According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Perform emergency medical procedures, such as basic cardiac life support (BLS), advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), and other condition-stabilizing interventions. | 97% |
| Manage patients' pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, monitoring patients' responses, and changing care plans accordingly. | 96% |
| Document data related to patients' care, including assessment results, interventions, medications, patient responses, or treatment changes. | 96% |
| Administer blood and blood product transfusions or intravenous infusions, monitoring patients for adverse reactions. | 95% |
| Diagnose acute or chronic conditions that could result in rapid physiological deterioration or life-threatening instability. | 95% |
| Assess urgent and emergent health conditions, using both physiologically and technologically derived data. | 94% |
| Adjust settings on patients' assistive devices, such as temporary pacemakers. | 93% |
| 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. | 91% |
| Prescribe medications and observe patients' reactions, modifying prescriptions as needed. | 90% |
| Interpret information obtained from electrocardiograms (EKGs) or radiographs (x-rays). | 88% |
| Obtain specimens or samples for laboratory work. | 88% |
| Collaborate with patients to plan for future health care needs or to coordinate transitions and referrals. | 87% |
| Refer patients for specialty consultations or treatments. | 87% |
| Set up, operate, or monitor invasive equipment and devices, such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines. | 87% |
| Discuss illnesses and treatments with patients and family members. | 86% |
| Distinguish between normal and abnormal developmental and age-related physiological and behavioral changes in acute, critical, and chronic illness. | 86% |
| 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. | 84% |
| Collaborate with members of multidisciplinary health care teams to plan, manage, or assess patient treatments. | 84% |
| Assess the needs of patients' family members or caregivers. | 81% |
| Perform administrative duties that facilitate admission, transfer, or discharge of patients. | 80% |
| Provide formal and informal education to other staff members. | 80% |
| Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in acute care. | 80% |
| Treat wounds or superficial lacerations. | 78% |
| Analyze the indications, contraindications, risk complications, and cost-benefit tradeoffs of therapeutic interventions. | 78% |
| Participate in patients' care meetings and conferences. | 77% |
| Assist patients in organizing their health care system activities. | 76% |
| Participate in the development of practice protocols. | 71% |
