Essay on Professional Presence and Influence

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.

Barbara Dossey is truly a visionary in the holistic nursing movement and her theory is able to further the development of holistic nursing in its entirety as well as bolster patient outcomes. The context in which the theory was developed was in relation and connection to the products and ideas of Ken Wilbur, in an attempt to fortify the fundamental concept of healing (Dossey & Keegan, 2003). Dossey's four quadrant model in certain respects is a reaction to and influenced by the work of Wilbur, namely that his volumes stress that no particular or sole researcher, philosopher or theorist can describe, establish or clarify the constituents of reality (Dossey & Keegan, 2003). Dossey and Keegan emphasize that the obstacle and objectives in nursing is to bolster one's integral awareness while boosting one's overall strengths and abilities in nursing in general (2003). Ultimately, the theory developed in the context of the belief that healing occurs when the delicate balance and harmony of body and mind and spirit is successfully addressed and how ancient ideas can be effectively integrated in the realm of caring for patient in everyday living (Dosseydossey.com).

Throughout the years there have been various theories and models regarding nursing and healthcare. Doctor Larry Dossey (1982) identified three “Eras” of healthcare as the structure for healthcare in the Western world. Two of which are the Mechanical Model also known as Era I, and the Body/Mind Model known as Era II. Era I began in the 1860’s, the model reflected the view that disease was purely physical in nature and that physical interventions such as medications, surgical procedures, or bloodletting were required to promote healing. Consciousness, thoughts, and beliefs were not considered to be factors in healing but merely side effects of the facets of the

In Dr. Dossey’s “A Conversation About the Future of Medicine” he discusses his theory of

Jordan (2009, p. 168) defines mindfulness “as an individual learning process characterized by a heightened awareness of the specific circumstances in a given situation”. I work with Veterans and each patient is unique in their own past experiences and things they have been exposed to. I am mindful in order to deliver safe, quality, and effective patient care. I recover anywhere from 9-19 veteran patients a day, each with different backgrounds and I have to be mindful on how I approach them as they recover from anesthesia. Some veterans awake with flashbacks, and need special patient specific assistance. Upon discharge home, I review their discharge instructions on a level that the patient understands. I am flexible in my teaching and communication based on each patient. Traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and other neurologic disorders are all taken into consideration and my mindfulness allows me to be patient, flexible, and non-judgmental. Being mindful and compassionate allows an excellent healing environment for our patients to be cared for.

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.

Professional presence is something of a nebulous concept. Before this course, I honestly never considered what it was and how my nursing practice was defined by it. During my journey through this course I discovered what it truly meant. “Presence is an intersubjective encounter between a nurse and a patient in which the nurse encounters the patient as a unique human being in a unique situation and chooses to spend her/himself on the patient’s behalf’’ (Wingate, 2007). Presence defines how a person interacts with those around them, and particularly in the healthcare field, it’s incredibly important.

Hospice care is a model of care that focuses on relieving symptoms and supporting patients with a life expectancy of six months or less (Altshuler, 2013). For most nurses, caring for a dying elder (individual aged 65 years and above) is a discrete, time-limited experience that begins with first contact, often in a hospital, emergency room, or long term care facility, and ends with the death itself (Phillips & Reed, 2008).

1. Era I – “Mechanical Medicine” began in the 1860’s. Its focus is on surgical procedures and drugs. The thought was that health and illness are only physical in nature and consciousness is equated to functioning of the brain. Era I thinking in displayed in review of psychiatric care in the early 1900 with the use of frontal lobotomies to cure hysteria. The thought was that performing a surgical procedure on the brain will remove the area that is causing the Hysteria. Era I focuses on performing a procedure or providing a medication to fix the body physically, while Era III takes into account the patients perception of health, their stats of mind and their support

The benefits of healing treatment rest on identifying a person’s ideal state of balance, determine where they are out of balance, and offer interventions using diet, herbs, aromatherapy, massage treatments, music, and meditation to reestablish balance. Unfortunately, no many people can afford to travel to India and receive Ayurvedic treatment from real professional with access to the whole package Mr. Reid received. If we look for treatment here in the US, we are more exposed to be misleading by un-professional practitioners; and pay more for dubious herbal medicine used to treating

Mackenzie, C. S., Poulin, P. A., & Seidman-Carlson, R. (2006). A brief mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention for nurses and nurse aides. Applied Nursing Research,19(2), 105-109. DOI: 10.1016/j.apnr.2005.08.002

On the front page of the American Nurses Association’s webpage, you see their complete definition of what being a professional nurse is, “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.” They explain that nurses take care of others, but to take care of others they must take care of one’s self first as a nurse. It is like the analogy that is consistently used, “ put the oxygen mask on yourself” before you help any other person (Nurse Together, 2014). The purpose of this paper is understand that mindfulness is living in the present and taking care of one’s self first before they are trusted to take care of others, whether it is a physical or psychological standpoint. To be a nurse they have to judge other’s mental and physical state, but nurses have to take a look in the mirror once and a while.

Ayurveda medicine not only helps to refresh and rejuvenate all systems of our body but also has the ability to prevent even serious life-threatening diseases such as cancer. Its main dogma is that health depends on a frail balance between body, mind and spirit. While this