A Professional Journey As A Nurse Of Today

I became a mother at a very young age, seventeen years old. When I was in labor at the hospital, I experienced the nursing care of two very distinct nurses. I quickly became aware of the demeanor of the night nurse. She was unkind, pushy, and insensitive. She also did not explain things and did not smile much. On the other hand, the day nurse was merrier, compassionate, caring, informative, and reassuring. Despite my juvenile state, my comprehension was very astute. I comprehended that there are two types of nurses. One who solely works to attain a paycheck and the nurse who chose the nursing profession because they value humanity. Simultaneously, I was becoming a mother and discovering what my profession would be thanks to the caring day nurse who was a role model.

Peter Crosta M.A (2014) says that nursing is a healthcare profession focused on caring for the service user and their families giving the best possible quality of care to a service user no matter their condition until death. It will allow the service user to recover from illness, control their illness or reach an optimal status of health that they can control. Hunt et al (1994) suggests that the profession of a nurse would place great importance on nurse training and states that a nurse cannot be competent at something unless they have specific training on an area.

My journey to nursing began with my personal healthcare experience, and has continued to evolve since entering the nursing program at State University. My personal philosophy of nursing is related my life experience and my personal philosophy of life. Using reflection-on-action, I have begun to understand the influences that have lead me to nursing. I discovered client and family centered care to be an important quality when I look at the influential nurses in my life. To develop a positive therapeutic nurse-client relationship, nurses must integrate all 5 dimensions of the therapeutic nurse-client relationship into their practice (CNO, 2006). When it comes to providing client-centered care, the dimensions of trust, empathy

Nursing is defined in the lesson as the care provided to restore or maintain health is the function of nursing. Care is provided to aid the human response to health and illness (Chamberlain, 2013). I find this central concept of professional nursing to be one of the most important concepts in my practice as a nurse. In order to be a good nurse we have to first and foremost nurse. This is not an easy thing to accomplish at the high levels our patients deserve. I take great pride that I am a member of several professional organizations and hold certifications at the highest levels pertinent to my practice. I take the time outside of my job to maintain currency and educational sharpness above and beyond what is required of me at my job, because it matters to the people I take care of. Nurses today are required to take on an ever expansive role as a practitioner. In critical care nursing we are taking care of an ever increasing number of complex sick patients and are required to know far beyond the scope we all learned in nursing school originally. It goes back to our socialization with experienced nurses to help us transition in to the new roles

Nursing is a practice in which nurses promote health and the well-being of patients. I believe that nursing is not only a job that prevents and cures illness, but has a deeper meaning and understanding. Becoming a nurse gives the opportunity to maximize and promote patients’ well-being. It is a way to learn and understand new perspectives and expand prior knowledge, to build relationships with patients, community, and other nurses, in addition to learning how to empathize and realize the patient’s needs, and to value and see people as human beings. I think even with the list given is not enough to define or explain a nurse. I believe being a nurse is a diverse and immeasurable experience, and what happens in this field is unknowing and uncertain. My goal in nursing practices is to take in life experiences and use the skills and ideas learned to shape me to become a better nurse and a better person.

Multiple studies have linked professionalism with high amounts of education (Blaney 1986, Jacobs and Bishop 1998, Hess 1996). Other professions such as lawyers, physicians, architects, etc. maintain a high-standardized level of education in which nursing fails to do so. The American Nurse Association (ANA) committee published a position paper that compared nursing to other professions and recommended that the ADN is not sufficient for this profession (Jacobs and Bishop 1998). Jacobs and Bishop (1998) made a point by stating that “the education of professional nurses must take place in institutions of higher learning with a bachelor of science in nursing degree required for beginning professional practice as they should be socialized with philosophic and value system that is compatible with this role” (p. 226). Nursing is an evolving profession where they must be able to utilize their critical thinking skills in order to “assess, diagnose, intervene, evaluate, be a leader, deliver evidence-based care and know how to research and interpret that evidence. These competencies are only achievable through higher education with the baccalaureate level being the launching point” (Tollick, 2013, p. 4).

Professional nursing practice has been developing for several centuries. Nursing as a profession can be traced back to the early Christian era. Since then the perception of nursing practice has changed significantly. “Nursing is caring, commitment, and dedication to meeting the functional health needs of all people” (Craven &

We live in a world where the human race seems to be disconnected. Nowadays it feels that there are not enough people helping each other. I don’t treat life like a competition I look at it and I ask myself how may I help? What may I do to make this world a more suitable place for all to live a comfortable and peaceful life? I yearn to come forward and fulfill my role and contribute to our society in any way possible. Nursing is my calling for helping others. It sounds cliché, this I know, but it’s what I desire and what I decided to do with my body, mind, and soul.

Nurses develop professional skills through a process called “Professionalization.” Ghadirian uses four factors to describe this; cognitive dimension, attitudinal dimension and psychomotor dimension. They then further describe the cognitive dimension as the “professional knowledge” a nurse must have (2014). Without knowledge of illness or the human body, a nurse can not practice professionally. Ghadirian then suggests that even with extensive professional knowledge, a nurse can not be professional without the ideals and ethics of a nurse, or the ability to provide care (2014). A nurse can not be professional without all the dimensions. A nurse must have the values of a nurse, knowledge of a nurse and the ability to provide care.

Firstly, let us find out what the criteria is for a profession. To have a profession it is generally a field of study that you would require specialized training, for example have a special license to do the required job. As a result this is not just a job but a passion and a career choice. Furthermore, in a profession a code of ethics or standards is in place, and has a professional organization that establishes guidelines like for example for nurses the ANA sets the standards of care (p27). Therefore, is a RN a professional? Professional is defined as person who has completed an extended study at an establishment of higher educational learning and considers their permanent path as a passion and a career choice (p.28). Therefore, the career choice of a RN is considered professional. Due to these circumstances, the RN falls into both of these categories and has met the criteria as professional as noted

"Professional socialization is the process of acquiring skills and required knowledge to achieve a professional role with valued and professional norms." (Zarshenas, Ladan, 2014) Every nursing student goes through professional socialization. It is the process by which individuals acquire the specialized knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and norms to perform their professional roles. There are

According to Dempsey, 2010, a professional has many years of experience and is educated not necessarily through college. A profession uses the emotion of an individuals “calling” to strive to gain knowledge in a profession throughout their lifetime.

I once heard someone say, “Find something you love to do and you’ll always be successful.” If you want to be in a field where you are continually learning, nursing would be the top pick. This paper will reflect the journey I have taken from Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with the incorporation of my learning objectives from my clinical course.

Merriam Webster defines a profession as “a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill” or “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.”

For a number of years, I have been trying to figure out what God’s purpose has been in putting me on earth. I was unsure what to study, then I studied environmental engineering in college. I never imagined my life and faith would lead me to where I am now and never planned, but the course my life has taken all started from this sentence: “It is more blessed to give than receive” (Acts. 20:35 New International Version). It is a calling and I have never doubted about it because I have a surefooted faith in God. As I have gotten older and matured, I have come to understand and see clearly that the reason I am here is to help people and love people. I realized I can best achieve this mission by becoming a nurse.