Nursing Autonomy

This community placement allows me to understand that community nurses have a greater autonomy and responsibilities in practice. From a clinical perspective, nurses play an important role in assessing the clients and making decisions to manage their care. For instance, in medication management, community nurses do not have a second nurse to check the certain medication such as insulin which would routinely be checked by a second nurse in hospital settings. Thus, nurses need to adhere to the standard of practice (NMBA 2016), perform three checks and five rights to ensure safe medication administration. In rural communities, nurses might be the only persons to provide complex care to the clients, decision making needs to act ethically and

Being a nurse not only means compassion, dedication, and intelligence, but the profession also requires endurance, personal sacrifice, and the need for continuous education. I have learned that nurses are some of the most caring and selfless people that anyone will ever meet. Nurses are more than willing to complete challenging tasks and care for others in a way that the majority of people are unwilling to. I am driven to bring all of these qualities into my role as a future nurse practitioner, which is why I am committed to pursuing my Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP).

Mrs. M’s new Physician who has only seen her twice has the opinion that she needs to be in a long-term care facility. Mrs. M recently fell and was admitted to the hospital, the Physician believes that due to her age, her health will continue to decline. The Physician contacted the community health nurse and “ordered” her to tell Mrs. M. that she should see her home and move into a long-term care facility. Mrs. M was upset and did not agree with this decision. The principle of autonomy applied, “the right to choose what will happen to oneself as well as the accountability for making individual choices” (Guido, 2015). Most elderly peoples biggest fear is giving up their home and independence. If a person is mentally competent, no one can

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 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.

We often hear that nursing is an art and a science, and I firmly believe that. The way a nurse blends those aspects of care defines the nurse. As nurses, our roles in our patients’ lives vary depending on their needs. We are teachers as well as technical experts, and our ultimate goal is to ensure our patients and families are ready to take over when the

ABSTRACT: Delegation refers to the practice of a registered nurse assigning certain tasks and activities to other people while still maintaining responsibility for the actions of the others to whom responsibility has been delegated. The act of delegating assumes that the delegator has a certain amount of trust in the person to whom they delegate. Additionally, quality communication is paramount in maintaining superior patient care when delegating tasks to others. One signifigant obstacle to delegation is ensuring that the proper tasks are delegated to the appropriate individuals. The organizational structure and leadership

The nursing profession is a challenge. As a nurse, you must remember every day that you can both alleviate suffering patients by administering treatment prescribed by a doctor and by a good word and a smile. For a good nurse should not matter how hard the day was, how much trouble it encountered, but must remember the core values of the profession and why he/she chose this profession. Nurses play an important role in the healthcare system. This is why they have been correctly referred to as the heart

Among the professional skills that a registered nurse (RN) must possess; the skill of delegation is vital. Both the nursing shortage and the need for more cost effective care has resulted in the use of more unlicensed staff and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in the healthcare setting. This increase has led to the need for the RN to possess delegation skills. This necessity then leads to a requirement of definition and regulation of the delegation that occurs in order to keep it safe and effective.

The definition of autonomy has been understood broadly from the literature review. However, it is hard for a nurse (or me) to capture the abstract word in clinical practice. What is the exact meaning of autonomy in nursing? Is it with different meanings between twenty years ago and now? How does it affect our clinical practice? I conduct the project in NUR 505 by using Rodger’s evolutionary view to clarify the concept of autonomy.

“Autonomy means that persons are rational and are allowed to direct their own health-related and life decisions” (Butts & Rich, 2016, p. 249). Unfortunately, autonomy is an ethical principle that is violated in most cases involving the geriatric population. Providers and family members often overlook the geriatric patient’s ability to participate in their care, especially in the presence of multiple chronic conditions. Geriatric patients are frequently deemed incapacitated even if they do not meet all the criteria; their decision making capabilities are revoked and family members are afforded the right to make decisions on their behalf. As a nurse who has worked with geriatric patients for a total of four years, I have personally witnessed their rights be

Autonomy - Patient advocacy is one of the many critically important roles of nurses. They not only provide physical care but also provide emotional support to their patients. As the state of the patient is very vulnerable it is the nurses who serve the purpose of uplifting their morale. Hence, they take considerable care of the fact that the autonomous decisions of the patient aren’t compromised because respect for autonomy is one of the essential fundamental guidelines of clinical ethics. For the concerned physician and the nurses, respect for autonomy also includes creating the optimal conditons necessary for autonomous self determination besides respect for the patients’ right to taking decisions for the self. All individuals consult a physician or go to the hospital seeking for help and guidance in deciding for their health simply because they do not have necessary knowledge required to make decisions. Patients need to be adviced, calmed and all their isssues should be addressed to. Nurses have to take care that the patient doesn’t makes choices under any sort of constraint. In this case, autonomy is being breeched as the patient’s choice to take painkillers is interfered due to directions to the staff from her family, failing to comply with which they warned to take legal actions. The hospital staff should have instead consulted with the VCAT for the appointment of a guardian who after proper knowledge about the patient from the hospital end could have taken a more

Patient autonomy is defined as, the patient t right to make their own decisions about the own treatment, without their health care providers or others to influence their decision in this regard. However, patient autonomy does allow the health care provider to educate the patient on their decision, but does not allow them to make the medial decision for them. (Medicine Net, 2012).

Great post, I liked the way that, you have explained autonomy in your post. I think that you have made a great point that nurses are reasonable for their own profession autonomy by maintaining their license, along with, with the continuing their education throughout their practice. Thanks for sharing.

To become an intellectual and competent nurse, I believe that I should strive to be well-rounded in a variety of aspects. My experiences as a former outpatient, a nursing assistant trainee, and being part of a patient’s family make up the foundation of my personal nursing philosophy. Furthermore, I am aware that self-care, empathy, culture, communication, advocacy and education are some of the most significant factors that all individuals should be informed of before choosing a career path in the health care setting. I will also take account of the knowledge I have obtained from class lectures and personal experiences and apply what I have learned into my nursing practice.