What is the primary focus of the functional nursing model?

The primary focus of the functional nursing model is centered on the efficient division of labor among nursing staff, where specific tasks are assigned to groups or individuals based on their unique skills and competencies. This model streamlines care delivery by ensuring that each nurse or nursing assistant is responsible for particular aspects of patient care, allowing for a task-oriented approach.

By organizing care in this way, the functional nursing model can enhance the overall workflow, particularly in high-demand environments, as it allows for a systematic method to address routine and repetitive tasks. This may include assigning one nurse to administer medications while another approaches bathing or dressing patients.

While individualized patient care, interdisciplinary team care, and enhancing nurse-patient relationships are important aspects of nursing practice, the functional nursing model prioritizes task allocation and efficiency, which is its defining characteristic. This structured approach can help manage workloads effectively and ensure that patients receive timely care, even though it may not always foster strong personal connections between nurses and patients, which are more characteristic of other care models.