Essay about Professional Presence and Influence

Society has progressed both socially and technologically as has medicine. This includes our understanding of health and healing as evidenced by Dossey’s three eras of medicine. Era 1, beginning in the 1800’s, reflected the prevailing view that health and illness are totally physical in nature and therapies included surgical procedures and drugs. Era 2, starting in the 1950’s, related to the mind and body. Practitioners began to realize that emotions and feelings can impact health. Era 3, still developing today, began in the 1990’s and builds on the previous eras by adding the spirit and proposes that consciousness is not confined to one’s

When you meet someone for the first time every detail is being noticed; from your entrance, wardrobe, handshake, etiquette, and voice quality and speech (Center for Professional Communication, 2014). First impressions are lasting ones and the first step in building long lasting relationships. A person must be aware of their presence and understand themselves to have a confident professional presence.

As nurses we know medical professionals more than ever are responsible for treating large diverse populations. Understanding cultural differences in various populations is crucial to produce positive outcomes. Nurses have a major role in health care promotion. Nurses should be treating the patient as a whole in mind, body, and spirit. This should be included in community treatment too. Individual, family, environment, and community assessments are necessary to provide the care and improve health care outcomes in the community as a whole. The World Health Organization’ s (WHO) definition of community is “a group of

Two of the three models of health and healing discussed by Dossey (1999) were Era II Body/Mind Model of the 1950s and Era III Body/Mind/Spirit Model of the 1990s. According to Dossey (1999), post World War II the Medical Doctors noticed that there was proof that the functioning of the human body can be affected by other factors such as stress and emotions which, can lead to diseases such as ulcers and high blood pressure. This model brought to light the realization that treating the human body is complex because when the physical body is not well the mentation of the patient is affected resulting in exacerbation of other

My personality is defined as “Guardian” which fits my personality perfectly. Guardians are practical and down-to-earth, but they know how to have funs with their friends. They take their duties seriously, are hard workers and are dependable and trustworthy. They are most comfortable when life is structured (Keirsey, n.d.). I am a loyal friend who like to have fun, but follow the rules. My friends have said I am their “voice of reason”. I enjoy socializing with my close group of friends, but I am cautious when meeting new people. I enjoy watching sports, probably because there are defined sets of rule which allow for a fair turn for each team. I do not like when plans change suddenly. I am a planner and when things change I have to alter my plans.

Professional presence is an analysis of our past, present and future. It is a construct of our knowledge, our influences, our self-awareness and practices. It comes down to how each of us understands what it means to be human and how to care for one another. This is always evolving based on new experiences and knowledge. Through looking over time at the view point of humans, to personality tests, to personal development and lastly looking at optimal healing environments this paper will construct my professional presence and look at ways to improve my ability to care for others.

Healthcare, and Medicine is advancing more and more each day. As healthcare workers, our understanding of health and healing has improved and changed in the way we care for our patients. Dossey believed in the three eras of medicine. Era 1 began in the 1800s and its focus was solely on the body. The belief that healing and overall health are totally physical. The therapies and treatment were either medications or surgical procedures. The thought that healing all humans based on bodily functions, and how they can be treated will change as time changes. Era 2 began in the 1950s and it focused on the mind and body. Health care providers realized that

The newest and most recent of Larry Dossey’s Eras is Era III which took shape in the 1990’s. Era III is considered the body, mind, spirit and biopsychosocial model. In this model Dossey explains that healing is not only on a physical level but a conscious level. Dossey states “Consciousness is not confined to an individual body, an individual mind may affect not just their body but also other people around them” (Dossey,L. nd). The Eastern models of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and the Ayurvedic beliefs about being human and caring for people are similar to Dossey’s theories. These theories underlying belief in how to provide care are the body is made of 5 elements and disease is caused when there is an imbalance between the elements (“Traditional Chinese Medicine: In Depth & What is the Philosophy of Ayurvedic Medicine, nd).

1)Era I (Physical Body) is based mainly on the physical aspect of health such as “surgery and drugs”. “The mind of consciousness is equated with functioning”, Whereas Era III(bio-psycho-social) is based more on consciousness.

Since the mid-19th century, there have been three distinct models of health and healing. The first era began in the mid-1960s and dealt primarily with the physical body. It is known as the mechanical model and focused solely on the anatomy and physiology of the body. It was physical in nature, and gave no consideration to the mind or spiritual side of the human being.

Another model of health that evolved over time is the physical-mind model. This model purports that a person’s overall state of health or ability to heal can be affected on how or what they think. For instance, that depression or anxiety can negatively impact a critically ill patient’s ability to heal. It also recognized that feelings or emotions can physically manifest as illness. For example, someone who is extremely anxious can give themselves an ulcer, without doing something to physically harm themselves. Simply being under significant stress can cause a physiological response to stimulate the creation of more stomach acid and wears a hole in the lining of the stomach, creating an ulcer. When using this model of health, doctor and nurses can treat a person, mind and body, when they have an illness.

We reflecting the author’s own culture, she like many people in the United States are a blend of many different cultures and ethnicity. By not having one single ethnic culture her family views health traditions based on their religion of Christian Scientist. Being raised in this religion molded views of health promotion, prevention and treatment that influence her health behaviors today. There is a difference of opinion between Christian Science and traditional medical views. “Christian Scientist interpret disease from a spiritual view where medicine interprets disease from a material point of view” (Stoddard, 2010). As a child our family was raised with the belief that good nutrition, physical activity, and the role of positive thinking and mind over matter, would provide health and help us remain strong and healthy. Not having over the counter medications or turning to traditional medicine for simple medical issues was chosen as our families way of viewing illness. Growing up with the view of health and illness as spiritual using techniques such as meditation, prayer and positive thinking, has stayed as a health tradition among our families beliefs and practices to this day. Today modern medicine is looking at the mind as a valuable tool to prepare persons and bodys for wellness and rehabilitation. An example of this would be biofeedback. This is a technique where people are

Healing Hospitals have specific components that comprise their makeup. They are” 1) A healing physical environment, 2) The integration of work design and technology. 3) A culture of radical loving care” (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, n.d.). These three components intermingled with spiritualty makes up the basis for the healing hospital.

Some barriers that may inhibit one’s ability to complete a spiritual assessment are: poor timing, lack of training, discomfort with the subject matter (patient or provider), provider’s uncertainty of own spirituality, concepts of spirituality differ among all, and a lack of clues and/or cues by the patient that may open the doors to initiate a genuine conversation (Dameron, 2005; Joint Commission, 2005). It is important the health care provider maintains a non-judgmental approach and must be careful not to impose his or her

Sensitivity to culture in health care, benefits delivery of care to the individual patient and can be a contribution to the larger undertaking of building a more tolerant multicultural society. This can be achieved by simply asking patients about their culture and beliefs or researching cultures that are prominent in the community where one is practicing. Cultural competence is learned over time and is a process of inner reflection and awareness. Possessing the skills, knowledge, and awareness, are essential proficiencies that must be gained by health care professionals. Although barriers to providing culturally sensitive care exist, gaining a better understanding of cultural competence is essential to developing realistic education and training techniques, which will lead to quality care for patients (Young & Guo, 2016).