Ruben Jervell Pettersen works as a head nurse at Gatehospitalet Oslo, a hospital for people with substance use issues, run by the Norwegian Salvation Army’s Substance Use Care. As the head nurse in a hospital ward for patients with severe substance use issues, his job description is complex and difficult to summarize, he explains.
– It involves managing the daily operations of the nursing team, overseeing patient care, and coordinating with other health- and social care professionals to provide comprehensive treatment for our patients, he says.
His responsibilities include:
- Supervising and managing the nursing staff, including staff recruitment, delegating responsibilities, evaluating performance, providing feedback and training as needed.
- Collaborating with physicians and other healthcare professionals to develop and implement patient treatment plans.
- Receiving and evaluating referrals
- Assessing patients upon admission to the hospital, documenting their medical history and current status, and creating care plans tailored to their individual needs.
- Administering medications, monitoring patients' vital signs, and managing any adverse reactions or complications.
- Educating patients and their families about their health status and recovery process.
- Participating in quality improvement initiatives and promoting evidence-based practice to enhance the quality of care provided to our patients.
- Outreach, collaboration and teaching at partner institutions.
– Overall, my role as a head nurse is to ensure that our patients receive the best possible treatment. People with substance use issues experience high barriers to access healthcare services, so it is highly rewarding to manage a health service that is tailor-made for a marginalized patient group who, unfortunately, are often used to receive suboptimal care, Pettersen elaborates.
An interesting and rewarding job
For Pettersen, the patients themselves are the most interesting