Nursing Core Competency

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

There are nine core competencies that the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has adopted in which the nurse practitioner student’s education is based on: scientific foundation, leadership, quality, practice inquiry, technology and information literacy, policy, health delivery system, ethics, and independent practice competencies. This writer will describe and summarize the competencies as they relate to the nurse practitioners practice. After extensive research by this writer, she was able to conduct a thorough interview with a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP). This writer has learned how the working CNP utilizes the competencies in her practice as a Neonatal Certified Nurse Practitioner.

To meet competency standard two, registered nurses need to consciously and actively engage in therapeutic and professional relationships (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia [NMBA], 2016); Doherty & Thompson, 2014). Therapeutic nurse-patient relationships are built on trust, where the patient feels safe to be open and honest; enabling a productive relationship with positive patient-centred outcomes (Doherty & Thompson, 2014). A vital principal in delivering patient-centred care is to foster effective communication along with establishing personal and professional relationship boundaries (NMBA, 2016). This fundamental approach to care, ensures

Many elements at the core of nursing require technical knowledge and skills. According to the National League of Nursing, the core values are caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence (Core Value: National League for Nursing, 2007). I believe the core of nursing is care, as simple as caring seems; fundamentally nursing is about caring for people.

In the article “What Do Nurses Really Do?”, Suzanne Gordon explores what nurses truly do. She concludes that nurses “save lives, prevent complications, prevent suffering, and save money” (Gordon 2006). Nurses provide care for their patients in the physical and emotional sense. Emotionally caring for a patient and being sensitive to his or her needs result from interacting with patients while performing the skills and using the knowledge that nurses learned in school. Nurses grow in their skills, knowledge, and attitudes through practice. Quality and safety education for nursing incorporates competencies that all nurses must use in their practice. These nursing competencies include evidence-based nursing practice, quality improvement, safety, teamwork and collaboration, patient-centered care, and informatics.

The Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies (NP Core Competencies) forms and builds upon ongoing Master’s and DNP core competencies and these are the channels and background for all graduating NP students. The NP Core Competencies can input their full scope of practice as an independent licensed practitioner. These essential competencies of an NP is fully developed by graduation, no matter what the NPs preferred speciality is. The core competencies are an essential part to face the multispecialty challenges of the changing health care system. By adding knowledge, skill, and ability to independently handle different

My personal nursing mission statement is changing and developing as my career advances, however, one core piece will remain constant. I will strive to provide the best, safest, most ethical and compassionate nursing care that I can for all patients and family members with whom I come in contact. I began my post-high school academic career as an accounting major. I enjoyed the challenge of manipulating a report until I had balanced. I thought I had found my calling. As my first semester was nearing an end, I found myself contemplating the thought of sitting behind a desk all day. I wondered

Communication is any form of expressing and receiving of messages between individuals. The importance of Communication in the nursing profession is to maintain high quality care for the patient but also maintain effective collaboration between professionals. Boykins, D (2014) states that the “registered nurse is expected to communicate in various formats and in all areas of practice”. Various formats include speaking to patients and coworkers as well as utilizing appropriate protocols and systems to effectively communicate regards to patient’s status.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has recognized five key core competencies (CCs) that all healthcare professionals should be aware of during practice. The initial competency described concentrates on patient-centered care. Throughout history, the nursing community has continued to evolve, both in the practicing aspect and in level of caring for patients. During this evolution of nursing care, nurses providing hands on care to patients must refer to the Institute of Medicine, peer reviews and/or evidenced-based research to guide them properly as it applies to the core concepts of nursing. The first core competency according to the IOM is patient-centered care.

Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies are a set of competencies that guides and regulates the scope of practice for Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNP). Patients and organizations benefit highly from nurses working at the top of the education in their profession. As a license Advance Professional, education will help innovate and govern our needs related to patient care, safety, evidence-base practice, and improvement of positive patient outcomes. Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies consist of Leadership, Quality, Practice Inquiry, Technology/Information Literacy, Policy, Health Delivery System, Ethics, and Independent Practice Competencies.

Nurse Practitioners have different areas of competencies. Each areas contributes to the wellness of the patient, as well as, to the organization of the hospital system. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has specified the different areas of competencies of Nurse Practitioners. Scientific Foundation, Quality, Practice Inquiry, Independent Practice, Technology and Information Literacy competencies focus on the over-all healthcare of patients, while Policy, Health Delivery System, Ethics and Leadership competencies center on the organizational process among hospital workers. These competencies have been widely emphasized among nurse practitioners and nurse organizations around the world. Hence,

Practice problems are those that affects care, need a solution, and would make a difference when gets improved (Assisting Nurses with Practice Problems). Every workplace has one or other practice problems that are current (Current Issues and Topics, n.d.). In my workplace, one of the major problems is the varying competency levels of nurses. The purpose of this paper is to establish that varying levels of nurse competency is a current practice problem.

With my career goal is to become a nurse; just not ole any nurse, a great one. My strengths are very important to have. Faith is needed to help get through tough days and to also spiritually help your patients. I feel like whenever you do a task it should be done with integrity. Being a nurse, you have to be strong-minded and also able to heal and comfort mentally, emotionally, and physically, all great signs of a leader. You always have to remember that you can’t always do everything alone. Teamwork is very important in the healthcare field. Each job is important and is connected to one another. Communication is the key to many careers and very important to nursing because you have to build positive relationships with the people and patients around you.

The main agenda was to prepare nurses with knowledge, attitude, and skills in an effort to continuously improve their workplace safety and quality. QSEN acts as a guide to nurses by informing them how to deliver nursing care. QSEN has developed competencies that nurses are supposed to follow. The competency statements are six in total. Nurses’ educators can utilize the competency statement in incorporating the statement to their curriculum. The overall goal of the creation of QSEN was to address the challenge in the preparation of future nurses with the attitude, skills, and knowledge necessary so that they can continually improve the quality and safety standards in healthcare systems. The accomplishment of this goal involved QSEN developing six competencies for pre-licensure nursing education. Patient-centered care is one of the six competencies. This competency advocates for nurses to respect a patient’s preferences, needs, and values. A patient is the source of control and partner in the providence of compassion. Teamwork and collaboration are the other competencies. They advocate for communication, respect, and shared decision-making for quality care of patients. Evidence-based practice is the third competence, which advocates for up-to-date evidence, clinical expertise, and patient’s preferences and value in the provision of optimal healthcare. Quality

Competency # 6 - Exhibits Caring to Facilitate Holistic Well-Being for Recipients of Nursing Care: I met this competency by acknowledging my weaknesses and areas of improvement. I want my clients to know they are in safe hands, I can do this by improving my syringe and needle withdraws and mental math through continuous practice. I met this competency also when I checked the patient’s wristband and the MAR to ensure the 6 rights of medication administration were met.