Do nurses diagnose disease

Answer 1

The profession of nursing in the United States encompasses various levels of education and scopes of practice.

• The licensed practical nurse works under the direction and supervision of a registered nurse or physician, and does not independently assess the patient.
• The registered nurse completes independent assessment of the patient, and diagnoses a patient's reaction to disease, as noted in the nurse practice acts of states such as New York, California, and others. The New York Nurse Practice Act, for instance, differentiates this nursing diagnosis as "distinct from a medical diagnosis."
• The advanced practice nurse, such as a nurse practitioner or nurse midwife, completes independent or collaborative diagnosis and treatment of disease.

I understand that nursing practice may vary from one country to another, and the response below may be true in some other location, but does not accurately depict the scope and practice of nursing in the US. For more information, see the related link to review each US state's Nurse Practice Act.

No, nurses do not diagnose diseases. It is entirely the domain of doctors to diagnose diseases and prescribe medicine. It is the duty of the nurses to follow the medicine chart and to look after the patients, taking temperature and blood pressure at periodic internals and performing other allied duties.

Answer 2

Yes it dependds on what kind of nurse you are. A nurse practitioner functions like family physician and thus can diagnose, treat, and order tests on various illness. In Canada, nurse practitioners can do everything except opiate drugs, and the main difference you get is that nurse practitioners will spend more time on you unlike doctors who will most likely come and go in less than a minute