Is Nursing A Profession?

A career in the field of nursing has a wide variety of different positions and is worth the hard work a person puts into it. Nursing is a great career choice option. It’s a career that allows you to help save people’s lives, bring cheer, and comfort to those in need.

Nursing is a noble profession that will help me expand my horizon by letting me focus outside of myself and my self-interest. By focusing outside of myself, I will get to be an advocate for people’s health and a humanitarian who will have a chance to see the other aspect of medical

“The nurse has a basic concern for people as human beings, confidence in the fundamental power of personality for good, respect for religious beliefs of others, and a philosophy which will sustain and inspire others as well as herself” (ANA, 1940; p. 980). The documentary “The American Nurse”, explores some of the biggest issues the United States faces today- aging, war, poverty, and prisons- through the lives of five very different nurses and their work as health care providers. The film examines real life people in their everyday lives as nurses which changes the way one looks at and thinks about the entire concept of nursing. Nursing is not merely a job, nor is it simply an occupation or a profession. To be a nurse, one must uphold the finest of standards and ethics, dedicating their entire lives to helping and serving others. Therefore, it cannot simply be a behavior; it is a lifestyle.

Nursing as a profession is often portrayed by the media in demeaning ways. “Nurses have often been unfairly and unrealistically portrayed as “battle axes” or psychologically compromised. And that’s if they are written into the script at all.” (Berkowitz, 2014). “They are often portrayed as physician helpers, not the highly skilled independent clinicians that we know they are.” (Berkowitz, 2014).

No matter which perspective the view is from, most everyone would agree that millions of nurses worldwide are involved in a profession that is constantly changing and changing at a very quick pace (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011). This transformation is due to a number of factors like demographic changes, the shortage of health care professionals, economic downfalls on the health care system, and evolving technology (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011). In an effort to support and promote the future of nursing and advancement in health care, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) took on a 2 year initiative that

In 1960, Virginia Avenel Henderson a nurse and a theorist in the same time, defined nursing, “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible”. It is a noble function and to be fulfilled at the highest levels, it takes time, patience and the devotion. When the number of people given this care is much lower than that of people who must receive the care, then a crisis occurs. The phenomenon is acute not only in America but all around the world. Even if the nursing is considered a meaningful work, the country is facing a nursing shortage that grows more with each passing year. Nursing shortages in America affect all parts of the health care delivery system.

My reason for choosing this particular course was to study and explore the different practices towards improving health and how health effects people worldwide. Also, my expectations from this class is to learn the core concepts of public health and the essential associations between nursing, global health, and the elements

The lack of role definition combined with significant expansion of the Nurse Manager role and its associated responsibilities is argued to have increased the plethora of designations within the global nursing field (Cathcart et al 2010). Stateside, The American Organization of Nurse Executives (2011) provide a competency based conceptual

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) strives to address the imperative health care controversies in the United States of America. The foundation endeavors to make coalitions with interested parties of leading health organizations to attain measurable, viable, and appropriate transformations in the health sector. The authorities led to the establishment of the 911 emergency calls, which enhance the care of livelihoods (Malone, 2013).Besides, for over 40 decades, the foundation is conveying commitment, experience, and a stringent balanced approach to the conditions, which compromise the health of the nationals (Malone, 2013).The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is congregating a cabinet of experts to analyze the necessity of incorporating nurses, expanding the nursing care solutions, and promoting dependency, which emerge as crucial solutions to different health challenges.

My nursing practice has been affected by the medical mission trips that I have taken to Haiti. This course has further expanded my knowledge of global nursing and helped me to understand and envision new ways to improve health outcomes. I have been face to face with impoverished people who lacked access to clean drinking water, proper sanitation, nourishment and healthcare services. The life expectancy at birth in Haiti for women is 64 and in men is 61 (WHO, 2015). Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and is still recovering from the catastrophic earth quake that occurred in 2010. As result of the earth quake, 220,000 were killed, more than 300,000 were injured and 1.5 million people lost their homes (Breakey, Corless, Meedzan, & Nicholas, 2015). The country experienced a large cholera outbreak following the earth quake because of their poor sanitation practices. The country continues to face many health challenges, so organizations from around the world are poised to help address the health disparities experienced by the Haitian people and others in developing nations around the world. Nurses are an important member of this team as lobby for change, provide much needed financial resources, give of their time and work toward making this world a better place for everyone to live.

There is no documentation of global health competency among advanced practice nurses, specifically for Nurse Practitioners in current health related literature. Global health competency is an issue of increasing importance as we face an era of immense globalization, migration, immigration, and widening income gaps. It is widely accepted that lower income status, ethnic and racial disparities place persons at risk for increased morbidity and mortality globally and locally. Additionally, advanced practice nurses, Nurse Practitioners, are increasingly seen as primary care providers for the future aiding rapidly aging and influxes of ethno-diverse cultures. This culminates with already existing high levels of poverty, reliance on government

Throughout history, society has considered women to be the natural caregivers of children, family, and community. Women were naturally thought of as nurses because the act was said to be an extension of their role in the home. They were called in to homes to help deliver babies or as wet nurses to breastfeed. In the 1800’s, women began taking care of soldiers. It was then that Florence Nightingale cared for soldiers in the Crimean War. During this time she revolutionized the role by setting standards of cleanliness and reducing infection. The legacy of nursing continues to be enriched by those who continue to follow the example of nursing pioneers. They refuse to be bound by others’ views

Global health is defined as “health problems, issues, or concerns that transcend national borders” (Institute of Medicine, 1997, p. 2). Koplan (2009) proposed a new definition for global health which he described as an “area for study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide” (para, 7). Global health emphasizes transnational health issues, determinants, and solutions from an interdisciplinary perspective and blends population health and clinical care.

My philosophy of nursing education grows out of my philosophy of nursing. Much has been said related to healthcare reform, healthcare globalization, and healthcare delivery. A resounding theme in all of these discussions is the need for nurses to take a position of leadership in the healthcare industry (Institute of Medicine, 2010). I believe nurses, as leaders, are uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between the healthcare industry and a rapidly changing global environment. Nurses are educationally in tune to the proposed changes that are being made, yet sensitive enough to address the needs of individuals affected by these changes. In a global community, nurses advocate for the individual.

Nursing is a profession that blends the rich traditions of the past with the ever changing realities of today's health care industry. Nursing is not simply an assortment of special skills and the nurse is not simply a person proficient in performing these specific tasks. Nursing is a profession. I believe this statement to be true because of several factors. The Title 19 Code for Nurses is titled "Standards for Professional Nursing Practice". The status of nursing as a profession reflects the values that society places on the work of nurses and how central nursing is to the good of society. "By being a professional we imply that the person is conscientious in actions, knowledgeable in the subject and