Nursing As A Profession Is Guided By Laws, Regulations, And Acts

A profession can be defined as a “prestigious occupation with a high degree of identification among its member that requires a length and rigorous education in an intellectually demanding and theoretically based course of study; that engages in rigorous self-regulation and control; that holds authority over clients; and that puts service to society above simple self interest” (Schwirian, 1998, p. 6). Nursing is just that, and with its specific body of knowledge, standards, and codes of ethics, it is only fitting that it be self-regulated (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2012). The College of Nurses works with registered nurses, registered practical nurses, and nurse practioners to determine whether or not standards and best practices are met and that the public’s safety is protected.

I already knew that Nursing is a health care profession that involves taking care of another person in which a person needs the formal education and training in the art of science of nursing. Nurses help individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent diseases, and they care for the sick and injured using procedures based on

When people think about nurses, many ideas come to mind. They think of the hideous old starched, white uniforms, a doctor’s handmaiden, the sexy or naughty nurse, or a torturer. The media and society have manipulated the identity and role of nurses. None of these ideas truly portray nurses and what they do. Nurses are with the patients more than the doctors. People do not realize how little they will encounter the doctor in the hospital until they are actually in the hospital. People quickly realize how important nurses are. Because nurses interact with their patients constantly, nurses are the ones who know the patients best.

According to American Nurses Association (ANA), (2010) “the nurse promotes, advocates for and strives to protect the heath, safety and right of the patient” (p. 6). Nursing responsibilities should be acted at the highest standard and must be based on legal and ethical obligations.

Being a nurse is not just a profession, it is a privilege and an honor. With it being a profession where there is an opportunity to touch many patients’ lives, there must be regulations, laws, and codes that nurses must abide by. There are certain professional traits that a nurse must possess to make them not only a good nurse but a great nurse. There are various nursing theories that a nurse can base their practice upon and many historical figures of the past that guide the nurses of today and of the future.

The American Nursing Association describes nursing as the profession or practice of providing care for the sick and infirm. They say it is the duty of nurses to protect, promote and optimize the health and abilities of a patient. It is also the duty of those in the profession of nursing to prevent illness and injury, facilitate healing, and alleviate suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response. Nurses also advocate for the care of patients families. Nurses play a very important role in healthcare and they are the primary caregiver for patients.

According to the American Nurses Association, “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” (ANA, 2010b). Nursing has come a long ways. From primitive times when caring for the sick was predominantly the rule of medicine-men who acquired the skills from their ancestors, to the era when it was viewed as a mean profession for prostitutes and nowadays when it is considered a noble profession with trained and skilled personnel.

As a nurse, we have the responsibility of providing safe and patient-centered care to the community. Patients are more than numbers, and as nurses we must treat them as individuals who need attention and personalized care. While caring for patients, we must use

Nursing is one of the largest groups of healthcare providers giving high quality direct care in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and in home care. Due to vast reductions in nursing students, coupled with other challenges presented by a growing nursing shortage, this has resulted in fewer nurses working longer hours and caring for even sicker patients than before. This set of circumstances compromises the care of the patient and contributes to the nursing shortage by creating an environment that drives nurses from the bedside and into other professions or out of nursing, due to being burnout.

As nurses, we have an innate ability to care for others. Because of this, we find that we have put others before ourselves, which makes for compassionate and empathetic nursing care, but can lead to internal downfalls. There is a shift for the nurse, when providing nurturing care for patients becomes difficult. The downfalls are seen after repeated exposure to stressful work environments, work overload, lack of recognition and the repeated exposure to patients suffering, which nurses attempted to relieve. With advancements in healthcare, prolonging of life, increasing physical and emotional needs from patients and their families and the aging of American, nurses have an increase in stressors and demands.

In today’s society, nurses are held on pedestals for the work they do at their jobs. Nurses help save people’s lives and make their worse days a little bit better by providing the care their patients need. Nurses are there to provide the care necessary for people to live and survive in a world where it is not always safe. They are there to save lives and make a difference in their patient’s lives when they feel like it will never get better or like it is the end of their world.

Did you know that there is 126, 000 nursing positions unfilled in hospitals across the country ( Jackson, 2006) and the average nurse is 46 years of age? ( Alexandra, 2006). The public needs to see that the shortage of nurses is a major issue that is only going to get worse if something is not done about it. It has been shown that since the beginning of the shortage there has been an increase in mortality rates due to a increase of poor patient care. If this nursing shortage continues it will only decrease the quality of care the public receives, increase costs, make hospital stays longer, and health care less effective and efficient. Teamwork, good communication, critical thinking, and problem solving are all things

In my opinion, nursing is a well-educated profession not only to prevent and protect the public from illness and injury, but to facilitate the curing or alleviating their suffering from illness by patient centered holistic caring. Nurses are the main work force in the health care system, they are working in hospitals, nursing homes, community care sites, and other health care settings. As a nurse, I must respect and listen to the patients as individuals. I need to provide nonjudgemental care to those in need regardless of their social classes, religious beliefs, financial and cultural differences. I must consider the patient’s background, assessments, personal values and beliefs as a whole to achieve this goal. I strive to be an health advocate

The discussion topics raise a lot of issues that nurses and family members of nurses face today. As nurses, we have a responsibility to society, but we also have personal responsibilities. Dealing with fatigue and unsafe patient-to-nurse ratios are only two of the issues that come to mind when I contemplate my nursing responsibilities. The American Nurses Association (ANA) is fighting for the rights of nurses as well as patients, to establish safe working conditions and safe health care delivery. The ANA does not encourage nurses to work overtime, not do they encourage unsafe patient-to-nurse ratios (American Nurses Association, 2014).

To me nursing is not only helping people to get better, but also about being professional by listen to the patient’s views; empowering people to help themselves,