Nurses : Educators But Not Advocates For A Healthy Lifestyle?

Regrettably, the existence of nursing depends on the medical inadequacy of others. Unfortunately, nursing exists because people get hurt, cannot care for themselves, or need assistance with daily activities. Carol Taylor (2011), author of Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, writes, “Nursing care involves any number of activities, from carrying out complicated technical procedures to something as seemingly as holding a hand” (p. 5). Taylor explains it is the duty of a nurse not only to learn the pertinent skills but also to bond with and comfort others. Nurses have to do and become many things: They must be stern when necessary, compassionate when needed, open minded

“Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles” (ICN 2010)

Most people understand that an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to poor health, but their ability to make a change and modify their existing unhealthy behaviors can be difficult. Nurses have an opportunity to identify patients who are in need of motivational assistance in their practice.

In today’s healthcare system, nursing is a challenging field as a result of rapid technological advances and changes in healthcare policies. As a dedicated nursing professional, with a great passion for learning, I strive to stay on top of these changes. I am determined to increase my knowledge to be an instrumental part of providing quality healthcare. The demands of nursing are high; however the rewards are even higher. Nursing requires both a supreme understanding of the science of health, and a caring bedside manner befitting only those who seek a position of such a personal involvement in the well-being of a patient. Academically, I will put forth all of

Nursing can be a demanding career, but the benefits far much outweigh the challenges. Most importantly, it’s the rewards it offers by allowing an opportunity to make a difference in another person’s life through the provision of care when they need it. Just as Patricia Benner theorized in her book “Novice to Expert,” nursing encompasses both educational knowledge and extensive clinical experience acquired throughout one’s career. This far, I continue to acquire knowledge and clinical knowhow which will promote proper and efficient care to patients. Since I began practicing one year ago in a long-term healthcare facility, I have interacted with patients, families, physicians and other members of the healthcare team to coordinate patient’s care which has enabled me to gain confidence in myself. While I cannot deny that it was difficult to transition from a student to a licensed nurse, I learnt to overcome these challenges and focus on my strengths. Practicing as an LPN has provided a platform to learn and gain experience even though the duties and responsibilities are limited by the scope of practice.

Nursing is about providing the best possible holistic care for the patient and family. At the same time there’s an imbalance of patient care regarding education and knowledge being provided by nurses. As a nurse I believe we all owe it to ourselves, the profession, and the patient to provide the best possible care. According to American Nurses Association (ANA) online article “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations.” In order to better achieve the nursing ideals of the American Nurses Association we must improve patient care by requiring hospital nurses to become BSN nurses.

Personal theory and philosophies are important for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) to help care for patients and their career. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2010) an “APRNs are registered nurses (RN) who have acquired advanced specialized clinical knowledge and skills to provide health care” (p. 112). APRN is a general term used to describe certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse practitioners (NP) (ANA, 2010). For the purpose of this paper and my personal theory and philosophy, I will focus on the NP as the APRN. NPs are able to perform comprehensive assessments and promote health and prevention of illness and injuries (ANA, 2010). The ANA’s concepts of health promotion and disease prevention have helped shape my personal theory and aided in identifying a theory for my future practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). The best theory to guide my practice will be Nola J. Pender’s health promotion model (HPM). By using Pender’s HPM, it will allow me to identify each patient as an individual with different needs for health promotion and disease management.

To reflect on the recommendation by the IOM and the consensus by American Association of Colleges of Nursing (ANCN) to elevate the educational level for the advanced practice nurses to increase patient healthcare quality, safety, and positive health outcomes are the DNP essentials with healthcare policy and competencies that are relevant to advocacy (Melnyk, 2013). According to Potempa (2011), the DNP essentials are relevant to DNP graduates, as well as the DNP students to be prepared to involve proactively in the healthcare policy preparations and implementation in all system levels. In addition, it prepares the DNP nurses to lead and provide a critical boundary between the research, policy, and practice (Melnyk, B. M. (2013). Therefore, the

My vision for the future of the nursing profession is to focus more on empowering patients by providing them with sufficient education. Nurses should be more proactive in communities. People are under the notion that only patients learn from the health care providers. In contrast, a nurse can learn numerous facts from her patients as well. Even though technology is rapidly enhancing and many things are changing within the health field, a nurse's role of caring will never change. It is a nurse's responsibility to always be up to date with the latest evidence based research in order to provide her patients with the most up to date treatments as well as

Nursing professionals help individuals, families, and communities to attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. The needs of patient care have evolved together with the healthcare system for a few decades, setting higher standards and delegating more roles for nursing professionals. Nurses, especially those with a bachelor’s degree, should always maintain continued education and teach other healthcare professionals as well. This is to equip them with the tools required to deliver a holistic patient

Nurses play an important role in promoting health within the patient, family, and community (Kemppainen, Tassavainen, & Turunen, 2012). The focus of patient care has been transferred from treating the illness to disease prevention (Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters, 2010). The implementation of consultation, education, and follow up exams can increase the overall quality of life for an individual (Kemppainen et al., 2012). I will discuss the various roles of a nurse in health promotion along with the multiple work environments in which they can be implemented within. I will also reveal the maintenance plan of my own personal health regimen.

Nursing is one of the most popular professions in healthcare. To become a professional nurse, one must acquire certain level of education, whether it is at associate or baccalaureate degree level. Once becoming a nurse a number of professional standards must be maintained to stay abreast with the profession. In that respect, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its 2010 report had suggested many recommendations focusing on the future of nursing. The aim of the report is to put forth recommendations that allow nurses to “(1) ensure that nurses can practice to the full extent of their education and training (2) improve nursing education, (3) provide opportunities for nurses to assume leadership positions and to serve as full

Nurse’s roles are expanding according to the need of the patient and society. A nurse has to play roles from bed side nursing to the prevention of disease and illness, educating patient, families and collaboration with different healthcare teams. Howell (2012) indicated

Nursing as a discipline has set forward an explicit desire to serve the public and it is the service and commitment to the individual and overall wellbeing of our society that drives and directs the study and practice of nurses, educators and nurse scholars (Smith & Parker, 2010).

There is no doubt that the health care system is constantly changing and working to improve its flaws, to the best of its ability. Whether nurses like it or not we are a part of the ever changing health care system. “With more than 3 million members, the nursing profession is the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce” (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010, p. 1). The Institute of Medicine believes that nurses should be active in transforming the profession of nursing, along with the health care system. Regardless, of backgrounds, race, and age all nurses can contribute to the future of the nursing profession. The following paper will discuss the Institute of Medicine’s nursing expectations and recommendations, as well as the opportunity to becoming a clinical nurse instructor.