopes to be used.
- Teach nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, or other specialties at graduate educational level.
- Test dosage evaluation instruments and survey meters to ensure they are operating properly.
- Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding.
- Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
- Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
- Take and document patients' medical histories.
- Take anatomical or functional ocular measurements, such as axial length measurements, of the eye or surrounding tissue.
- Measure visual acuity, including near, distance, pinhole, or dynamic visual acuity, using appropriate tests.
- Administer topical ophthalmic or oral medications.
- Measure and record lens power, using lensometers.
- Calculate corrections for refractive errors.
- Collect ophthalmic measurements or other diagnostic information, using ultrasound equipment, such as A-scan ultrasound biometry or B-scan ultrasonography equipment.
- Perform ophthalmic triage, in the office or by phone, to assess severity of patients' conditions.
- Clean or sterilize ophthalmic or surgical instruments.
- Educate patients on ophthalmic medical procedures, conditions of the eye, and appropriate use of medications.
- Conduct ocular motility tests to measure function of eye muscles.
- Assess refractive condition of eyes, using retinoscope.
- Conduct visual field tests to measure field of vision.
- Measure corneal thickness, using pachymeter or contact ultrasound methods.
- Measure corneal curvature with keratometers or ophthalmometers to aid in the diagnosis of conditions, such as astigmatism.
- Supervise or instruct ophthalmic staff.
- Measure the thickness of the retinal nerve, using scanning laser polarimetry techniques to aid in diagnosis of glaucoma.
- Assist physicians in performing ophthalmic procedures, including surgery.
- Perform fluorescein angiography of the eye.
- Photograph patients' eye areas, using clinical photography techniques, to document retinal or corneal defects.
- Maintain ophthalmic instruments or equipment.
- Conduct tests, such as the Amsler Grid test, to measure central visual field used in the early diagnosis of macular degeneration, glaucoma, or diseases of the eye.
- Conduct binocular disparity tests to assess depth perception.
- Assess abnormalities of color vision, such as amblyopia.
- Instruct patients in the care and use of contact lenses.
- Conduct low vision blindness tests.
- Perform advanced ophthalmic procedures, including electrophysiological, electrophysical, or microbial procedures.
- Perform slit lamp biomicroscopy procedures to diagnose disorders of the eye, such as retinitis, presbyopia, cataracts, or retinal detachment.
- Create three-dimensional images of the eye, using computed tomography (CT).
- Call patients to inquire about their post-operative status or recovery.
